Category Archives: Current Affairs

On July 9, 2009, Help Restore Fairness to the IDEA

Published on July 7, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

This Thursday, July 9, 2009, thousands of individuals and organizations who care about the rights of students with disabilities are coordinating a “call in” to Congress to help to restore fairness in the IDEA by requiring that parents who prevail in Due Process Hearings against their districts are entitled to having their expert witnesses reimbursed.  [...]

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Patriotism and Special Education

Published on July 4, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

I love the Fourth of July.  It is one of my favorite holidays, in part because I consider myself a real Patriot.  I love my country for all of its glories and its faults, and I have been known to cry when reading the Constitution.   When I was in college, I used to force my [...]

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The DSM-V: How Will It Impact Special Education?

Published on June 27, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

I am not even remotely a mental health professional.   I majored in English Literature and went on to become an attorney.  However, in my special education law practice in Connecticut, I brush up against psychologists and psychiatrists every day, and rely on them to let me know what, if any, disabilities my clients have, and [...]

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Pompous Circumstance

Published on June 19, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

This weekend, in high school auditoriums and on lawns across the country, graduation ceremonies will be held to honor those students who have accumulated the necessary credits to receive a diploma.  Families will gather, grandparents will cry, and kids who have gone to school together for years will congratulate one another on a job well [...]

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Who Is Watching The Adults?

Published on June 13, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

I was just reading about that Florida teacher who asked her kindergarten class to vote on whether or not to keep a little boy with autism in the class.  The reason for the vote, apparently, was that he was exhibiting inappropriate behaviors in the classroom, for which he was routinely being sent to the Principal’s [...]

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Insurance Coverage for Autism Treatment, Let’s Do It RIGHT

Published on May 5, 2009 by Jennifer Laviano

There has been a massive push to legislate mandatory insurance coverage of autism treatment. Legislation has already passed in many states. Autism Speaks is doing an amazing job coordinating these efforts across the country.
When I first heard about it, I thought it was a brilliant idea. As an attorney who represents children with [...]

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