What is newborn screening? Newborn screening is one of the most successful public health programs ever enacted, saving thousands of lives over the past 50 years. Newborn screening allows physicians to catch rare genetic conditions at birth and start treatment almost immediately following birth; it enables efficient diagnosis and access to treatments that can save...
With childhood obesity presenting a significant threat to child health, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recognizing National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month during the month of September. Early recognition and treatment of obesity has advantages. As we know in the PWS community, it is a daily struggle for most of our families. The AAP...
Ally Tumblin, a fourth grader in Colorado, was born without a right ear and ear canal, a condition known as Microtia Atresia. The only way she can hear is a with a specialized bone-anchored hearing device that costs between $5,000-30,000… and none of it is covered by insurance. Ally, motivated to change the law and...
In the earlier years of my educational journey, I struggled in school. I was falling behind in my classes, asked a lot of questions, missed taking all of my notes down, always needing one on one assistance, and was slowing down the class due to the teacher having to repeat what he had said so...
Ask any homeschooling family and they will tell you that the number one question when someone finds out they home school is “but what about socialization?” I often tell people that if we took advantage of all the opportunities to socialize, we would never get any lessons done. Right now, with everyone across the country...
Communication is key in any family and is especially important in a family impacted by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Experts believe that open, clear, and frequent communication is necessary for healthy family functioning (Green & Peterson, 2019). Research shows that most parents have sparse conversations with their children about what it is like to grow up...
A big help for me is having the refrigerator and pantry locked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Having the pantry and refrigerator locked reduces my anxiety in or around those areas of the house. By implementing the lock-up tip, you will help keep your child healthy and minimize health issues. My own...
It is common to feel sad or discouraged when you are trying to manage a chronic condition like gastroparesis. Like Prader-Willi syndrome, gastroparesis is a multi-faceted condition and must be approached from a variety of angles. A combination of medical treatments, complementary therapies, adequate nutrition, proper dietary modifications, a positive attitude, and supportive lifestyle practices...
Food restrictions in the home, although necessary for the safety and health of the family member with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), can negatively impact siblings. The constant need to lock food adds intense stress and worry to siblings on several levels. For example, if the sibling forgets to lock access to food, this could result in...
Working parents face more challenges when educating their children at home. Juggling the demands of your job with the needs of your child can be tricky, but not impossible. Using some of the tips in this article and some advanced planning, you can successfully manage both responsibilities. Flexibility has been mentioned in previous articles both...
The lifestyle aspect of managing gastroparesis is often overlooked or underestimated. Some people think it is too simple a response for such a complicated problem. In reality, the choices that you make in your child’s daily life matters a lot in managing their gastroparesis related symptoms. Lifestyle practices can have a significant impact on...
Many siblings of individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) have weakened resilience which negatively impacts their psychosocial well-being. The daily turmoil and trauma of living with a family member with PWS depletes sibling internal resources. These siblings then face their own challenges with weakened resilience and strength. You as parents and the professionals in the siblings’...
“Typical home school” is somewhat of an oxymoron because each family’s day can look entirely different; even an individual family’s schedule may look different from day to day. Most of us are used to thinking that school has to look the way it does in traditional brick and mortar schools with kids sitting at a...
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA (PWSA | USA) and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) have partnered to conduct a study to measure interest in telehealth as a way of increasing access to care from Prader-Willi syndrome specialists. In addition, the project aims to better understand the demographic makeup of the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) parent...
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA Announces Outstanding Chapter Awards PWSA chapters around the country have strong leaders, are well organized, offer stellar programs and services, and deserve to be recognized for their dedication to enhancing the quality of life of and empowering those affected by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). As such, the PWSA | USA Chapter...
There is little evidence in the literature regarding the incidence of gastroparesis in PWS and how it affects families in the PWS community. Within the Global PWS Registry, 13% of participants have been diagnosed with gastroparesis (N=739). Of those with gastroparesis, more than half were diagnosed under age 10. The severity of gastroparesis reported ranges...
One of the many areas impacted by COVID-19 virus has been the ability of adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) to socialize. As there are many studies that outline the emotional challenges and decline that social distancing is causing, it is important to explore and discuss opportunities for adults with PWS to create new social experiences...
There are hundreds of different options when it comes to picking curriculum which can make it both exciting and overwhelming. Hopefully by the time you’re done reading this you’ll feel at least a little more prepared. As with all the articles in this series, we’ll discuss both distance learning through your school and traditional homeschooling....
Siblings often make excellent caregivers for their sibling with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) because they grow up around PWS, understand the realities of the syndrome, and are trained throughout their lives to take care of their sibling. Therefore, siblings seem to be a parent’s perfect choice to tend their family member with PWS and often become...
