A Brief Overview A student with a disability has the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). General education is the LRE. Services are generally portable, and special education is delivered to the student to enable access to FAPE within the LRE to the maximum extent appropriate. Federal Read More
A Brief Overview LRE has been an aspect of special education law since 1975, when there was widespread public concern about children with disabilities historically being segregated and denied equitable education. Research shows that children of all abilities learn social skills from one another when they learn side-by-side. Some Washington schools struggle to support access Read More
A Brief Overview Service dogs and therapy dogs have different jobs. Read on to learn more about the differences and how dogs can help people with diverse disabilities. A service dog is trained to support a specific person in unique circumstances. Therapy dogs are chosen by temperament and trained to use closeness and touch to Read More
The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) ends when a child turns 3. A transition to a preschool plan with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) requires a new evaluation and is a team-led process: Planning begins 6-9 months before the third birthday. The Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) schedules a transition conference to design a written Transition Read More
Where and when a student goes to school is called the placement. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes how much time a student spends in different settings. It also includes a statement about how much time the student spends with non-disabled students. The IEP Team, including the parent, makes decisions about placement after talking about Read More
From Child to Adult Transition to adulthood is difficult for all young adults, but if you are a young adult who utilizes Behavioral Health or Substance Use Disorder services it can be confusing and overwhelming. It is also difficult for the parents and guardians who support them. Moving from child based to adult based services takes Read More
Great Information on Early Intervention Services After 121 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, I took my son to his assigned pediatrician at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska and was told I needed to arrange for custodial care for him. When I asked the doctor, “What is custodial care?” He stated that Read More
It is the time of year that all of us have been looking forward to. SCHOOL IS STARTING! For those of us who have children with special needs this can be either wonderful or not so wonderful. We, as parents, really need to understand that changes, anytime of the year, to our children’s program, services or placement cannot take place Read More
As we continue to further understand disabilities and those who experience them, continued education is becoming more of a reality for people who, in the past, might never have completed high school. Going to college no longer seems out of the question, and we’re happy to see more individuals with disabilities pushing themselves and excelling Read More