Florida families using the Step Up for Students scholarships are moving into a new portal or dashboard. The state is calling it EMA for Education Market Assistant. The idea is great but the process is quite honestly a nightmare. So, now with EMA all my students will be in one dashboard with each of their…
Tag: florida
Autism Schools Directory-Pinellas
Educational options are the hot topic in politics and life right now. So often parents ask for this advise; where do I send my ASD child to school? I have decided to do my best and make a list of suggestions for parents to sort through and see if a school suggested fits their child’s…
motivation and autism
I see everyday typical children who lack any and all motivation for life. From having motivation to complete school work, do chores at home, play games or sports, do any extracurricular activity that doesn’t involve a screen. However, I see in my son real motivation for learning so that he can do jobs or things…
Florida Voucher Program
Governor DeSantis signs bill that expands Florida school voucher system. The current Family Empowerment Scholarship will not have financial restrictions, however the state will use a need hierarchy tier for priority for funding. The priority for funding will go first to the lowest income, then will continue up the income scale. There is only so…
Need money for services or products…the Gardiner and McKay Scholarships are now Family Empowerment UA
Most read and most popular article I have ever written, still continues to get updates. I’ve left the last update under the heart banner. As of 2022-2023 school year both the Gardiner and McKay Scholarships have been combined into the Step Up for Students Unique Abilities (UA). Just to be candid and clear, I’ve got…
Florida Strawberry Festival
Special Smiles Day The Strawberry Festival will host a Special Smiles Day on Friday, March 3rd. We plan to attend and will share our fun at the festival. The fair will host all individuals with special needs and their families. At gate 5, 9am on March 3, 2023 the individual with special needs and one…
How to advocate and collaborate with your child’s health care provider
Advocacy Series 3: How to advocate and collaborate when working with your child’s health care providers. Kathryn with Thrive consultation and therapy has been utilizing the ACT matrix to help model psychological flexible when advocating. In this series three episode, we discuss how to collaborate with your child’s health care provider. Attached above is the…
How autism moms could change the world
Policy change for early intervention Why does early intervention have to be so challenging? Why does it have to include jumping through so many hoops? Why are parents left guessing, unsure, frustrated? Money- I think the real answer is money. Early intervention is so challenging because it costs money; money that insurance companies want nothing…
Early Intervention and Experience
After my journey with my son and publishing a book about early intervention, I had a third child. With my youngest I was fast to notice some potential concerns with her development. Did I have that fear…. Is it Autism? However, with my experience and knowledge came a completely different experience with early intervention. This…
Leaving Inclusion
leaving an inclusion environment for a more supportive and knowledgeable learning environment. As parents with children on the spectrum or just parents of children with exceptionalities/differences we have always said that inclusion is best. For years, I pushed and pushed for the best inclusion setting I could get for my son. I believe with a…
Ruthfulness 