When considering medical benefits for family members with special needs, military families often overlook Medicaid, a health benefits program established by federal law. Medicaid covers basic and long-term health care services for eligible children, pregnant women, parents with dependent children, adults aged 65 or older, and individuals with disabilities. Eligible dependents of military families can Read More
Category: Health & Wellness
Information on physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being.
Gender Affirming Care
A Brief Overview Gender identity has become a hot topic in today’s political world. But beyond the politics, there are many young people that are struggling and often it is their physical and mental health that suffers the most from the misunderstanding between sex and gender, and the meaning of gender affirming care. What is Read More
Stay Cool When Summer Heats Up
Summertime brings special challenges for families whose children have special needs. Some medical conditions and medications make individuals particularly susceptible to the heat. Be sure to check with your doctor about which medications might increase heat sensitivity. Keep in mind that extreme heat combined with humidity can make a person even more vulnerable. It’s harder Read More
The Importance of Fathers and Father Figures
A Brief overview Full Article Parents are children’s first and primary teachers. Every parent has their own way of caring for and interacting with his/her/their child, with mothers and fathers typically interacting with their children in different ways. Who are fathers and father figures? Fathers and father figures play an important role in supporting a Read More
LGBTQ+ and Disability Rights in School
A Brief Overview Full Article LGBTQ+ is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others. The “plus” represents other gender identities including pansexual and Two-Spirit. Youth and young adults with disabilities may also have diverse sexualities and gender identities. LGBTQ+ identities are NOT disabilities, but students with disabilities may Read More
Infant Early Childhood Mental Health
A Brief Overview Full Article New parents may struggle to know whether their child’s emotional development is on track. They may have a feeling that a milestone is missed, or they may observe siblings or the emotional well-being of other children and notice their child is developing differently. Sometimes a parent just needs reassurance. Other Read More
Traumatic Brain Injury in Youth
A Brief Overview Full Article A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury that affects how the brain works. TBI can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. The exact definition of TBI, according to special education law, is referenced later. This injury can change how the person thinks, behaves, and moves. A traumatic brain Read More
Disability and Sexual Health Education
A Brief Overview Full Article Parents or guardians are the first and primary sexual health educators of children. What parents and caregivers believe, say, and do can have a powerful influence on the development of healthy sexuality in children. This article provides resources to support healthy sexuality for families and youth, including standards and instruction Read More
Your Apple Health: What you need to know about the Public Health Emergency
A Brief Overview Full Article Did you know? During the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency, WA State changed some rules about Apple Health (Medicaid). If you or a family member had Medicaid for health insurance, you did not have to renew every year. If you paid a premium for Medicaid health insurance, premium payments stopped during Read More
Children Do Well if They Can: A Behavioral Strategy from Ross Greene
Child Expert Ross Greene wants adults to rethink the way they support children who struggle with their behavior. He offers two reasons children behave in unexpected ways: Greene says about 80 percent of problem behaviors at school are due to academic struggles and the rest are related to social inadequacies. To help children make good Read More
Bullying at School: Key Points for Families and Students with Disabilities
Transcript of this video is below: When students with disabilities are bullied, schools are legally responsible to end the bullying. By law, schools must act to restore the safety and well-being of students who are harmed by harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Those words—harassment, intimidation, and bullying, make an acronym: HIB. This video is about HIB Read More
Respiratory Disease Health Advisory
Description of the above graphic: Washington State is experiencing an overwhelming number of children and babies being hospitalized for respiratory diseases. The CDC has issued a Health Advisory for the state as the rise in the Flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and COVID pushes the limits of pediatric hospitals. Protect children by making sure that Read More
Health Insurance: How a Change in Federal Policy Might Impact Your Family
Families with insurance from the Health Insurance Exchange that was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may be eligible for lower cost insurance because of a rule that changed just in time for the Open Enrollment period that started November 1, 2022. Open Enrollment ends January 15, 2023. Note that for new coverages to Read More
Related Services in School and Beyond can Support a Child’s Development and Learning
A Brief Overview At school, related services help children with disabilities benefit from their special education by providing extra help and support. Options for related services are described in state law (WAC 392-172A-01155). If a child with public health insurance needs specific therapies to meet medical needs, their insurance company is obligated to support those Read More
Tips to Organize Your Child’s Medical and School Documents
A Brief Overview Keeping track of important documents for your child’s health can save you time and give you less stress. Take advantage of technology! If you choose to build a digital storage system, integrating it with your smart phone will make it easy to share information on-the-go with doctors, day care providers, school staff, Read More