Advocates

John McLaughlin sits down to discuss recent news surrounding Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and the unfortunate tendency to pigeonhole the field of autism. McLaughlin warns against limiting therapy methods in favor of a “check box” approach made popular by insurance companies looking to set pricing and organize treatment protocols.

edCircuit Opinion
It was a very eventful year for The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, commonly referred to as FIRE. There has been a great deal of pressure on Colleges and Universities to publicly confront issues amongst the student body including race, sexual assault, gay rights and politically correct comments. Many would argue that these institutions are getting too involved, others say that they are not intervening enough.

edCircuit Opinion:
The short film “Hallelujah” by Aliza Eliazarov follows New York City students preparing for their big musical concert. These students have such a strong love for music that they have chosen lessons with their teacher, Peter Mancini, over recess. During the filming, it became evident how desperately these children needed music in their lives. “Hallelujah” follows the story of only one class in NYC. But, there are thousands more just like it across the country. The short film shines a light on the fact that these kids love what they are learning.

Mike Lawrence, CEO of CUE, talks with Dr. Berger about professional development and the role CUE plays in advancing technology and learning. Lawrence also speaks about advocacy efforts and the growing number of conferences and learning events to support CUE members including the CUE 2016 Fall and National Conferences. 

Check out this interview with ASCD author and educator Pete Hall as the season begins to shift to Friday night football and school dances. Hall and Dr. Berger met up at this year’s ASCD conference. Hall shares insights into his new book The Principal Influence.

edCircuit Opinion:
When I was younger, I often would gather with my neighborhood friends, head into the backyard, and spend hours digging a massive hole to China. We’d all attempt to use the shovels that were two times our size, all while fantasizing about what we’d do when we finally made it – or better yet if we hit the center of the earth! Many would not think twice about this scenario, and simply view it as kids being kids. But, child development researchers would analyze this situation much differently.

As July comes to a close, thousands of families swarm to the nearest stores and begin to cross items off of their college checklist. For those who need reminding, no one college dorm room is alike. But, according to CENGAGE Learning’s 2015 Student Engagement Insights survey, many of these students have more in common than you think. When asked, “what are your goals after college?” 80% of college students responded that they want a “good job/better job”. Is this attainable for recent college grads?
Forbes warns that it may not be.

by Sgt. Thomas Rich
This post, Understanding Cyberbullying Through Immersion: Educate, Empower, Engage, was originally published in SEEN Magazine.
Today’s technology has taken on a life of its own. Words such as “tweet,” “hashtag,” “snap” and “follow” have become integrated into our daily vocabulary. Every day there seems to be a new social media platform that kids are using, whether it’s Twitter, Snapchat, Yik Yak or Facebook.

John McLaughlin joins me to discuss the notion that schools should be training all teachers to work and understand students who are on the Autism Spectrum. McLaughlin also discusses what questions teachers should be asking about Autism to better inform the understanding and approach with both students and parents.