Authors’ Corner
SPAN is proud of the work its staff has created to share their wealth of knowledge and expertise while furthering our mission of promoting advocacy and spreading awareness!
Pam Aasen, Director for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
Pam wrote about her family’s self-advocacy journey in “Advocating as a Family in the Community,” for Exceptional Parent. She also published The ‘Poetry’ of Parent-Professional Partnerships for Sound Intuition about the influence professionals have on parents raising their children with disabilities.
Lauren Agoratus, Family Voices NJ Coordinator
Lauren has a large catalog of publications. Many of these were coauthored by her SPAN colleagues:
- Brenda Figueroa: Resources for Funding Medical & Educational Services for Children with Special Needs
- Brenda Figueroa, Fanny Ochoa & Michele Tyler: Children With Special Healthcare Needs: Preventing and Addressing Obesity
- Diana Autin: Bullying and Prevention Strategies for Children with Special Needs
- Diana Autin & Maria Docherty: Endrew F. Supreme Court Case: Strengthening the Voices of Families at IEP Meetings
- Erin Seigh: Youth Empowerment Groups Encourage Self-Advocacy
- Maria Docherty: How Charter Schools & Vouchers Affect Special Education
- Myriam Alizo: How Autism Manifests Differently in Girls: What Families Need to Know
- Denise Bouyer-Hargrove: Including Young Children With Disabilities In Typical Early Childhood Setting
- Tatsiana DaGrosa: Transforming NJ’s System of Care Through Collaborative Efforts (pg. 31)
- Jeannette Mejias & Deepa Srinivasavaradan: Matching Future Health Care Professionals with Families of Children with Special Needs
Garima Jain, Central Region Coordinator for the Parents as Champions for Healthy Schools Project
Attached is an EP magazine article called EP Role of Nutrition and Wellness in Healthy Schools.
Debra Jennings, SPAN Co-Executive Director
Debra has done a podcast with the SWIFT Center, a blog on Disproportionality, another with NAFSCE (National Association for Family School and Community Engagement), as well as a video for RTI Action Network. Debra’s blog was published by OSERS for their Age of Majority series, and she has many more items on her long list.
Nicole Pratt, Senior Trainer
Nicole was interviewed by NJ Spotlight during Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2017. She presented her family story via live webcast (at 1:16:36) during a national mental health event at George Washington University in Washington DC.
Deepa Srinivasavaradan, CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” Ambassador to NJ
Deepa writes about developmental concerns and tracking a child’s health and wellness with a Developmental Passport in Exceptional Parent.
Karen Straim & Joanne Aidala, former Parents as Champions for Healthy Schools Project Co-Directors
Karen and Joanne discuss the influence parents have as advocates promoting healthier schools in Parent Engagement in Healthy Schools for Exceptional Parent.
LAUREN’S CORNER
Lauren Agoratus is SPAN’s most prolific author, with articles and blogs in a wide variety of publications such as Exceptional Parent (see below), Family Voices–National Center for Family Professional Partnerships, Autism Spectrum News, and many more.
Exceptional Parent Articles
- A GPS for Families of People with Special Needs: Part ONE, Part TWO, Part THREE, Part FOUR, Part FIVE, Part SIX, Part SEVEN
- A New Option for Saving for Your Child’s Future: ABLE Account
- A Parent’s Guide to Picking the Best Camp for Your Child with Special Needs
- A Parent’s Perspective: What to do if Your Child is Diagnosed with a Rare Disorder
- Assisting & Empowering Families at IEP Meetings: SPAN’s Model Program Can Be Replicated in Other States
- Autism: From Awareness to Acceptance
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Require Individual Health Plans in IEPs/504s
- Creative Housing Options for Independent Living
- Developing Appropriate IEPs for Students with Anxiety or Depression
- Financial Literacy for Students with Disabilities: A Necessary Life Skill for Independent Living
- Having Medicaid Secondary Insurance Shouldn’t be a Barrier to Access Care
- Home Modifications: Thinking Outside the Box
- How Self-Advocates and Families Can Deal with Health Disparities Affecting People with Disabilities
- How Shared Care Plans Help Children with Special Needs and their Families
- How the ACE Affects Children with Special Needs and Their Families
- Improving Pregnancy Outcomes for Families: Model Programs of the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network
- Including People with Disabilities in the Communities’ Public Health Initiative to Eliminate Health Disparities
- It’s IEP Season! A Quick Refresher for Families Preparing for the New School Year
- Key Summer Options for Children with Special Needs
- Post-Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities
- Project Freedom: A Model for Independent Living in the Community
- RAISE-ing Expectations and Outcomes for Young Adults with Disabilities
- Reducing Everyday Costs when You Have a Child with Special Health Care Needs
- Social Village/Social Thinking
- Special Education and Early Intervention Resources for Families and Professionals
- The Effects of the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) for Children with Disabilities
- The Resilient Caregiver
- What to Do When the Insurance Company Says No!
- Your Child’s IEP: What Families Need to Know
Other Publications
- Early Intervention Resources for Families of Young Children
- Family Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Needs (pg. 9)
- Having the Conversation with Your Seriously Ill Child
- Health Care Advocacy Across the Lifespan
- Helping your child with special needs to be independent (pg. 4)
- Helpful Financial Resources for Parents of Children with Autism
- How Supported Decision-Making Can Help Family Caregivers
- Supported Decision-Making Can Benefit Children with Special Needs and Family Caregivers
- When Family Caregivers Need Help Navigating the Systems Helping Their Child
- Where Family Caregivers Can Get Help for Their Child with Special Needs