We meet the lifetime legal needs of children and adults with disabilities, the elderly, and their families.
Many of our clients who are unhappy with their school district ask us to recommend a “good” school district. This is a really tough question to answer because it really comes down to the type of disability the child has (some districts are better with Autism, others with anxiety) and the people–from administration to the child’s intervention specialist or aide. As…
This is the first in a three-part series on how to identify and respond to potential abuse by school employees. PART 1: HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED? Abuse of a student by school staff is very rare, but when there is a suspicion, a host of questions arise, especially if your child has difficulty communicating. The first part…
Exceptional Mom’s Day was amazing—we learned, we shared, we laughed, we cried, we ate, and we walked around in our amazingly comfortably fuzzy pink socks while sipping hot cocoa! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have met new people and reconnect with familiar faces, all of us going on a similar journey. But there is only SO MUCH you…
One of the first questions new clients ask me is how to pick a guardian who can raise their child with special needs or make decisions for her when they are unable to do so. What should they look for? Should they ask a sibling or someone else from their family? Is it better to identify someone who is not…
One of the most common questions posed in care coordination is how to decide between in-home care and facility placement. While there is no simple answer to this question, it is important to recognize the pros and cons of both choices. There are several factors involved in making the best choice: level of care/care needs, cost, and safety are just…
Can you imagine being left with no choice but to surrender custody of your own child in order to get him help? Consider a hypothetical family of four: mom, dad, one typical child, and one child with extreme and violent behaviors, all living together under one roof. They’ve tried everything: school-based interventions, private therapy, brief periods of hospitalization, medication. Still,…
“…[A]s we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” – Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld One of the…
Like many older parents of adult children with disabilities, you are probably concerned about what will happen to your child after you are gone. You may have also done extensive planning to make sure your child’s needs are met. You are comfortable that there is a good team in place when needed. So can you rest easily? Unfortunately, not always.…
I recently saw two advertisements from companies trying to help people “stop Medicaid from taking your retirement.” The ads paint a frightening picture and offer advice on how to avoid trouble. Typically, when you read between the lines of these advertisements, you see they’re usually advising you to take one or two strategies: develop some kind of trust, or invest…
On March 22, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that a school must offer an IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s unique circumstances (Endrew F. v. Douglas County Sch. Dist. 2017 Lexis 2025) (“Endrew F.”). This decision represents an increased duty on school districts to provide an educational benefit…