Aug 23, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Home Schooling a Child with Special Needs, Part 1

I’d like to introduce you to Amy. We met during a recent Twitter Chat. She had so many good ideas about working with kids who have special needs, I contacted her later and asked if her blog could be featured at DifferentDream.com. In today’s post, she answers some questions about how her blog www.onajoyfuljourney.com began. Would you introduce us to your family and your connection to the world... read more

Aug 22, 2011 Posted by Jolene

3 Tips for Transitioning Back to School

School is about to start all over the country. For some kids with special needs it can be a hard transition, one parents can make easier by following a few simple steps. Here are a few favorites I used as a parent and suggested to parents during my teaching days: Tip #1: Add Routine to the Day Start adjusting your child’s bed time and wake up time to the upcoming school schedule. Do the same with... read more

Aug 9, 2011 Posted by Jolene

School Shopping of a Special Needs Kind

The beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. Before the year begins, here are a couple resources that can help you evaluate your school’s special education programs. Education Directory The first resource is an education directory created with military families in mind. According to the site, the directory includes: brief summaries of national and state policies related to ASD,... read more

Jun 27, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Colleges for Asperger Scholars

Our daughter, Anne, graduated from college a month ago. As she and her classmates made their way across the stage, I wondered how many of them dealt with special needs. One scholar had a visible physical disability. But how many had invisible ones, like Anne’s dyslexia, which caused her to bomb a graphing test in math class?  She reversed “p” and “q.” Northwestern College... read more

Jun 15, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Prevent Summer Reading Loss

Okay, today’s post proves once a teacher, always a teacher is true, true, true. As soon as this post by Joan Celebi popped up, the teacher in me knew it deserved a mention. At her www.specialneedsparentcoach.com she lists 14 tips and 5 resources to keep kids reading all summer long. A Few of Joan’s Reading Tips Here are my five faves from Joan’s list of tips: Start a children’s... read more