The Center for Special Needs Support Groups offers an array of support groups. These groups are designed to help individuals and families deal constructively with the range of challenges they face. The combined expertise of the facilitators and the personal experiences of the participants provide resources, networking, strategies, therapy options, emotional support and community.
The Flawless Foundation is presenting a lecture on November 3 with Dr. Stuart Ablon, Co – Author of “Treating Explosive Kids – The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach.” Dr. Ablon is Director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Adult/child power struggles can leave both parties frustrated with adults scratching their heads, wondering how it could have gone differently. Dr. Ablon offers a new way to understand and help kids. He describes a revolutionary approach that challenges conventional wisdom. This lecture will help you gain insight into children with behavioral challenges.
Disability advocates are chastising a group of Republican senators for proposing changes to federal law that they say would lower expectations for students with learning disabilities. The senators introduced a bill in September that would allow students with “the most significant cognitive disabilities” to be held to different academic standards and take alternate achievement tests. The […]
At the Brooklyn Public Library, there’s a place where all children can relax, play and have fun. They provide unique programs for children with and without disabilities from birth to age 12. Fostering an inclusive environment, this unique Brooklyn resource opens its doors to all children, parents, caregivers, and educators. Their free programs include: After School Stories, Weekend Programs, Read and Play, Parenting Workshops, Class Visits and Garden Club.
On any given day, “Brooklyn” is the fifth largest “city” in the US notes an article published on the NYACTS website. “It stands to reason that its public library would be a sizable establishment with extensive programming…and within its many programs, Brooklyn’s is a public library that serves as a model of best practice for welcoming people with disabilities.
In a partnership with the Autism Society, AMC Theaters is presenting sensory friendly films for families with kids with special needs. They are shown on a monthly basis. The program provides a special opportunity for families to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment. The auditoriums dedicated to the program have their lights up, the sound turned down and audience members are invited to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing!
Big Apple After School Program (BAASP) is a new service in Manhattan for children ages 6-12 with social skills deficits. It is an alternative to weekly social skills groups for children with various mild-to-moderate social-emotional skills difficulties, such as ADHD, Asperger’s, High Functioning Autism, Anxiety, and Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities. Activities include explicit social skills training, homework tutoring, team sports, unstructured play, and group games.
Organization: Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. Website: http://www.resourcesnyc.org/event/rcsn-camp-fair-2012 Contact: Hilda Melendez Phone: (212) 677-4650 ext. 34 Location: Church of St. Paul the Apostle 405 W. 59th St., Auditorium (lower level), New York, NY 10019 (Entrance on Columbus Avenue near West 60th Street) Date & Time: Saturday, January 28, 2012 – 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM […]
Organization: Rebecca School Website: www.rebeccaschool.org Phone: 212-810-4120 Address: 40 E. 30th Street, New York, NY 10016 Rebecca School is a therapeutic day school promoting the education and development of children ages 4 to 21 with neurodevelopment disorders of communicating and relating including autism spectrum disorders and PDD. Rebecca School incorporates the ideology of Stanley Greenspan, […]
Organization: Aaron Academy Website:www.aaronacad.org Phone: 212-867-5443 Address:42 E. 30th Street, New York, NY 10016 Aaron Academy is a private, special education school dedicated to insuring that all students will become responsible, successful citizens of the 21st Century. We seek students who will be served well by Aaron Academy programs and will contribute their skills, talents, […]
Organization: Aaron School Website: http://aaronschool.org/ Phone: (212) 867-9594 Address: 309 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017 Aaron School opened its doors in 2002 as a nursery and early elementary school for children who are not ready for mainstream education, due to potential learning challenges. Located on the East Side of Manhattan, Aaron School provides integrated […]
This full-day workshop is designed for parents and professionals to understand the inner mind of persons high on the autism spectrum (Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS or high-functioning autism), with ADHD, Nonverbal Learning Disability or who have no working diagnosis but they fit the clinical picture! Participants will learn not only functional treatment strategies they can use both at school and at home, but they will also better understand why these students react and respond the way they do. The presenter will introduce the I LAUGH model of Social Cognition and will also address how best to approach writing IEP goals.
The NY Times had a really interesting article on adult ADHD and how getting diagnosed can be complicated and doesn’t entail a simple test. It notes that more than 5 percent of adults have A.D.H.D., but just 10 percent of those adults have a formal diagnosis.
The New York Times recently published an article about the Harlem Success Academy 3 charter school in Harlem, a kid with special needs and the school’s seemingly unwillingness to deal with this child. The article included a response from the school and it insistance that they do have other kids with special needs thriving in their program. It also details the kid in question transferring and doing great in another program. It’s an interesting and balanced read. Read more here.
SI Live published an article about a proposal to eliminate some Special Education busing and instead reimburse parents for taking kids directly to school and picking them up. The city is exploring the idea of reimbursing parents who take their Special Ed children to school as a way to save some of the $800 million it spends on busing kids to school. “They could come on public transportation, they might use their own vehicle, and they would be compensated for that,” Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said.
The Wall Street Journal published an article about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal that would eliminate $98 million in direct state funding to help pay tuition at Special Education schools, which can range from $40,000 a year to more than $100,000. Cuomo would transfer most of that cost to local school districts, the way other special education programs are funded through a complex school aid formula that takes into account district taxpayers’ relative wealth.
Organization: Hunter College Autism Center Website: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/autismcenter Phone: (212) 772-4000 Location: Hunter College, Manhattan “The Hunter College Autism Center supports the needs of children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in New York City by providing education to professionals, conducting research, and creating outreach programs that serve individuals with ASD and their families.”
The New York Times published a great article last fall about our friend Jennifer Choi and her babysitter who was trained at the JCC Manhattan’s special needs babysitting class. The babysitter, Catalina Lopez, was working with the family before she became “certified” to babysit special needs kids, but she said that the program helped her gain more knowledge and insight in handling special needs children. And, Jen gave her a raise.
For those interested in the Reece School for your kids this fall, they will be holding an open house this Thursday, January 27th at the school on their West 104th St. school building. More info about the school here.
It’s been in the news for years. Many years. Vaccines cause Autism. The MMR vaccines causes Autism. It doesn’t cause Autism. People have argued about this for over a decade. And it’s in the news again. The journal that published the original article scientifically linking vaccines to Autism retracted their article last year, and now say that is was an elaborate fraud. Here are articles from the NY Times and CNN that have some unbelievable details about Autism, vaccines, lies, money and greed.
The NY Daily News recently published an article about a Queens church that holds a monthly Roman Catholic Mass for families with in which special needs. The kids are welcome, even if they have trouble sitting quietly for the length of a mass.
The church holds a monthly Roman Catholic Mass in which special needs kids are welcome, even if they have trouble sitting quietly for the length of a mass.