The Exceptional Edge by NASET (05.09.25)

🎉 HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!

We value your hard work, dedication, and commitment each and every day! 

• Starting today, we're migrating to a new newsletter platform! This week and next week you will receive 2 newsletters from us, so be sure to add [email protected] to your email contact list today. If you aren’t receiving both newsletters, let us know!
  

• We’re thrilled to be relaunching our Board Certification in Advocacy in Special Education (BCASE) on our new course platform!

  EXPLORE NASET CERTIFICATIONS HERE! →
  

• NASET is conducting our first ever survey! Participants are eligible for a $5 gift card to a store of their choice or to make a $5 contribution to an organization of their choice!
  TAKE THE 7 MINUTE SURVEY HERE! → (best viewed on a computer)

📰 SPECIAL ED NEWS LINKS

• HHS Clarifies: No New Autism Registry Will Be Created

• IDEA Services for Infants, Toddlers Brace for Budget Impacts 

• Swim Schools Launch Program for Kids with Autism

• Colorado’s Preschool Program Ranks High for Enrollment, Low for Quality Guardrails, Report Finds

• Supreme Court Poised to Back Student in Key Disability-Rights Case

• Prospect of Special Ed Moving to HHS Prompts Fears of Return to Bleak Past

• 19 States Sue Education Department Over Anti-DEI Efforts 

• President Trump Wants to Gut Head Start. He’s Already Begun

• White House Order Prioritizes AI in Schools 

• Temporary Anxiety Impacts Learning

• No Greater Risk of Brain Aging Among People with Autism 

• A Smaller Nation’s Report Card

• Changes to Federal Education Department Could Harm NJ Students with Disabilities, Advocates Warn

• Justices Seem Puzzled by District’s Argument in Disability Case 

• Could A Common Pregnancy Disorder Help Explain Rising ADHD Cases?

💼 LATEST JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• ESN SPED Teacher (Santa Barbara, CA)

• 2025-2026 Special Education Teacher @ Premier Charter School (St. Louis, MO) - $60 - $61K / year

• Special Education Teacher @ Elevation Ability Services (Aurora, CO) - $60 - $80K / year

• Elementary ESE Teacher @ CRF School (Miami, FL)

• Multi-Intensive Special Education Teacher @ Rocky Mountain Prep (Denver, CO) - $62 - $92K / year

• Special Education Teacher ($2K Signing Bonus!) @ Imagine Coolidge Elementary School (Coolidge, AZ) - $50K - $70K

• Special Education Teacher @ Conductive Education Center of Arizona (CECA) - $58K - $72K

CHECK OUT MORE OPPORTUNITIES ON OUR JOB BOARD! →

🧩 EXCEPTIONAL TRIVIA CHALLENGE!

Shout Out to Last Week’s Winners Who Correctly Guessed, “Hearing Aids”: Cindi Maurice, Lauro Esquilona III, Catherine Cardenas, Patsy Ray, Karen Frantz-Fry, Tahisha Ayala, Ellen Kay, Betsy Mandel, Alex Regorgo, Kelly Jacobsen, Karl Anuskowitz, Autumn Matthews, and Joanna Blau

This Week's Question:

Which IDEA classification term is defined as “an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech.”?

SUBMIT YOUR TRIVIA ANSWER HERE! → (best viewed on a computer)

📋 TAKE OUR SURVEY FOR A $5 GIFT CARD

Your input shapes our work and the survey:

✅ Takes just 7 minutes to complete
✅ Is 100% anonymous (unless you’d like a gift card) 
✅ Improves the tools we provide

COMPLETE THE SURVEY → (best viewed on a computer)

💭 QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: How can I help my child practice social skills over summer break?

A: Summer offers wonderful opportunities for natural social skill development. Consider:

• Scheduling regular playdates with peers who model positive interactions

• Enrolling in inclusive summer camps or programs

• Using visual social stories to prepare for new experiences

• Creating structured opportunities to practice specific skills like turn-taking or conversation starters

Remember: Even brief social interactions at the park or library can be valuable practice opportunities when prepared for and processed afterward!

Have a question for our experts? Submit it here for a future newsletter! (best viewed on a computer)

💡 RESOURCE ROUNDUP

• 8 Small but Impactful Classroom Management Shifts

• Using Community Circles to Boost School Culture

• Ways to Help Students Build Attention Stamina

• Can AI Help Reduce Math Anxiety?

EXPLORE MORE RESOURCES →

😊 SELF-CARE CORNER

Education heroes need self-care too! Try this simple grounding technique:

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: Pause and notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This quick practice can reset your nervous system during challenging moments.

🎓 CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Make a lasting impact and advance your career with NASET certifications!

🚀 FEATURED CERTIFICATION ON OUR NEW COURSE PLATFORM🚀 
Board Certification for Advocacy in Special Education (BCASE)

• Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education (BCISE)

• Board Certification in IEP Development (BCIEP)

• Board Certification in Classroom Management (BCCM)

• Board Certification in Special Education (BCSE)

EXPLORE NASET CERTIFICATIONS→

🌟 BECOME A MEMBER!

Level up your special education journey with a NASET membership!

Members receive a discount on certifications and access to our robust resource library of special education materials and more!

JOIN NOW →

📣 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
-Albert Schweitzer