We are excited to announce that PWS Connect, a brand-new podcast from PWSA | USA, is launching on Friday, August 30, 2024, across all major podcast platforms. PWS Connect will be your go-to source for the latest news, research, advocacy efforts, and family support in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community. At PWSA | USA, our...
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” ― Mother Teresa By supporting PWSA | USA, you can help more than one. On August 17, 2024, we are honoring National Nonprofit Day. As a national nonprofit organization about to celebrate 50 years, PWSA | USA understands the importance of serving the community...
Contributed by Barb Dorn, RN, BSN As I began my research looking at specific health issues in the aging adult with PWS, I soon learned that there was not much information on this topic. I did find a few articles that documented clinical evidence for early signs of aging. As far as dementia, I found...
Compiled by Barb Dorn, RN, BSN People with PWS are growing old. Many of this may be the result of our increased knowledge in supporting and caring for the person with PWS. We have learned to replenish hormone deficiencies and manage their diet and food security. We have identified critical health issues and know that...
Question: Male, 29 years-old, UPD My son is currently on oxygen and is having several health issues.Our biggest concern is weight loss and finding a Dr in Florida who can help him as an adult with PWS. Nurse Lynn’s Response: Here is a general rule of thumb for weight loss for our folks: To maintain...
The school year is fast approaching for some families, and well underway for others. Whether your loved one is returning to a familiar school with familiar faces, or beginning a new adventure in an unknown place, they may be feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. Change and the unknown can be very difficult for...
Question: Female, 35 years-old, Deletion For quite a while now, my daughter has occasional spells of burping and complaints about pain in her lower abdominal region. We have been to the Gastro doctor, and my daughter was put on Famotidine and Omeprazole. At this time, she is only on Famotidine, because it didn’t seem like...
On Friday, August 2, 2024, the PWS Advocacy Coalition submitted a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requesting the filing and priority review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for Soleno Therapeutics’ drug, DCCR. The petition, signed by 14,271 members of the PWS community, was sent to FDA officials Dr. Tiffany Farchione...
August is National Make-a-Will Month, a time dedicated to the important task of planning for the future. At PWSA | USA (Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA), we are excited to mark this month by launching our new planned giving resources, designed to help you make a meaningful impact through legacy gifts. Planned giving allows you...
contributed by Jeremy Lanning My name is Jeremy Lanning, and my son, Lucas Warren Lanning, was born on 05/23/2023. He was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome. My wife Melissa and I have been married for 12 years, and our other son, James, is six. I have three children from my previous marriage. I am 49 years...
PWSA | USA partnered with TREND Community to help further PWS research through conversations. For two years, TREND collected data from Facebook group conversations to gain important insight into the issues families were facing. Please note that there was no personal information attached to the data that was collected, but merely the keywords and topics...
PWSA | USA has submitted our “Congressional Letter of Support” to the FDA with 27 signatures from U.S. Congress members! This letter pushes for urgent development and approval of treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome. A big thank you to our advocates who shared this ask during the 2024 D.C. Fly-In and to the team leads who...
contributed by Amy McDougall (mom to Noelle, 21) Our daughter has always been an independent spirit: bright, organized, willing to advocate for herself, and preferring to decide between choices. However, she also struggles greatly with hyperphagia, which can completely “short-circuit” her logical problem-solving skills. We certainly dreamed of a future in which a medication would...
Question: Male, 2.5, UPD My son has had a decrease in appetite (eats breakfast and lunch but not dinner) but has been drinking regularly the past two days. His BMs are a lighter brown/tan/beige color, and he has had smelly gas. His stomach at night looks slightly distended but is gone by morning. The stomach...
As parents and caregivers, we want to see our loved ones successful in their relationships. Making connections with peers is a valuable part of adolescence and being in school. Some of the characteristics of PWS can make this challenging. Struggles with transitions, egocentrism, slower processing, excessive daytime sleepiness, and, of course, food concerns, can sometimes...
Question: Male, 41, Deletion Our son is getting a new housemate, male, age 43, also has PWS. He’s getting testosterone injections biweekly. No doctor has ever suggested that to us for our son. What are the benefits and what are the concerns of testosterone injections in adult male PWS individuals? Thank you! Nurse Lynn’s Response...
contributed by Justice Rickenbach My name is Justice Faith, and I am 20 years old. I have: Prader-Willi syndrome Narcolepsy with cataplexy Scoliosis Gastroparesis and Central adrenal insufficiency I have been dealing with many health issues my whole life. Because of my rare conditions, I have many fears. I worry about my health, friends, and,...
Question: Female, 33, Deletion My daughter went through several programs of weight loss in Pittsburgh. Their program saved her life. They don’t offer that program anymore. Are there any other programs that can help us with her weight? She’s very heavy again. When Covid hit, it got out of control again and I feel like...
