In the News!

The Isolation of Special Needs Parents Aug 2018
How to be survive being Friends with a special needs parent Feb 2015

In the News!

Welcoming Families from Day One Added: Oct 2017
10 Easy Ways to Help Your Child’s School Added: Oct 2017

In the News!

Nothing About Us, Without Us: 16 Moments in the Fight for Disability Rights
New York Times | July 2020
As with every other civil rights movement, the fight for disability rights is one that challenges negative attitudes and pushes back against oppression. But it is also more complex.

“Often the movement has diverged into a constellation of single-issue groups that raise awareness of specific disabilities. It has also converged into cross-disability coalitions that increasingly include intersections of race, gender and sexual orientation.

Regardless, the prevailing demands of the movement are the same: justice, equal opportunities and reasonable accommodations.”

Archived In the News!

In the News!

Archived In the News!
- Psychological Damage Inflicted by Parent Child Separation is Deep, Long Lasting Oct 2018
- 11 Ways to Make Your Classroom a Safe Haven for Children Exposed to Trauma Oct 2018
- The Trauma Informed Teacher-Silent Front Line July 2018
- Supporting Children and Parents Affected by the Trauma of Separation June 2018
- How Teachers and Schools Can Help When Bad Stuff Happens Oct 2017
- NPR Ed: For Traumatized Children, An Offer Of Help From The Muppets Oct 2017
- When Schools Meet Trauma with Understanding, Not Discipline June 2017
- Relax, Heal, Learn April 2017
  Training is showing teachers how to handle stress and trauma so that students can achieve academic and emotional success.

In the News!

Learning Mindfulness Centered on Kindness to Oneself and Others, Mind/Shift June 2018
Mindful Parenting: How to Respond Instead of React May 2018
Managing our own emotions and behaviors is the key to teaching kids how to manage theirs.
Daily Mile significantly Improves Health BBC | May 2018
An initiative to get schoolchildren to walk or run a mile every day leads to significant improvements in their health, according to a study.
When Empathy Leads to Burnout: How to Help Others With Out Hurting Yourself Feb 2018
Assessment: How Mindful Are You? Mar 2017

Archived In the News!
- Mindfulness Could Improve School Performance Sept 2017
  School officials are interviewed about the impact of mindfulness training on students and teachers.
- Mothers and Infants Connect Through Song Sept 2017
- 50 Calm Down Ideas to Try with Kids of All Ages Sept 2017
  Navigating childhood challenges can be stressful, and sometimes deep breathing isn’t the solution that works for your child. When your child is in need of tension relief, try one of these techniques.
- Put Away the Screens and Play Together! Ideas for water play, mud play and chalk play for kids and families Sept 2017
- What Changes When a School Embraces Mindfulness? June 2017
- 7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health June 2017
  Researchers who study friendship have uncovered many of its health benefits.
- Brains in Pain Cannot Learn! June 2017
- How to Give to Others without Burning Out June 2017
  Emma Seppala-Research suggests that self-care can reduce stress and exhaustion—if we know how to practice it.
- Playground Where Babies Learn to Talk Oct 2016
  A campaign (Talk, Read, Sing) to encourage brain development is using parks to deliver its message to children and their caregivers.
- Study: Exercise May Cut Challenging Behavior in Half
  Researchers say there may be a simple way to reduce challenging behaviors among those with autism and similar disorders during the school day — add in some exercise.
- Cybercycling Effects on Classroom Behavior in Children With Behavioral Health Disorders: An RCT

In the News!

‘I am not ashamed’: Disability advocates, experts implore you to stop saying ‘special needs’ USA Today | June 11, 2021
Why 2021 is the year for inclusive learning Understood | Dec 2020

