Our blog has been designed to keep our educators, parents and clinicians up-to-date on trending topics in special education.
We’ve gathered a variety of resources and strategies from experts in the field to help you enter the 2025-2026 school year feeling confident and prepared to foster the best outcomes for your students with moderate to severe disabilities.
Are you looking to harness the power of data to make meaningful decisions that will positively impact your students’ educational experience? Follow these steps to learn how to build a data system that drives decision-making and develop a data driven culture.
For students with moderate to severe disabilities, continuous learning is critical to maintaining progress on IEP goals and skill building. We’ve compiled a list of hands-on, engaging activities that can be embedded into students' regular schedule and play throughout the summer break. With these tips and ideas, learning will be so integrated into students’ fun-filled days, they won’t even realize it’s happening!
As educators, we know that no two students are alike. Each student comes with their own abilities, strengths, interests, and personality - and they all deserve to be celebrated for who they are. The ability to recognize and celebrate differences in one another is a crucial skill for children to learn, but it’s not always intuitive. This can be especially true for peers of students with disabilities.
There are over 7.5 million American children ages 3-21 who receive special education services, or 15% of all public school students. This constitutes a large number of children who require individualized support beyond the general education curriculum as determined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The pervasive special education teacher shortages are put into perspective when one considers all the individual students whose educational needs are affected.
There are over 7.5 million American children ages 3-21 who receive special education services, or 15% of all public school students. This constitutes a large number of children who require individualized support beyond the general education curriculum as determined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The pervasive special education teacher shortages are put into perspective when one considers all the individual students whose educational needs are affected.
There are over 7.5 million American children ages 3-21 who receive special education services, or 15% of all public school students. This constitutes a large number of children who require individualized support beyond the general education curriculum as determined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The pervasive special education teacher shortages are put into perspective when one considers all the individual students whose educational needs are affected.
Every student deserves equitable and inclusive access to the general education curriculum that complies with state standards. How does an adapted curriculum play a role in accomplishing that for students with disabilities? An adapted curriculum does not change the what when it comes to learning, it simply redefines the how.
Students with moderate to severe disabilities often have communication impairments and difficulty getting their wants and needs met. Teaching language is an essential part of the job of a special educator, and yet, can be extremely complicated. For instance, think of the word “book.” While the word itself may be simple, the student has to be able to apply the word in many different contexts.
I remember my first year of teaching like it was yesterday. I was brand new to the special education field, had just accepted a role serving students with autism, and was told I would have four paraprofessionals in my classroom. While more seasoned special educators may have been thrilled to be given that kind of support, I could barely grasp managing myself and my students, and now I had four teachers that I was expected to manage, as well. While college courses teach you how to provide instruction and manage paperwork/IEPs (I even remember a course about working with families!), there was no specific guidance provided on managing a team of adults. Let’s explore how to support the invaluable staff who work with our students.
