Parent Center Updates

Nevada PEP Honored at FEAT Angel Gala

Parent Center Staff Featured in CADRE Videos

Announcements & News

TA&D Center of the Month: National Center on Intensive Intervention

OSEP Correspondence – IDEA Guidance

New Autism Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 9^th

Resources

New IRIS Center Module – Accommodations: Instructional and Testing Supports for Students with Disabilities

New Video Resources from the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)

How-to Guide for Implementing Individualized Learning Plans

Technology

Social Media Policy Workbook

Nonprofit Management

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) elaws Advisor Update

Parent Center Updates

Nevada PEP Honored at FEAT Angel Gala

Nevada PEP was honored at the Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) Autism’s Angel Gala on March 31 for the unique and essential services PEP provides to families of children with disabilities. The event was attended by many families assisted by Nevada PEP and Karen Taycher (executive director) and Trish Leavitt (board member) were present to accept the award. Congratulations to PEP on this recognition!

Parent Center Staff Featured in CADRE Videos

CADRE, the National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education, recently released a series of video interviews with ten representatives from the field. The videos cover topics such as IEP facilitation, mediation, parent-school partnerships, and more. Jody Manning, Parent Training and Information Center Coordinator at PACER Center, and Diana Autin, Co-Director of the Region 1 Parent Technical Assistance Center at SPAN, are among the interviewees. More>>>

Announcements & News

TA&D Center of the Month: National Center on Intensive Intervention

The National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) is a new center to the Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) Network. Its mission is to help state and local education agencies effectively implement intensive reading, math, and behavior interventions to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in kindergarten through 12th grade. They are currently accepting applications from school districts interested in receiving intensive technical assistance. More>>>

OSEP Correspondence – IDEA Guidance

On a quarterly basis, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) releases its list of correspondence that provides policy guidance on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Fourth Quarter 2011 (October 1 – December 31, 2011) policy letters are now available. Additionally, a 4/4/12 clarification letter related to maintenance of effort by local education agencies has also been posted. More>>>

New Autism Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released new data indicating that 1 in 88 children in the United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This marks a 23% increase since the previous report published in 2009 and a 78% increase since the first report published in 2007. A full scientific report and community report are available further describing the results of this new study. More>>>

Celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 9^th

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness day, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will take place on May 9, 2012. This annual event educates the public about the importance of children’s mental health and seeks support for a comprehensive system of care approach to children's mental health services. Learn More>>>

Resources

New IRIS Center Module – Accommodations: Instructional and Testing Supports for Students with Disabilities

In this new STAR Legacy Module from the IRIS Center, users learn best practices in implementing instructional accommodations to support students with disabilities to overcome barriers. Related podcasts from experts in the field discuss the importance of accommodations to providing access to the general education curriculum and the relationship between accommodations and educational assessment practices for students with disabilities. More>>>

New Video Resources from the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)

CELL has released three new CELLcasts (video versions of CELL practice guides for parents): Give Me, Give for infants, Sound Play for Toddlers, and Wired to Read for preschoolers. Another video, Getting Kids Involved: Creating Opportunities for Learning demonstrates accommodations that can be made at home or in a childcare setting to promote the inclusion of young children with disabilities in everyday activities. More>>>

How-to Guide for Implementing Individualized Learning Plans

NCWD/Youth (the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth) recently released “Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A ‘How to Guide’ Focused on the High School Years”, a new online guide for schools, educators, and other professionals who assist youth with college and career readiness and transition planning. The guide helps bridge the divide between college and career readiness programs and is applicable to transition specialists in school and workforce development systems. More>>>

Technology

Social Media Policy Workbook

This new publication from Idealware includes a series of worksheets designed to help nonprofit organizations of all sizes develop a policy for: staff responsibilities related to social media, how to respond to positive or negative posts on social media sites, and other related topics. More>>>

Nonprofit Management

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) elaws Advisor Update

The U.S. Department of Labor has updated its electronic Advisor for the Family and Medical Leave Act based on recent amendments and revised regulations to the law. The Advisor is an online tool that helps clarify FMLA eligibility and explains valid reasons for leave, notice requirements, and other provisions of the law. More>>>