Staying Safe in the Heat
Summer is well underway, and parts of the U.S. are experiencing extreme temperatures and high heat index warnings. While these conditions can pose a threat to anyone, they especially put our loved ones with PWS at risk for heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Due to the dysfunction of the hypothalamus, Individuals with PWS struggle to...
Empowering Diversity and Inclusion for the PWS Community
In a significant step towards fostering equity and inclusion within our Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community, we are pleased to announce a collaborative initiative aimed at improving the standard of care and support for marginalized individuals living with PWS and their families. This initiative, undertaken with the active involvement of several community members, seeks to ensure...
Ask Nurse Lynn: Behavior Management and IEP
Question: Male, 17, Deletion How can I address my son’s behavior? Lately he gets mad and starts throwing things around, the more I ask him to stop the angrier he gets. If I ground him, he does exactly the opposite of what I ask him to do. Also, at school, teachers have told me should...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.