Since March 2 is a celebrated day in American literature, I thought I'd take this week's blog and make it an homage of sorts to the late great Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel).  His books have been favorites on children's lists for generations, and many a memorable quote are immortalized.  One of my personal favorites […]

There's this word in the Special Education universe that's often misunderstood until, as a parent, you and your child are in the thick of it: Transition.  It's not the lowercase transition, which occurs so many times in the life of a student with special needs.  There's the transition from an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) […]

Last week, more than 100 Special Education teachers and administrators, plus parents of children with autism spectrum disorders and related providers, converged in our area for a combined Community of Practice (CoP) on Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Development Disabilities (ASD/DD) and Autism Program Support Teacher (PST) meeting hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Public […]

There's nothing like the thought of Hawaii to bring a smile to our frozen winter faces!  When we first started planning our bowling event more than five years ago, we chose a theme that has become the spirit of our most significant annual fundraiser.  Hoa Aloha means good friend, and that's what this family-friendly day […]

By the time students are in middle school, those who want to be athletes are getting comfortable in their sport(s) of choice.  Whether the involvement is meant to be just exposure to the activity or full-on competition, between the school's and community's offerings (outside of rural areas), typically-developing adolescents can generally find something that suits them. Those […]

Good Friend co-founder Denise Schamens writes today's blog ... Having three children was something I wanted after my two boys were born.  I hoped that my girl would come with our last attempt.  We were excited to find out at five months that a daughter was on the way! Little did I realize, people were […]

If there's one thing I've learned while parenting two children with autism spectrum disorders, it's that laughter is as important as the air we breathe.  I've encouraged my children to find the humor in jokes and have explained to them why others laugh at certain parts of movies or commercials.  And, as two people with […]

In December, I chose to share some thoughts about friendship skills of students with ASD in preschool and elementary school.  As students move into secondary school (grades 6 through 12), the nature of their relationships change.  Puberty becomes a factor not only in physical development, but in social-emotional development as well.  And just as physical […]

I will be refraining from writing a blog entry this week and next to celebrate the season with my family. If you have enjoyed or benefited from reading these posts, what a lovely reciprocal gift!  Many of you have sent encouraging remarks over the past year, telling me of the ways you're promoting Good Friend's […]