Appropriate services for our children is always a top concern and school-aged children typically get most of their services through the school. So naturally when considering homeschooling, you’ll want to know what your options are for services. Generally speaking, there are four possible avenues for therapy services: Your local school district, your state’s department of...
Approximately two years ago, several companies began clinical trials of drugs with the potential to treat hyperphagia and associated behaviors in Prader Willi syndrome (PWS). Outcomes of four of five trials are now available. Soleno Therapeutics recently announced the results of clinical trials of DCCR. In the double-blind study, caregivers were asked to rate the...
Did you used to be a teacher? You must need special qualifications to home school, right? Variations of this question come up frequently when I tell people I home school. The truth though is that no, I was not a teacher, and though I do have a graduate degree, I don’t have any special training...
Siblings of individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are at an increased risk of developing emotional and mental health problems. According to the 2019 study on PWS sibling well-being, participants showed incredibly high rates of distress and lower than average resilience (Murphy, Thornton & Thornton, 2019.) The outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent quarantine may make the...
One of the biggest changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought is changes to the way our kids are educated. Most students spent all day at school, in a classroom, surrounded by other students, and with a teacher leading their learning. As schools around the country shut down, parents were forced into a variety of...
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Over the years, as a special-needs parent navigating the Special Education system for Sophie, Jennifer became interested in learning as much as possible about that process. She began by attending PWSA (USA)’s first Wyatt Special Education Advocacy Training in March of 2013, and went on to complete a rigorous 9-month Special Education Advocacy Training course with the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys in May of 2015. This included successfully completing an advocacy internship with PWSA (USA). Jennifer is referred school cases by PWSA (USA)’s Family Support Counselors, and then works closely with parents and schools to review education records, assess the child’s situation at school, provide further information about how the syndrome affects the school experience, and, as needed, create improved IEPs and behavioral plans. Jennifer was excited to take on this role of helping parents in the PWS community to work collaboratively with school professionals and parents to create positive, effective learning environments for children with PWS across the country. Jennifer is a graduate of the WSEAT program.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Past president of the Education Law Association and co-chair of the Pennsylvania special education appeals panel from 1990 to 2007, he is the author of the CEC monograph The Legal Meaning of Specific Learning Disability; the more recently published books, A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education and Student Teaching and the Law; and the two-volume reference Section 504, the ADA and theSchools, now in its fourth edition. In 2012, he received Research into Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Excellence in Research Award from AERA’s Division A (Administration, Organization & Leadership). In 2013, he received the University Council for Educational Administration’s Edwin Bridges award for significant contributions to the preparation and development of school leaders. In 2016, he received the Education Law Association’s Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, and in 2017 he received the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Research Award. Note:Perry’s website is perryzirkel.com
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
She obtained her PhD from Capella University in Education focusing her research on Prader-Willi Syndrome. Dr. McTighe is also a graduate of the William & Mary Law School’s Institute for Special Education Advocacy. Dr. McTighe is currently the chair of the Special Education Advisory Board for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association-(USA). Amy is the Chair of PWSA (USA)’s Special Education Advisory Board.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Staci Zimmerman has lived in Denver, CO for the past 17 years. She lives with her husband and 5 year old daughter. Staci attended The University of Kansas, with a B.A in sociology and an M.ed in Special Education, with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Staci enjoys teaching fitness classes, and keeping a healthy, active lifestyle in Colorado.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.
Before founding SDLC, Jim was the Executive Director of Advocacy, Inc., the Texas Protection and Advocacy program from 1989-2001. During that period, he managed the growth of the program from 34 staff to a staff of 94 and from a centralized operation with one office to a regionalized operation with eleven offices spread across Texas.
From 1981-1989, Jim worked for the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled (Louisiana’s Protection and Advocacy program) as its Legal Director. From 1979 to 1981 Jim worked as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Center for the Public Interest.
Jim graduated from Tulane University School of Law in 1977, and has a BA in Accounting & Economics from the University of Puget Sound.
Jim is the author of publications and training materials on the IDEA, the ADA, and Section 504, including: Keeping Students with Disabilities in School: Legal Strategies and Effective Educational Practices for Preventing the Suspension of Students with Disabilities – A Resource Manual (2014); Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Laws (2006), co–authored with Rhonda Brownstein from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jim has served as lead or co-counsel in several major IDEA actions in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on behalf of thousands of students with disabilities, including Angel G. v. Texas Education Agency; Luke S. v. Louisiana Department of Education and Mattie T. v. Mississippi Department of Education. The past decade, he also filed and favorably settled five systemic administrative complaints in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. These systemic complaints were filed under IDEA’s state complaint procedures.
Jim has also made over two hundred presentations at statewide, regional and national conferences on IDEA, Section 504, and ADA issues. The past four years he has also served as one of the faculty members at William and Mary Law School’s week long Institute on Special Education Advocacy.