Sibling relationships can sometimes be the most challenging, and the most rewarding. Introduce a sibling with PWS, and this spectrum often becomes even more extreme. The friction and conflict may be far more frequent and difficult to manage, but the connections and support may be far sweeter. So how do we navigate these relationships? How...
Question: Male, 38, Deletion I have a question about what I think is confabulation. My son occasionally says things that are just not true, and I don’t really know how to respond. I don’t want to argue with him, but I do want him to know that what he said is wrong. The first time...
Join us for the PWS – Aging Research and Health Update Webinar series, featuring Lynn Garrick, RN, MSN, and Barb Dorn, RN, BSN. Part 1, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. EST, will highlight current research on aging in PWS and common health issues reported by caregivers. The speakers will cover risk factors,...
On June 28, 2024, Soleno Therapeutics announced the company officially submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for DCCR (diazoxide choline) extended-release tablets. This new treatment targets Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in individuals aged 4 and older with hyperphagia. CEO Anish Bhatnagar, M.D., says, “Submission of the DCCR NDA to...
Contributed by anonymous As our loved ones with PWS become adults, they want the same things as anyone else. They want to feel listened to, valued, have friendships/romantic relationships, have a sense of purpose, and live independently. We need to consider how we can accomplish this while considering our loved ones’ individual abilities and needs. Transitioning Into Adulthood Planning...
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Over the years, as a special-needs parent navigating the Special Education system for Sophie, Jennifer became interested in learning as much as possible about that process. She began by attending PWSA (USA)’s first Wyatt Special Education Advocacy Training in March of 2013, and went on to complete a rigorous 9-month Special Education Advocacy Training course with the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys in May of 2015. This included successfully completing an advocacy internship with PWSA (USA). Jennifer is referred school cases by PWSA (USA)’s Family Support Counselors, and then works closely with parents and schools to review education records, assess the child’s situation at school, provide further information about how the syndrome affects the school experience, and, as needed, create improved IEPs and behavioral plans. Jennifer was excited to take on this role of helping parents in the PWS community to work collaboratively with school professionals and parents to create positive, effective learning environments for children with PWS across the country. Jennifer is a graduate of the WSEAT program.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Past president of the Education Law Association and co-chair of the Pennsylvania special education appeals panel from 1990 to 2007, he is the author of the CEC monograph The Legal Meaning of Specific Learning Disability; the more recently published books, A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education and Student Teaching and the Law; and the two-volume reference Section 504, the ADA and theSchools, now in its fourth edition. In 2012, he received Research into Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Excellence in Research Award from AERA’s Division A (Administration, Organization & Leadership). In 2013, he received the University Council for Educational Administration’s Edwin Bridges award for significant contributions to the preparation and development of school leaders. In 2016, he received the Education Law Association’s Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, and in 2017 he received the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Research Award. Note:Perry’s website is perryzirkel.com
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
She obtained her PhD from Capella University in Education focusing her research on Prader-Willi Syndrome. Dr. McTighe is also a graduate of the William & Mary Law School’s Institute for Special Education Advocacy. Dr. McTighe is currently the chair of the Special Education Advisory Board for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association-(USA). Amy is the Chair of PWSA (USA)’s Special Education Advisory Board.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Staci Zimmerman has lived in Denver, CO for the past 17 years. She lives with her husband and 5 year old daughter. Staci attended The University of Kansas, with a B.A in sociology and an M.ed in Special Education, with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Staci enjoys teaching fitness classes, and keeping a healthy, active lifestyle in Colorado.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.
Before founding SDLC, Jim was the Executive Director of Advocacy, Inc., the Texas Protection and Advocacy program from 1989-2001. During that period, he managed the growth of the program from 34 staff to a staff of 94 and from a centralized operation with one office to a regionalized operation with eleven offices spread across Texas.
From 1981-1989, Jim worked for the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled (Louisiana’s Protection and Advocacy program) as its Legal Director. From 1979 to 1981 Jim worked as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Center for the Public Interest.
Jim graduated from Tulane University School of Law in 1977, and has a BA in Accounting & Economics from the University of Puget Sound.
Jim is the author of publications and training materials on the IDEA, the ADA, and Section 504, including: Keeping Students with Disabilities in School: Legal Strategies and Effective Educational Practices for Preventing the Suspension of Students with Disabilities – A Resource Manual (2014); Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Laws (2006), co–authored with Rhonda Brownstein from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jim has served as lead or co-counsel in several major IDEA actions in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on behalf of thousands of students with disabilities, including Angel G. v. Texas Education Agency; Luke S. v. Louisiana Department of Education and Mattie T. v. Mississippi Department of Education. The past decade, he also filed and favorably settled five systemic administrative complaints in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. These systemic complaints were filed under IDEA’s state complaint procedures.
Jim has also made over two hundred presentations at statewide, regional and national conferences on IDEA, Section 504, and ADA issues. The past four years he has also served as one of the faculty members at William and Mary Law School’s week long Institute on Special Education Advocacy.