Archived In the News!
- Guy Whose Father Has Down Syndrome Shares What It Was Like Being Raised By Him, Says He Couldn’t Be More Proud Dec 2019 Sader Issa, who studies dentistry in Syria, shared the story of how he was raised by his dad Jad who has Down Syndrome. According to Jad’s son, his dad showered him with love and did the best that he could to make his childhood the same as any kid’s. Sader explained how his father is selfless and a real pillar of the community. Read the story and find out more about people with Down Syndrome as parents and the love of parents for their children with Down Syndrome.
- Dear Class of 2019, Thanks for Including My Son with Down Syndrome June 10, 2019
- How Some Schools Restrain Or Seclude Students: A Look At A Controversial Practice NPR, June 15, 2019Though there are guidelines around restraint and seclusion in schools, there are no federal laws governing how they can be used. And they’re most often used on students with disabilities or special needs, and boys, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. This article discusses how these methods are used and how they are regulated.
- Desperation And Broken Trust When Schools Restrain Students Or Lock Them In Rooms June 5, 2019
  Every time Jennifer Tidd’s son was secluded or restrained at school, she received a letter from his teachers. Her son has autism and behavioral issues, and over three years — from 2013 to 2016 — Tidd got 437 of those letters.
- When Students are Labeled “Too Much” Jun 2019
- Four Pillars of a Meaningful Life Jun 2019
- Students With Disabilities Deserve Inclusion. It’s Also the Best Way to Teach May 7, 2019
- Recess Can Be Hard On Those With ASD. Researchers Say It Doesn’t Have To Be May 1, 2019
- What Happen’s After College for Students with Down Syndrome? A Lot! Mar 2019
- Officers calm autistic man by singing and dancing: What People Can Learn from this Story Feb 2019
- Children with autism thrive in mainstream pre-schools Nov 2018
- New Government Report Suggests 1 In 40 Kids Have Autism Nov 2018
- My Kid with a Disability Deserves to Be in the Same Classroom with Your Kid, Because His Future Depends on It Oct 2018
  Shares recent research citing the academic benefits of inclusion.
- Inclusive Education is a Plus for Children of All Abilities July 2018
- Fearing Deportation, Immigrant Parents are Opting Out of Health Benefits for Kids July 2018
- This woman is an exceptionally effective Capitol Hill lobbyist. She also has Down syndrome July 2018
- How to be survive being Friends with a special needs parent July 2018
- Little Lobbyists Help Save the Health Care Law, for Now Oct 2017
- 10 Ways to Help Kids with Learning Differences That Could Benefit All Students September 2017
- 7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health June 2017
  Researchers who study friendship have uncovered many of its health benefits.
- It’s Time to Address Teacher Bias Against Special Education Students June 2017
- The Subtle Brilliance of Sesame Street’s first episode starring an autistic Muppet April 2017
- Poll Finds Widespread Use of Retard April 2017
- Special Needs: He ain’t special, he’s my brother-Time to ditch the phrase “Special needs” Added: April 2017
  The phrase “special needs” is commonly used as a euphemism to refer to a person with a disability (particularly intellectual or cognitive disability and, more often than not, a child) or who otherwise functions in some way that is atypical. As a euphemism it is generally offensive to and condescending of people with disability.
- Preschoolers don’t just learn in in inclusive settings, they thrive April 2017
- ‘Speechless’ Just Schooled Everyone On Disability ‘Inspiration Porn’

In the News!

California schools prepare for thousands of Afghan refugee students edsource.org | September 2021
Fact Sheet: Who are Dual Language Learners? Early Edge | August 2018
Dual Language Learners (DLL) are children, birth to age 5, who are learning two (or more) languages at the same time, or are learning a second language while continuing to develop their first (or home) language (U. S. Office of Head Start). This fact sheet describes the characteristics of dual language learners in California. Links to additional resources are also available here.
Multi-Lingual Learning Tool Kit October 2021
The Multilingual Learning Toolkit, an online hub of research-based key principles, instructional practices, and accompanying resources, is the result of a collaborative effort between practitioners, experts, and researchers. The key audience for this work is teachers who work with Multilingual Learner children in PreK-3rd Grade as well as program administrators and higher education faculty members.
Designing the TK World: Ensuring Equity for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) October 2021
Please join us for a 3-part webinar series focused on supporting and affirming the needs and assets of preschool-aged Dual Language Learners, who represent a large and growing population of young children in California. This series, intended for teachers and administrators, will provide participants with practical strategies and takeaways to apply to their own contexts. The series will also feature expert practitioners from the field, who will share their experiences and key resources.