Earlier this year, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals experienced a temporary interruption in the supply of the Genotropin 5 and 12mg cartridges, as well as all Mini Quick devices. According to the Commercial Brand Lead for the US, Michael Harris of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the interruption was due to a manufacturing issue in fall of 2019 at the Pfizer...
Though the study did not meet statistical significance for Primary Endpoint, significant improvements were seen in a prespecified subgroup with severe hyperphagia. Significant positive changes were also seen in two of three key secondary endpoints. Interim analysis of Ongoing Extension Study (C602) showed further reductions in hyperphagia of 48% after six months of DCCR treatment....
Volunteer Appreciation Week: Thank YOU for being Part of our CommUNITY! Over 45 years ago, PWSA (USA) was founded by volunteers. It remained a fully volunteer-run organization until 1980 when our first paid Executive Director was hired (the next paid staff wasn’t hired until 1984!). While the number of staff has grown to 14, our...
Take Part in the 2020 Giving Challenge! Noon to Noon, April 28-29
Direct support professional (DSP) is an umbrella term that includes many different titles and functions; for example: direct care, direct support worker/specialist/assistant/counselor, habilitation specialist, residential counselor, activities of daily living specialist, relief staff, apartment worker, developmental disabilities specialist, job coach, employment specialist, community bridge-builder, paid friend/neighbor, family care provider, family support services aide, community companion,...
Fathers who have an adolescent with PWS age 13-18 are invited to participate in a 4-session, online, small group training exercise to reduce father’s perception of stress, improve parenting satisfaction and increase family involvement. Participants must reside at home with their adolescent and the adolescent’s mother, have a personal computer with a camera, microphone and internet...
PWSA (USA) welcomes its first official Corporate Partner; Prader-Willi Homes of Oconomowoc, at the PWSA (USA) Board of Directors meeting on September 14th. A premier residential facility located in Dousman, Wisconsin, Prader-Willi Homes of Oconomowoc has been supporting individuals with PWS and their families for over 35 years. PWSA (USA) works with Corporate Partners to...
I would like to invite you to fill out a questionnaire for the study of pain in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome. This study of the VU University (Amsterdam) is conducted in the Netherlands, but the questionnaire is also distributed in Flanders and America. The purpose of the questionnaire is to gather experiences and knowledge about...
PWSA (USA) would like to thank all of the generous donors who contributed to the Association towards oxytocin research. You have made this – and future clinical trials on oxytocin possible. Phase 2 Study: Intranasal Oxytocin for Treatment of Infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome in Nutritional Phase 1a Principal Investigator: Jennifer Miller, MD Pediatric Endocrinology, University...
Hello from the PRETEND/Telehealth team at Case Western Reserve University! We are excited to say that we are gearing up for another enrollment trip for our ongoing studies on Prader-Willi syndrome, this time in San Antonio, TX. We will be there from Wednesday March 8 through Saturday March 11.We are recruiting families with children with PWS 3-11 years...
The PWSA (USA) Advocacy Committee is seeking interested persons to participate in the newly created Advocacy Alert Network. Persons who join the Network will be notified by Committee members of pending legislative issues affecting PWS and be provided with a model email or letter that can be used to contact legislators regarding the issue. In...
Profiling of the gut microbiome in children with PWS Principal Investigator – Andrea M Haqq, MD, MHS, FRCP University of Alberta, Canada ABSTRACT Individuals with a genetic condition called Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) are at risk for development of obesity at a young age. Children with PWS often have a very high food intake because...
We are pleased to announce that PWSA (USA) has approved the funding of an important grant: The Effect Of Growth Hormone Substitution On Sleep Disordered Breathing In Young Children With Prader-Willi Syndrome. The researchers have committed that the results will be in a report that could be helpful with physicians and private/ public insurance companies....
I would like to invite you to participate in a research study on the ‘Relationship between caring for individuals diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and caregiver stress’. The results will provide vital information to caregivers, service providers, and policy makers on strategies and supports needed in the care of individuals with PWS. The survey will...
Sara Cotter, mom to a child with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), has formed a company dedicated to advancing treatments for PWS and related disorders. The company is called Levo Therapeutics (www.levotheraputics.com). Sara has years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as an analyst with UBS. She recently left her job to pursue the leadership...
If you live in the Indianapolis area and have a child with PWS between the ages of 3 and 11 years old, you may be eligible for one of these very interesting studies on remote education for PWS. Please read the two attached documents. The PRETEND (Parent-focused Remote Education to Enhance Development) – Research...
We have exciting news for you all! On Monday, June 27th, Jack Lindsey who is 13 years old and has PWS will be on a popular TV show on the sportsman channel at 6pm CST. The opening episode features Jack hunting and killing a buck with his bow. The air times are as followed: Mon....
Must-Have’s For Every PWS Family! Below are two wonderful resources PWSA (USA) is offering to our amazing community. Learn more about them below. Essential Early Childhood Behavior Management Strategies Three weeks ago, Lisa Graziano, MA, LMFT, presented a webinar entitled, Essential Early Childhood Behavior Management Strategies. Parents found it very helpful in understanding behavior...
Prader-Willi Syndrome : How Parents and Professionals Struggled and Coped and Made Genetic History By: John Hernandez-Storr Now available through PWSA (USA) — this amazing 256 page book gives never-before-told historical facts on the evolution of the medical world working to understand Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) entwined with intimate, personal stories of the original PWSA (USA) pioneers....
Due to the results of the phase 3 clinical trial on the Zafgen drug beloranib, a meeting was recently held in Miami to review the data and meet with thrombosis experts. This was followed up by a meeting with PWS caregivers, many of whom had children on the clinical trial. As reported in the webinar...
Zafgen has released the results of the Phase 3 clinical trial of Beloranib in PWS (the “bestPWS” study). Note that PWSA (USA) and FPWR are planning a joint webinar in the next few days to review the findings and implications of the trial with the PWS community – more details will be available soon. ...
I am so pleased and privileged to announce the new partnership between PWSA (USA) and Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. This relationship is exciting and, indeed, hopeful. During the 2015 PWSA (USA) National Conference I was fortunate to be introduced to Ms. Cheryl Stauss, former First Lady of Shriner’s International. Cheryl served as First Lady of...
Survey: Vascular Blood Clots, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and/or Thrombosis in Prader-Willi Syndrome Our recent review of causes of death at PWSA (USA) has increased our awareness of the risk of death due to blood clots to the lungs/ pulmonary embolism’s(PE’s) in Prader-Willi syndrome. Additionally, there have been two PE sudden deaths during a recent...
Calling all fathers! A study on the role of PWS male caregivers has been approved by PWSA (USA). Dr. Leon Caldwell has been awarded a grant to do a study on the needs and issues of PWS fathers and other male caregivers. The purpose of this study is to learn about the coping and parenting...
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.
