Understanding Is a Key First Step
The Healthy Brain Network initiative offers no-cost mental health and learning evaluations to children ages 5-21. Families are connected with treatment and services in their community on the back end of evaluation.
Click HERE for more information
| This school year has stressed students with ADHD. Our kids desperately need a break from school — and 6+ hours daily on a screen — but not from learning. Studies show that kids can lose up to two months worth of hard-won learning over the summer, but there is hope. |
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| Dr. Rosa Hagin Scholarship
Dr. Rosa Hagin was an educational psychologist, teacher, and advocate for children and adults with learning disabilities. She was involved with the Learning Disabilities Association of America for many years and served on the national and New Jersey LDA Professional Advisory Boards. Dr. Hagin was also a pioneer in post-secondary education for adults with learning disabilities as head of an experimental project known as “Another Chance” that addressed vocational as well as academic skills. Upon her death in 2014, Dr. Hagin generously donated money for LDANJ to begin a scholarship fund for students with LD.
Scholarship winners have displayed exceptional scholarship, volunteerism, perseverance, and leadership. Attached is the advice that the 2021 scholarship winners gave to other students as part of their applications.
Click HERE to see Advice from Scholarship Winners |
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| News from LDANJ
We're working on some plans for a summer conference, a fall conference, and possibly starting some monthly support group for parents. Watch your emails and follow us on the LDANJ Facebook pages for updates. Not on our email list? Become a member of LDA or email us at info@LDANJ.org. |
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| Have you heard about Bill S3434?
Do you know a student who is turning 21 in 2021 or 2022 and needs another year of high school?
Please read the attached! You can make a difference!
Click HERE for Bill S3434 Information |
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| Are you a parent who wants to be involved?
Are you a student interested in being a STAMPNJ Leader?
Do you know a student who needs a mentor?
Check out the information attached about STAMP!
Students Teaching Advocacy
through Mentoring Program (STAMP) |
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Opinion 57: Non-Lawyer Special Education Advocates and the Unauthorized Practice of Law – Superseding Opinion 56
What You Need To Know
On April 9, 2021, the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law (Committee) issued a new ethics opinion, known as Opinion 57, that addresses the issue of whether non-lawyer advocates can represent or speak on behalf of special education students in IEP meetings and mediation conferences. The Committee determined that non-lawyer advocates are practicing law when they are advising, representing, or speaking on behalf of students at IEP meetings and mediation conferences.
However, the Committee recognized that special education is complicated to understand and that there is a lack of lawyers with special education knowledge available to help parents who need them. It is for this primary reason why the Committee determined non-lawyer advocates with special knowledge or training of special education laws and procedures can represent students in IEP meetings and mediation. The Committee made it clear that non-lawyer advocates must have explicit permission from the parent to appear at the IEP meeting without the parent. The explicit permission requirement does not apply to court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteers.
The Committee also made it clear that non-lawyer advocates must have the parent accompany them during mediation. However, these advocates do not require explicit permission from the parent to communicate with the school district in less formal settings.
Read More About Special Education |
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Resources to Share with Families
A Family Guide to Participating in the Child Outcomes Measurement Process
Parents of a young child in an early intervention or early childhood special education program want to be sure these services are helping their child develop and learn. But how can they tell if that is so? One way is to learn about the 3 “child outcomes” measured for every child who participates in such a program. This free handout from the PACER Center explains the 3 outcomes and how parents can participate in the child outcomes measurement process.
Comic Books Series Turned into Videos for Children
Want to share with children information about their disability via a video based on a comic book series? Jumo Health has quite a selection of such videos (typically 8+ minutes long) on different disabilities, including: anxiety, asthma, AD/HD, autism, childhood cancer, growth disorders, heart defects, diabetes, food allergies, OCD, sickle cell anemia, and spinal cord injury.
How to Spot Depression in Young Children
We tend to think of childhood as a time of innocence and joy, but as many as 2 to 3 percent of children from ages 6 to 12 can have serious depression. |
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| FREE EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
NAMI Basics is a 6-session education program for parents, caregivers and other family who provide care for youth (ages 22 and younger) who are experiencing mental health symptoms. NAMI Basics is available online through NAMI Basics OnDemand.
This program is guided by parents and family members with lived experience, is self-paced and available 24/7. |
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| NAMI Connection Recovery
Support Group is a 60 minute support group for adults (18+) with a mental health condition. Participants gain the support of peers who understand their experience and gain insight into others’ challenges and successes.
NAMI Connection Recovery
Support Group
Wednesdays at 12 pm – 1 pm ET
Wednesdays at 7 pm – 8 pm ET |
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| NAMI Family Support Group is a 60 minute support group for adult friends and family members (18+) of people with mental health conditions. Participants gain support from peers who understand their experience and gain insight into others’ challenges and successes
NAMI Family Support Group
Wednesdays at 7 pm – 8 pm ET
The spouse/partner group will meet 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month
The sibling group will meet 4th Tuesday of the month |
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| The "Educating The Educators" program is an initiative by NAMI NJ to help K-12 educators understand children and youth with mental health disorders.
It provides information, strategies and resources that can be utilized in the classroom setting. To learn more about ETE or schedule a presentation, go here. |
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| The “Every Mind Matters” Educator Toolkit, copyrighted by NAMI NJ, is an interactive health supplement designed for students in Grades 5-8 and Grades 9-12 to enhance their knowledge about physical and mental health and strengthen their coping strategies in dealing with stressful feelings and situations.
It contains information and resources on mental health, mental illness, the brain, stress relief, anti-stigma and anti-bullying. To learn more about EMM, go here. |
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Grab your FREE webinars and materials now from Reading with TLC |
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| Free Professional Development Opportunities
· Maryanne Wolf - Keynote Deep Reading in the Digital Age Webinar (2 cont. ed. hrs.)
· Emily Hanford - Keynote on the Science of Reading Webinar (2 cont. ed. hrs.)
· Keith & Marianne Nice - Teaching Structured Literacy Online Webinar (2 cont. ed. hrs.)
· Lively Letters Overview Webinar (1.5 cont. ed. hrs.)
· Phonics App Instructional Webinar (1.5 cont.ed. hrs.)
· Nancy Telian & Penny Castagnozzi - Using Lively Letters Online Webinar (2 cont. ed. hrs.) |
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| Free Materials
· Complete Tic Tac Toe Phonics Workbook ($49.95 value)
· Lively Letters Picture & Plain Letters & Stories
· Lively Lively Coloring Pages
· Lively Letters Pictures and Poems
· Lively Letters Phonics Songs
· Phonics Worksheets
· Alphabet Character Hand Washing Coloring Pages
· List and Description of Common Spelling Rules
· Irregular Sight Word Pictures and Mnemonic Stories
· Sight Word Stories You Can Read - Book # 3
· Phonetic Sight Word List Sorted by Syllable Type
· Consonant Blends Word List
· Multisyllable Word Tic Tac Toe Worksheets
Share with colleagues & parents for use online & to print. |
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| THE SPAN YOUTH HUB
Welcome to the official SPAN Youth Hub blog! Here we will feature weekly resources to empower youth, adult allies, and all other individuals in our communities.
Click HERE the subscribe button on the top right to follow us by email. |
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