Once a week, the Special Needs Blog Week in Review brings you a brief summary of each of the blogs that appeared here in the past seven days. This gives you a really easy way to find everything that went up, in case you missed anything.
The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on June 11, 2012. This week, I’d like to point out an episode of “Hope Saves the Day”. They speak with Marglit Francus, who is the founder of Autistic Globetrotting. It is a non-profit website that is designed to inspire and encourage autistic families to explore the world.
Where to Find More Special Needs Playgrounds
Summer is a great time to take your family outside to play. Parents of kids who have special needs may find that their local public park was not designed to accommodate the needs of your children. Here is a quick list of where to find some more playgrounds that were designed to accommodate wheelchairs, sensory sensitivities, and more. I included a link in that article that will take you to the first list of special needs playgrounds that I wrote about this Summer.
Inclusion Program in New York City Brings Controversy
New York City will implement something new with their Special Education programs this fall. It is based on a pilot program that encouraged as much inclusion into general education classrooms as each Special Education student could handle. Parents are upset because they feel that they were not given enough information about this program.
“Mini Darth Vader” had Heart Surgery
The seven year old actor who played “Mini Darth Vader” in the Volkswagen commercial that played during the Super Bowl has had heart surgery. His name is Max Page, and he is doing fine. The surgery was to replace his pulmonary valve, which was defective because Max was born with a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot.
Moving Out of State for Autism Therapy
Utah doesn’t require health insurance companies to cover Advanced Behavioral Analysis, or ABA, therapy. It is a form of therapy that helps children who have an autism spectrum disorder. The lack of insurance coverage is causing some families in Utah to move out of state, and into a state that does require health insurance plans to cover ABA.
Stability in Special Education Programs is Important
In New Jersey, there is a bill that, if passed into law, would require Special Education programs to have more stability than they do now. The purpose is to prevent learning setbacks as much as possible in a group of students that is especially sensitive to change.
Image by happy_serendipity on Flickr