The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) empowers special education teachers, advocates, and professionals with practical training, trusted resources, and meaningful connections - supporting those who make a difference in the lives of students with diverse learning needs.
Happy Friday! Have an enjoyable and much deserved Labor Day weekend! Here's the news you may have missed this week
The federal government took two more steps this week that disability advocates say will reshape what students with disabilities can expect from schools. New Department of Justice guidance says it will no longer rely on the 1999 Olmstead ruling in enforcing the ADA. Because Olmstead is what has long required IEP transition plans to teach independent living skills to students 16 and older, researchers warn the shift could gut high school programs that prepare students with disabilities for college, work, and life outside institutions. The Labor Department also finalized a rule rescinding a 2013 regulation that pushed federal contractors to work toward hiring people with disabilities at a 7% rate. And the Ed Department is at risk of letting $180 million in research funding expire as a deadline looms.
Families and districts continue to struggle with the realities of serving students with disabilities. Two Massachusetts families petitioned the Supreme Court to hear their challenge to a state rule that lets private school students receive publicly funded special education services only at a public school or "neutral" site. A USA Today piece traced the years-long search parents undertake to find specialized programs for children with severe needs like Ogden Syndrome or profound autism, with some families waiting years while their children go without school at all. In Seattle, special education support was central to contract talks that came within hours of a district-wide strike before a deal was reached. And an EdWeek survey explored how teachers really feel about adapting instruction for students with disabilities.
On the technology and accessibility front, New York City Public Schools rolled out the nation's most sweeping generative AI moratorium, banning student-facing AI for from 2-K through 8th grade, with individual devices barred entirely in 2-K through 2nd grade and explicit carve-outs for students with disabilities who use assistive technology. A new national survey found voters share broad concerns about AI in schools, and Pearson agreed to settle federal claims that workers with visual impairments could not access the company's own platforms.
A landmark BMJ study found that at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, more than 25 times the rate in the general population, with true prevalence likely higher since CTE can only be diagnosed after death. In autism research, UC San Francisco scientists built the largest-ever molecular map of 100 autism-linked genes, revealing that different genes disrupt the same protein hubs, findings that could enable drug targets working across many genetic forms of autism. Yale School of Medicine also received a nearly $25 million grant to map the developing brain and advance autism research, and Newsweek fact-checked recurring claims about autism rates in Amish communities.
Worksheets, webinars, trivia and more below!
SlackBoards Help Kids Focus, Regulate and Learn
Most of us were taught that learning means sitting still. But for many children with special needs, stillness works against them. The vestibular system, which governs balance and spatial awareness, connects directly to the circuits regulating focus and readiness to learn. The right movement input shifts the nervous system into a calmer, more organized state that supports concentration. The SlackBoard was built on exactly this principle. Exceptional Edge Readers save 20% with code NASET
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Hello from the NASET Break Room - our quick pulse check on the state of special education based on trending posts and questions we saw online this week.
Last Week:
Do you think your school adequately accounts for the cumulative exhaustion of students who have to adapt constantly every single day?
Sometimes, but it depends on the teacher 🔄 (55%)
Who do you think is most responsible for making co-teaching actually work?
It only works when both teachers are equally invested 🤝 (87%)
Have you ever worked with a student where you weren't sure if reading difficulties were dyslexia, a language acquisition issue, or both?
Yes, regularly - it's one of the hardest calls I make 🎯 (47%)
Have you ever had a parent push back on your recommendations because of something they saw on social media or a viral video?
Yes, regularly - it's becoming a real challenge 😤
A few times, but we worked through it 🤝
Once - it caught me completely off guard 😬
Not yet, but I can see it coming 👀
How do you feel about cameras in special education classrooms?
Supportive - I have nothing to hide and it protects everyone 📷
Mixed - I understand why but it changes the environment 🤔
Opposed - it undermines trust and student dignity 🚫
I'd want clear policies before I'd have an opinion 📋
Have you ever felt that following your district's inclusion policy required you to use a less effective approach for a specific student?
