Home Schooling: But What About Socialization? (Part 7 of a Series)
Ask any homeschooling family and they will tell you that the number one question when someone finds out they home school is “but what about socialization?” I often tell people that if we took advantage of all the opportunities to socialize, we would never get any lessons done. Right now, with everyone across the country...
Siblings and Communication
Communication is key in any family and is especially important in a family impacted by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Experts believe that open, clear, and frequent communication is necessary for healthy family functioning (Green & Peterson, 2019). Research shows that most parents have sparse conversations with their children about what it is like to grow up...
A Young Man’s Perspective on Prader-Willi Syndrome: Securing Food
A big help for me is having the refrigerator and pantry locked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Having the pantry and refrigerator locked reduces my anxiety in or around those areas of the house. By implementing the lock-up tip, you will help keep your child healthy and minimize health issues. My own...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.