How to Advocate for Special Education Students During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic made the spring semester challenging for all families but especially for families with children with autism and other developmental disorders. Many school districts failed to implement a program comparable to what students were receiving prior to the COVID closures. To address these legal concerns and to assist parents to navigate their child’s special education program during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, SafeMinds reached out to Timothy A. Adams, a special education attorney from Southern California with 19 years of experience. Mr. Adams generously granted us a telephone interview.
Heroes Act to Provide More COVID-19 Economic Relief for the Disability Community
Unlike March’s $2 trillion CARES Act, which now needs a legislative fix to include adult dependents with stimulus payments, the HEROES Act is the only major plan created by Congress to address the needs of people with disabilities during COVID-19.
Multiple Studies Show Autism Rates Surging Worldwide
Three large epidemiological studies released this spring show a continuing trend, autism rates are increasing, not just in the United States, but across the globe. Regrettably, researchers and scientists still do not understand why.
Autoantibodies and Autism, Is There a Connection?
Although there are still no definitive answers for what causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a good deal of research that points to an interaction between genetics and environmental factors as a possible mechanism for causation. Over the past two decades, associations between immune system abnormalities and autism have been linked. A new systematic review from Harvard Medical School, among other institutions, examines this intricate relationship.
Interview with Dr. Walter Zahorodny
SafeMinds recently had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Walter Zahorodny, Principal Investigator of the New Jersey Autism Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network about his latest research, which assisted in calculating the newest CDC autism rate. As highly publicized last March, 1 in 54 or almost two percent of American eight-year-olds now hold an autism diagnosis. To shed more light on this situation, Dr. Zahorodny shared his incredibly important viewpoints surrounding the ever-increasing autism crisis with SafeMinds. To learn more, watch our newest video.
Legislative Fix to Aid Families with Adult Dependents During COVID-19
On March 31st, 2020, Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced the All Dependent Children Count Act (H.R. 6420) into the House of Representatives. This bipartisan bill aims to expand eligibility for stimulus payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed on March 27th to remediate the economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic.
