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 - here’s to a crisp, cool and relaxing weekend! Here's the news you may have missed this week
Early childhood took center stage in Washington this week. Proposed changes to Head Start would strip away longstanding regulations, with new analysis showing which communities would feel it most, and a separate proposal could make it easier to suspend or expel the program's youngest learners. Meanwhile, a new investigation found children waiting years for disability services as federal enforcement thins out, told through the voices of the families stuck in line.
The courts and the states had their own say. A judge rejected one district's attempt to sidestep disability law, a ruling worth watching for anyone who works on IEP compliance. Elsewhere, a big state will now require math difficulty screening for its youngest students, auditors flagged millions in questionable special education spending in one district, and new federal grants are funding special education teacher apprenticeships in several states, a bright spot in the workforce pipeline.
On the research front, autism dominated. A major new study finds autism incidence has actually held stable, and most Americans now reject the claim that vaccines cause it. Researchers also took a closer look at autistic girls and women, long underdiagnosed, and at autism-like behaviors in children born very preterm. And scientists restored hearing in people with a rare form of deafness, the kind of breakthrough your students' families may be asking about soon.
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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:
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 🧠 (61%)
Do you feel your school's transition planning adequately prepares students for college-level 504 accommodations vs. an IEP?
Transition planning isn't part of my role 🤷♀️ (59%)
Have you ever recommended an AI tool as part of a student's AT toolkit or informal accommodations?
My district hasn't given any guidance on this at all 📋 (43%)
Have you ever been told a student must complete MTSS before being referred for a special education evaluation?
Yes, regularly - and I've pushed back on it 💪
Yes, and I wasn't sure if it was legal 😬
Occasionally, but it's resolved case by case 🤔
No, our district refers when there's a suspicion ✅
Do you ever wonder if social skills training is teaching students to mask rather than genuinely connect?
Yes, it's something I think about a lot 😔
Sometimes, but I think it still helps 🤔
No, I see real social growth from it 💪
I don't deliver social skills instruction 🤷♀️
Have you ever identified a student as needing more support only after realizing they had been masking their needs for months?
Yes - by the time I caught it there was real damage done 😔
Yes, but we caught it in time 😮💨
I suspect it's happened but I can't be sure 🤔
Our team has systems to catch this earlier ✅
INTRODUCING THE NASET FAMILY NAVIGATOR
🥳 We just launched the NASET Family Navigator, a new free tool that walks parents through what comes next after a diagnosis or IEP eligibility: what it means, resources, specialists, and advocates in their state.
🎁 BONUS for BCASE holders: The Advocates tab pulls live from the NASET Advocate Directory. When a family opens it, the Board Certified Advocates in their state are right there.
🛠️ This is a brand new release and we're updating it all the time. Take it for a spin and reply to this email with any feedback. We want to hear what you'd add or change!
Support Special Education Research
Your Classroom Affects Your Health, Too
Special educators manage lighting, noise, and space for their students. But who's studying how those environments affect you?
Schools are among the most female-dominated workplaces in America, yet occupational health research has largely overlooked them. The Educator Health Survey, a national study of K–12 educators by AREA Research and Perkins&Will focused on women's health, asks about lighting, air quality, temperature, acoustics, restroom access, break space, and health across your career.
It takes 15–20 minutes, and any question can be skipped. The first 350 participants receive $20. No names or emails are collected. Findings publish Fall 2027. 👩🏫 Take the survey | [email protected]
🏫 High School Educators, we want to hear from you - Sign up here
🤘 Current and Former Texas Educators this one is for you - Sign up here
👩💻 October 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
📚From the NASET Vault
👉 Read The October Special Education e-Journal
⬇️ NASET Support Squad Downloads of the Week Understanding Service Minutes and Scheduling in Special Education and Using Behavior Data to Identify Patterns and Adjust Interventions Scroll down to instantly download ⬇️
FEDERAL POLICY
STATE AND DISTRICT
CLASSROOMS AND WORKFORCE
RESEARCH
Elevate Your Impact.
Drexel’s ABAI-Verified online programs give you a data-driven approach to understanding behavior and teaching new skills, especially for individuals with autism. You’ll gain hands-on experience and access to specialized concentrations that align with your goals. Prepare for advanced practice and new career opportunities.
Shout Out to Last Week’s Winners Who Correctly Answered, “Premack Principle.”
This Week's Question:
Which assessment is commonly used to measure adaptive behavior, one of the domains required for an intellectual disability determination?
Correctly answer 3 or more trivia questions each month to be eligible for a gift card! We had 26 winners in September!
What’s one resource you REALLY need, but can’t find? Reply to let us know!
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Discover Drexel’s online Applied Behavior Analysis programs – master’s and certificates. Tailored for busy professionals, including educators and social workers – these programs empower you to help others succeed, while forging new career trails of your own, using well-established, evidence-based ABA principles, practices, and tools.
“We rise by lifting others.”