Home Schooling: How Do I Get Services for My Child? (Part 3 in a Series)
Appropriate services for our children is always a top concern and school-aged children typically get most of their services through the school. So naturally when considering homeschooling, you’ll want to know what your options are for services. Generally speaking, there are four possible avenues for therapy services: Your local school district, your state’s department of...
Update on Later Stage Clinical Trials for Prader-Willi Syndrome Hyperphagia
Approximately two years ago, several companies began clinical trials of drugs with the potential to treat hyperphagia and associated behaviors in Prader Willi syndrome (PWS). Outcomes of four of five trials are now available. Soleno Therapeutics recently announced the results of clinical trials of DCCR. In the double-blind study, caregivers were asked to rate the...
Home Schooling: But I’m Not a Teacher, How Can I Teach My Children? (Part 2 In a Series)
Did you used to be a teacher? You must need special qualifications to home school, right? Variations of this question come up frequently when I tell people I home school. The truth though is that no, I was not a teacher, and though I do have a graduate degree, I don’t have any special training...
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.