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 and Happy October! Here's the news you may have missed this week
Washington delivered a heavy week for disability policy. A federal judge signed off on rolling back longstanding disability protections tied to community integration, a move advocates warn could ripple into how schools serve students with disabilities. Shrinking civil rights enforcement is already being felt, with staffing cuts and office closures leaving families waiting longer for answers, and changes to federal hiring rules are raising new questions for disabled workers. Meanwhile, the first real details of the nationwide school choice program arrived, and nearly $180 million in education research funding sat at risk of expiring, with special education studies caught in the shuffle.
The states were busier, and in some cases more encouraging. Ohio lawmakers proposed a $360 million fund to reimburse districts for high-cost special education services, Texas rolled out a plan to strengthen early childhood special education, and Arkansas put schools on a faster timeline for resolving special education disputes. Not every development favored educators though: some states are rolling back pay incentives for teachers in high-need areas, and the debate over cameras in special education classrooms is heating up again.
The research pile was the most interesting in weeks. A new study is challenging a basic assumption about ADHD, asking whether it was ever really about attention at all, just as ADHD is having a complicated moment on social media. Other teams linked infections at birth to higher rates of autism and intellectual disability, and tracked how brain activity shifts with age in children with autistic traits. And for the families you serve, don't miss the practical guide to navigating an IEP meeting.
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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:
Have you ever worried that an accommodation you were providing was creating dependence rather than building skill?
Sometimes, but I err on the side of access 📋 (57%)
Do you know the research rationale behind the structured work tasks you use in your classroom?
Somewhat - I use them because they work, not because I studied them 🤷♀️ (44%)
Do you feel confident distinguishing selective mutism from autism-related communication differences or social anxiety in your students?
Somewhat - I recognize it but defer to the SLP 🤔 (37%)
I've never encountered this in my caseload 🤷♀️ (30%)
When a student's behavior goals and academic goals conflict in practice, how do you decide what to prioritize?
Behavior first - academics can't happen without regulation 🧠
I try to address both simultaneously 🔄
It depends on the student and the IEP 📋
Honestly, I wing it and it stresses me out 😬
Do you feel your school's transition planning adequately prepares students for college-level 504 accommodations vs. an IEP?
No - the jump from IEP to 504 is rarely explained 😔
We cover it but students are still caught off guard 🤔
Yes, we explicitly teach self-advocacy for that shift 💪
Transition planning isn't part of my role 🤷♀️
Have you ever recommended an AI tool as part of a student's AT toolkit or informal accommodations?
Yes, I've started doing this 💡
I've thought about it but haven't formally recommended anything 🤔
No - I'm not sure what's appropriate to recommend 😬
My district hasn't given any guidance on this at all 📋
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👩💻 Fall Sessions with NASET to keep you informed:
🧘 Join us on WEDNESDAY October 21st at 7pm EST for Regulate, Relate, Reason: Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model for Educators. We're excited to host Dr. Katie Lohmiller, DrPH, and Halley Gruber, M.A.Ed., Program Directors of the Neurosequential Model in Education at The Neurosequential Network, founded by Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Lohmiller holds a Doctor of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health, and Halley Gruber is a licensed elementary generalist and special educator; both are trainers in the Neurosequential Model in Education and co-founders of Educational Access Group. You'll leave understanding how stress and trauma shape the developing brain and why regulation has to come before learning. Recording and certificates available 24 hours after the webinar.
👩💻 Register Today | Free for NASET Members
🧩 Launching Wednesday, October 28th at 6:30pm EST: Autism and ABA: Translated for Those Who Make a Difference, a new 5-part webinar series led by Dr. Beth L. Raiola, EdD, BCBA, LBA, Program Chair for Applied Behavior Analysis at Post University. Across five live 90-minute sessions covering autism in the classroom, family dynamics, and coaching early-career teachers, Dr. Raiola takes on the questions people actually have about ABA, especially the challenging ones; every perspective is welcome. Recording, BCBA CEUs and RBT PDUs are included with every session.
👩💻 Register Today | Free for NASET Members
🗽 NYC Educators: Our ASPDP course, Transition Planning and Post-Secondary Success, is LIVE and runs October 5, 2026 through January 8, 2027. Eligible to earn 3 A+ credits (45 CTLE hours).
🎓 Enroll Today
October Special Educator e-Journal
Perry Zirkel’s October Legal Update
Enhancing Teacher Preparation for Special Education: Challenges, Gaps, and Effective Supports by Jessica Aveiga, Ingrid Calderon, Myleen Fernandez, Junia Fleurantin, Sarai Perez
Integrating Inclusive Pedagogy: Structured Training for Effective Classroom Management Across Disabilities by Dr. Deborah Boldt
⬇️ NASET Support Squad Downloads of the Week Teaching Organizational Skills for Academic Success and Teaching Students How to Check Their Work for Accuracy Scroll down to instantly download ⬇️
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Shout Out to Last Week’s Winners Who Correctly Answered, “Bad faith or gross misjudgment.”
This Week's Question:
What principle states that a high-probability behavior can reinforce a low-probability behavior (also called "Grandma's Rule")?
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“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.”