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! We hope you enjoy your final weekend in September! Here is the news you may have missed this week.
The federal picture this week is one of reshuffling more than resolution. Staff at the Education Department say the effort to wind it down has made the agency slower, not leaner, with more than 100 special education employees now working out of a health agency's building. The federal autism advisory committee has a new chair, the rules for the new K-12 scholarship tax credit are still being written, and a court has thrown out the directive that led to cuts in teacher training grants earlier this year. Plenty of movement, not much settled.
Closer to the classroom, districts are wrestling with growth and staffing at the same time. Denver is opening 28 new center-based autism classrooms after a roughly 75 percent jump in students with autism since 2021, a state auditor is opening an investigation into a special school district that serves 23,000 students, and one large North Carolina district is betting its overhaul on training general education teachers. In New York City the council is in court defending $10,000 payments for paraprofessionals, while Toledo families are feeling the effects of a paraprofessional shortage firsthand. On a brighter note, students at a school for the blind are building coding tools that work with screen readers.
Two items worth a slower read. A federal watchdog found that building problems cost schools an estimated 3.5 million lost school days, a reminder that access is about more than the IEP. And a review of 134 studies found the word "neurodivergent" is being applied to roughly 20 different diagnoses with no consistent definition, which matters for anyone writing goals, grants, or policy around the term.
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:
How do you feel heading into most IEP meetings?
Prepared but always a little anxious 😬 (41%)
Have you ever had a student resist or refuse pull-out services?
Yes, regularly - stigma is a real barrier 😔
Yes, occasionally 👀 (47%)
Do you have materials translated for the non-English-speaking families on your caseload?
Yes, for everything that goes home 📋 (37%)
Have you ever worried that an accommodation you were providing was creating dependence rather than building skill?
Yes, it's one of my ongoing tensions 🤔
Sometimes, but I err on the side of access 📋
I've had it raised by a colleague or admin 😬
No, I see a clear line between the two ✅
Do you know the research rationale behind the structured work tasks you use in your classroom?
Yes, I can explain why each one works 💪
Somewhat - I use them because they work, not because I studied them 🤷♀️
Honestly, I inherited them and kept using them 😬
I don't use structured task systems 📋
Do you feel confident distinguishing selective mutism from autism-related communication differences or social anxiety in your students?
Yes, I have a clear framework for this 💪
Somewhat - I recognize it but defer to the SLP 🤔
No, I find this genuinely hard to differentiate 😬
I've never encountered this in my caseload 🤷♀️
🧠 Wednesday October 21st at 7pm EST: Regulate, Relate, Reason:
Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model for Educators Join Dr. Katie Lohmiller and Halley Gruber, Program Directors of the Neurosequential Model in Education at The Neurosequential Network, founded by Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., whose work with Oprah Winfrey in "What Happened to You?" brought trauma-informed thinking to millions. They will answer the questions special educators face every day: How do stress and trauma shape a student's developing brain? Why can't a dysregulated student access learning, no matter how strong the instruction? And what does the Regulate, Relate, Reason sequence look like in real classroom moments, from responding to concerning behaviors to IEPs, behavior plans, and partnering with families?
👩💻 Register Today | Free for NASET Members
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⬇️ NASET Support Squad Downloads of the Week Understanding Compensatory Education Services and Preparing for Reevaluations and Eligibility Reviews Scroll down to instantly download ⬇️
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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, “Two (2) Years.”
This Week's Question:
In A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools (2025), the Supreme Court rejected which heightened standard for 504 and ADA claims in schools?
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 Stated 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
“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”