Finding Support for Parents of Children with Disabilities

The words were still ringing in the young mother’s ears and she struggled to listen to what else the psychologist was telling her. Despite her best efforts, she could not stop hearing the word “autism”. All at once, many of the mother’s dreams for her child were cast in doubt. Milestones that most parents took…

Looking Out for Siblings of Disabled Children

There are sounds of objects crashing into walls and screaming. The girl hurries out of her room to get her younger brother into his bedroom. She knows she must act quickly to make sure he does not get hurt. The commotion continues for several minutes before it becomes quiet. The girl cautiously comes out of…

Section 504 and School Accommodations

A couple of years before, a boy had suffered a severe concussion in a car accident. Fortunately he appeared to recover fully and has been doing fairly well in his schoolwork. However, his parents are beginning to notice that their son is starting to struggle in completing his work and has become more inattentive. His…

An Ounce of Communication is Worth a Pound of Yelling

The first nine weeks of school arrives and the report card comes home. Mom opens her child’s report card to find that her little Einstein is failing a class and barely passing a couple of others. When she shows the report to the boy, he says, “My teacher is horrible. She never explains anything and…