In this podcast, we hope to share information, lessons learned, interviews with VIPs in the field of special education. Join Robin Fabiano, Abby Hanscom and Angela Smagula as they bring diverse viewpoints and some humor to an otherwise serious topic.
29 episodes later, this is the last episode of Season 5! Listen up as we preview some topics we're thinking about and share some summer updates. Thanks for being such loyal listeners. Have a wonderful wrap up to your school year and we'll be back in the fall for Season 6. Robin, Abby and Angela Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss the recent appointment of the new OSEP Director. Here is the company that designs products to help feel more grounded and in control ( Calmware ). Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss the recent wildly inaccurate, incendiary and harmful statements from US Health and Human Services (HHS) Director, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about people with Autism. Click here to review the growing list of disability advocacy organizations that responded to his comments. The Autism Society summary of group statement Signatory Organizations: Autistic Self Advocacy Network , Colin Killick, Executive Director Autism Society of America , Christopher Banks, Pr...
Ever wonder why people stim? Or what you can do to support students if they are stigmatized by a particular stim? Robin, Angela and Abby break it down. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss the weird and wonderful (potentially) world of A. I. adoption in public schools. Everything from the politics at the State level to individual teacher and student decision making is being impacted by this new development. MADESE web resources on AI Lots of Resources on AI Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Join us while we speak with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns about their book Connecting Through Conversation A playbooks for Talking with Students. Leveraging over forty years of combined experience, Erika and Tiffany are on a mission to empower every educator to transform student behavior and build a culture of connection in their school communities. Listeners get a coupon code for $50 off their course- CTCpodcast Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@g...
Prompting is a key component of specially designed instruction and is often misunderstood. Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss the pros and cons of prompting and the many nuances of the most commonly understood prompting hierarchy. For more resources on this topic check out: https://www.unr.edu/ndsip/services/resources/tips/using-the-system-of-least-to-most-prompts https://thinkpsych.com/blogs/posts/understanding-prompt-hierarchies?srsltid=AfmBOorBMSbBrRlmax3bGaYcXoOjomE5bh3vaYx5lB8Z8faB...
There are always signs before a student case goes south...here are some tips from Angela and Robin your team can take to get things back on track. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Happy International Down Syndrome Awareness Day (3/21/25). Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they talk about the 2025 campaign presented by CoorDown . No Decision Without Me- video World Down Syndrome Day - website Secondary Transition Docs- DESE/MA Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Link to the original complaint in Texas v. Becerra Link to the link to the Status Report updating the case. Plain Language Explaine r from multiple disability advocacy groups Plain Language Explainer of Status Report from multiple disability advocacy groups. Link to mechanism to contact your Attorney General Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
For more information about the articles Robin and Abby discuss in this episode check out: EdWeek February 13th - What Educators Need to Know About Dyslexia—and Why It’s Not Something to ‘Fix’ ASCD blog February 2nd - Redefining the Science of Reading And Natalie Wexler's new book published by ASCD: Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Inst...
Join Robin and Angela as they discuss the TLC show Baylen Out Loud, which follows a young adult with Tourette's Syndrome and her quest for independence. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Tonight Abby, Angela and Robin answer a listener question from a Principal who is struggling with 1 or a few but mightygroup of students who are using up all the school resources. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Angela was asked to be a guest on Marisha Mets Podcast: Special Ed Leaders: Unplugged. to speak about Due Process. The full guide on the website is also up here and the YouTube video is here . In the world of special education, due process is a cornerstone for protecting the rights of students with disabilities. At its core, it ensures fairness and accountability, offering a legal pathway for parents to address disagreements with schools regarding their child’s Individualized Education Program (...
In the next months, each individual School District in Massachusetts will have to formally adopt requirements that confer a diploma. Listen in as the girls discuss the considerations inherent in this process and check out your local District's School Committee to find out more about what the local requirements in your town will be. Join Abby, Robin and Angela while they review the DESE Guidance 2.0 (12/11/24) Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmai...
Join Robin while she listens to Angela review the Hingham decision : DALE and JENNIFER HARRIS, as parents and next friend of their minor son, RNH vs. Hingham Schools (defendents named specifically, Town of Hingham and School Committee) Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they run through hot topics for 2025 and potential podcast topics. If you have an idea or a question, please reach out to them via email at astalpodcast@gmail.com Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
In this Thanksgiving episode, Abby, Robin, and Angela take a moment to pause, reflect, and share what they’re most thankful for in their professional and personal lives. We are on a break until Jan. 2025- have a great holiday season! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
After multiple requests, Robin and Abby begin the transition convo. It's too expansive to cover in 1 episode so this is just the beginning! Do you want to be a transition specialist? Autism goes to college Intelligent Lives MA DESE Secondary Transition Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement passed in Massachusetts- so what does that mean for students? Listen to Robin, Abby and Angela as they review the DRAFT Q&A provided by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Ever wonder how to support students who are home or hospital bound? Join Abby, Robin and Angela as they discuss how to provide educational services to students who are confined to the home or a hospital setting. MA DESE Q&A (603 CMR 28.03(3)(c) Physician's Affirmation of Need for Temporary Home or Hospital Education for Medically Necessary Reasons Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you...
Listen in while Angela, Robin and Abby discuss a complicated and emotionally challenging part of the special education legal landscape - when a Handbook/Code of Conduct infraction IS or IS NOT a manifestation of a student's disability. Legal reference: 34 CFR §§300.530-300-536 For the flowchart mentioned in the podcast click here. Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you found us by completi...
Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they review the importance of the role of the general education teacher in IEP meetings. Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
In this episode Abby, Angela and Robin interview Kathleen Browning, a former SLP and current Early Childhood Program Director to learn more about the amazing world of Integrated Preschool. Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss what they are thinking and how they respond when someone in a meeting makes an unexpected statement or decision. Check out the resource for developing comprehensive evaluations from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction here. Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Foll...
Listen in as the girls debate key concepts of Extended School Year from how the determination of eligibility gets made, to the goals and mission of ESY services, all the way to the nuts and bolts of what kinds of programs for how many days and hours. We're referencing the MADESE ESY Q and A in its most recent form and don't all agree on everything it says or what it all means. BUCKLE UP for a spirited deep dive into ESY! MADESE Q & A Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids age...
Join Robin and Abby as they geek out on our field's research base (and sometimes, lack thereof). Listen in to a discussion of High Leverage Practices (HLP's); the 22 skills that we (sort of) have all agreed a special education teacher must consolidate to be effective in the role. For more information and to read the Official HLPs click here: https://highleveragepractices.org/ Check out the IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University's super cool think tank for more info and helpful visuals on HLP's her...
This November Massachusetts voters will determine the fate of keeping the MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement. We had a longer debate last year when it was on the ballot as a citizen petition ( Oct. 13, 2023 episode ). This week we revisit the topic. We also plug Unified Sports as people begin thinking about budget season (as well as starting fall athletics) because this initiative is a high impact, low budget culture booster! Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids ...
We're just getting back into the swing of things so join us as we preview some upcoming topics and catch up. Hope everyone's school year is off to a great start! Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - Audio Version Engage kids aged 6-9 with fun, screen-free activities from the world of scouting Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast...
