Open Minds Learning

Stand up and speak out
 When you vote think of your child’s education and their future.

The Trump administration is withholding more than $2 billion for education that Congress approved in February.

Education Week has a list of all the affected programs.

🏛️ Read more: https://bit.ly/4dpfw4u

The students who need these private schools, deserve these private schools, whether they’re white or black or brown- rich middle class or poor. It is true that the people who can access them most easily are the wealthy. However, there are people who have been given Conor‘s placement who cannot afford it. The schools leave a percentage of seats open so that they can have some equity, but they can’t run on taking that risk entirely, which makes sense. Many people who do have equity in their homes finance the schools through second mortgages.  Imagine risking the stability of your home because you’re so desperate for your child to be able to learn in the way they need and not be suffering in anguish in programs that are harmful to them. The headline makes it seem like a racket, but trust me no parent wants to go through this wealthy or poor. It is a misery what students with disabilities go through in the department of education.  it is traumatizing.   the Department of Education doesn’t have settings like those types of settings and so this is why these students need to be in another setting. Many kids can’t be in a school that’s very noisy and loud and packed even if they have the right services for example. Settings have to look different as well as educational approach.
 I’m grateful these schools exist for the students who need them.

NYC spent $723 million on private tuition for students with disabilities. White students benefited most. NYC paid $723 million in private tuition for students with disabilities last year. 71% were white.

This is an important aspect of autism to respect - too often we are in a deficit mindset regarding autism - instead of understanding that the world requires all kinds of minds - and autistic minds are excellent for the things they wish to focus on - they are innovators - creators- problem solvers when they are allowed to not mask and conform.

Society tends to tell a very one-sided story about autistic and OCD minds.

It usually sounds something like “too intense, too rigid, too obsessive, too sensitive.”

It’s repeated so often that it starts to feel like that’s the full picture, rather than just one interpretation of it.

But when you actually live it, you start to notice that those same traits don’t neatly stay in the “deficit” box people try to put them in.

The deficit-based mindset completely overlooks things like deep focus, strong principles, noticing patterns others miss, and powerful persistence.

Greta Thunberg's impact is tied to an ability to stay locked into something that matters and not drift away from it just because it would be socially easier to.

The same qualities people might label as “obsessive” or “inflexible” in another context can actually look a lot like clarity and integrity.

Many autistic and OCD people will understand the feeling of not being able to just half-arse something.

When something feels important, we can't just let it go.

It stays on our mind and won't go away, even when that’s uncomfortable or inconvenient or makes other people wish you’d just let it go.

Which can make life harder - there's no getting away from that. It can be exhausting being the person who can't pretend something doesn’t matter when it clearly does.

But at the same time, those are often the people who keep things from being ignored completely.

This post isn't about pretending being autistic or OCD is easy, or turning them into 'inspiration p**n.'

It's pointing out how incomplete the neuronormative narrative is.

Wondering about speech and language accommodations

Free Accommodations Guide Get access to a guide of speech and language accommodations for grades 4-12.

Authoritative parenting often gets a bad rap… It’s about providing structure for your kids to grow and learn, and it does involve listening and responsiveness. And the research shows that it pays off in independence  and social and life skills.

Authoritative parenting raises children who know how to think for themselves.

It gives children structure without fear. They are guided, not controlled. Corrected, not crushed. Heard, not ignored.

Authoritative parents set clear rules, but they also explain, listen, and lead with consistency.

This kind of parenting helps children become:

• Independent — because they are trusted to think and choose
• Responsible — because they understand consequences
• Confident — because their voice matters
• Emotionally secure — because love is not withdrawn when they make mistakes
• Socially competent — because they learn respect, empathy, and communication at home

Children do not need harsh parenting to learn discipline. They need firm guidance, safe boundaries, and parents who lead with both love and authority.

Authoritative parenting does not raise fearful children. It raises capable ones.

In Defense of Algebra

Many children with ADHD also have dyslexia.

Did you know, estimates suggest that 25% to 40% of individuals with dyslexia can also have ADHD, and vice versa!
Dyslexia and ADHD are distinct but frequently overlapping neurodevelopmental disorders that can make academic and daily tasks difficult.
Both conditions share some characteristics like difficulty concentrating and poor memory, and can be genetically linked, although their neurological causes differ.
A diagnosis of one condition increases the likelihood of having the other.
This image from shows some of the challenges affecting both dyslexia and ADHD

College Accommodations are a CIVIL RIGHT! “College Accommodations Are Not a Loophole. They Are a Civil Right.”
“At a time when students with disabilities already navigate bias, skepticism, and physical and attitudinal barriers, we do not need narratives that delegitimize their existence or imply their success is suspicious. We need investment, compassion, and the understanding that accessibility is not a loophole, but a civil right.”
Recently, The Atlantic published a highly damaging, NON-evidence-based abelist opinion piece that may have detrimental effects on the actions professors take with their students to honor granted accommodations. This article was a response to that.
https://www.additudemag.com/college-accommodations-adhd-atlantic-response/?ecd=wnl_additude_260107_cons_adhd_school&goal=0_d9446392d6-2e5086cfd7-318329550&fbclid=IwY2xjawPLYD5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDT0uXzxc_ollfbsNT-gcX1OzxJQ2onA2-A8xVONWzTFQZQphl0r6syduPxE_aem_q3tSHjrcTvI8suymsNJ1aA

www.additudemag.com