Yes, regularly - it's one of my biggest frustrations 😤
Yes, in specific cases 🤔
Rarely - I find ways to make both work 💪
No, inclusion and effectiveness align well in my setting ✅
September Webinars
🙋 Wednesday September 9th at 7pm EST: Kids Do Well If They Can - Part 2: Implementing Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) Model in Your Classroom Dr. Ross Greene, New York Times Bestselling author of The Explosive Child, returns for part 2 of his webinar series on implementing the tools which actually reduce discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, restraint, and seclusion in both general education and special education classrooms.
👩💻 Register Today | Free for NASET Members♿️ Wednesday September 16th at 7pm EST: Disability Rights and the Classroom Join Dr. Michael Ashley Stein, Co-Founder of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and a drafter of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on where the rights of students with disabilities come from and where they're headed.
👩💻 Register Today🧩 Tuesday September 22nd at 7pm EST: Unlocking Communication:
What 40+ Years of Autism Research Tells Us About Minimally Verbal Students Join a pioneer in the field, Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg, Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University and Director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence who has led the research answering the questions educators ask every day: How does language actually develop in children with autism? What predicts whether a minimally verbal student will gain spoken language? And what does the evidence say about how to support communication when speech is limited?
👩💻 Register Today | Free for NASET Members
📚 September Special Educator e-Journal
Perry Zirkel’s September Legal Update
When the IEP Isn't Enough: Rethinking Special Education Through a Mental Health Lens by Joana Salas Bundoc, M.A.Ed., Special Education Specialist, Terra Nova High School
The Impact of Small-Group Reading Interventions on Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities by Julianne Verdayes. Florida International University College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
Last week, NASET’s Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP), published a special issue focused on strengthening IEP and IFSP implementation within state and local systems.
📓 Explore it today | Members, Read it today
⬇️ NASET Support Squad Downloads of the Week Responding to Escalating Behaviors Before They Become a Crisis and Identifying and Addressing Accommodation Fatigue Scroll down to instantly download ⬇️
🎁 The Gift Card Giveaway Continues
NASET is here to support you this school year, and our Built for Day One event is live through September 13.
Watch the recording of our FREE webinar with ARK Therapeutic + Katie Zelinski, MS, OTR/L, The Well-Balanced OT and you're automatically entered into our weekly $100 gift card drawings
We’ve selected three winners already and next week could be you!
Take our educator survey and receive a $5 gift card as our thank you
FEDERAL DISABILITY POLICY
FAMILIES, DISTRICTS & THE SEARCH FOR SERVICES
TECH, AI & ACCESSIBILITY IN SCHOOLS
RESEARCH & PRACTICE
Our Sponsor
Transition planning transforms when you center deaf student strengths.
NDC shares four deaf-informed strategies to help educators support access, self-advocacy, mentorship, and future pathways. Explore practical tools, Deafverse, and free professional development to help deaf students thrive in college, careers, and life after high school. 👉 Learn from NDC
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The "Just Right Challenge"
Some movement tools rev kids up, working against you. The SlackBoard does the opposite. Its low-amplitude, rhythmic motion calms and organizes the nervous system; what occupational therapists call the "just right challenge." Rooted in Dr. A. Jean Ayres' sensory integration work, it delivers enough input to engage sensory-seeking, under-responsive, or chronically dysregulated children without tipping them into overwhelm. For these kids, the right input can be transformative. Exceptional Edge Readers save 20% with code NASET
Shout Out to Last Week’s Winners Who Correctly Answered, “The DSM-5 eliminated the subtypes because research showed clinicians could not reliably distinguish between them, and they were better understood as one continuous condition, Autism Spectrum Disorder, that varies in severity and support needs rather than separate disorders.” View the winners list here!
This Week's Question:
What are the four functions of behavior most commonly assessed in an FBA?
Correctly answer 3 or more trivia questions each month to be eligible for a gift card! We had 22 winners in August!
What’s one special ed resource you wish existed? Reply to this email and let us know!
Getting Started with the SlackBoard
Bringing the SlackBoard into your classroom, clinic, or home? Start with the SlackBoard PLUS model with two lines, the recommended setup for anyone just beginning to integrate it. The motion is small, rhythmic, and regulatory rather than alerting, so students can use it during instruction, not just breaks. Watch a short demo of how to begin. Exceptional Edge Readers save 20% with code NASET
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”