by Common Ground | Jun 13, 2018 | Features
“Most schools are not fully prepared to support students with autism, sensory disabilities, medical and mobility disabilities, and other unique challenges in emergency situations.” In an age of increased emphasis on school safety and security, evacuation...
by Common Ground | Mar 26, 2018 | Features
State regulations (New Jersey Administrative Code Title 6A, Chapter 16 (NJAC 6A:16) Programs to Support Student Development) requires school districts to “develop, adopt, disseminate and implement a code of student conduct that establishes standards, policies and...
by Common Ground | Jan 22, 2018 | Features
By Maria Docherty and Lauren Agoratus, M.A. With the increased focus in the United States on charter schools and the use of vouchers to support student attendance at private schools, more and more parents of students with disabilities are asking questions about how...
by Common Ground | Sep 11, 2017 | Features
Medicaid is a successful government-operated, single-payer health program established in 1965 as part of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society.” The nation’s largest single source of health insurance, Medicaid covers one out of five Americans with very low income- more than...
by Common Ground | Jul 26, 2017 | Features
By Amy Golden, M.S., BCBA Research confirms that becoming as independent as possible often substantially impacts future success in all aspects of life, so as a student moves through adolescence, it is essential for the educational team and the family to place...
by Common Ground | Jun 4, 2017 | Features
By Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler Does your child crash into walls? Does he cover his ears in a crowded amusement park or shy away from birthday parties? Does she seem insensitive to pain, or overly sensitive to sound or light? When children have difficulty...
by Common Ground | May 2, 2017 | Features
By Elizabeth W. Barnes Children with special needs are guaranteed a “free, appropriate public education” (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). When Congress enacted IDEA in 1975, the goal was to address the “perception...
by Common Ground | Mar 1, 2017 | Features
by Renay Zamloot During the past week, I received frantic phone calls from six different parents throughout the state asking these questions. Each one relaying a very similar story: “I received a call from my case manager today informing me that my child’s...
by Common Ground | Dec 12, 2016 | Features
Students without a home face steep educational challenges: the absence of basic necessities such as food and clothing; poor healthcare and medical services; a lack of quality mental health services; interruption of education due to mobility; and trauma.Poverty...
by Common Ground | Oct 25, 2016 | Features
by Janet Renda “It is vital to consider the role of the Paraprofessional as potentially temporary” One-to-one paraprofessionals are often considered highly desirable in special education settings as a means of ensuring that a student with a significant...
by Common Ground | Sep 4, 2016 | Features
Living among America’s 74 million children are growing numbers experiencing mental illness. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) finds that roughly 20% of adolescents ages 13 to 18 and 13% of 8 to 15 year-olds experience severe mental...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Features
When it comes to standardized testing, New Jersey students consistently score in the top half of test-takers nationally. But quality curriculum and instruction matter little when a student is not in school. “Chronic absenteeism” is typically defined as missing 10...
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