Neurodivergent Students: Balancing the Law with Quality Behavioral Instruction

Meeting the education and social needs of neurodivergent students can sometimes seem like a balancing act between adhering to the law and providing high-quality behavioral instruction. In the eyes of the law, “neurodivergence” is a broad term that can include autistic students, students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, etc. However, not all neurodivergent children believe they have a disability. Federal laws such as the ADA, IDEA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are intended to protect the rights of neurodivergent children by mandating access to a discrimination-free, high-quality education. Still, even in special education, the goals of these laws can sometimes seem elusive. For special education professionals, following the required disciplinary protocols, administering functional behavioral assessments, and making numerous data-driven interventions are both daunting and time-consuming tasks.

Please join Sherrice Perry, a school law attorney with extensive special education experience, as she reviews the federal legal requirements relating to the education of neurodivergent students and offers practical guidance on how to provide high-quality behavioral instruction.

What You Will Learn:

Here is a sample of what this highly informative webinar will cover:

• Review of the relevant requirements of the ADA, IDEA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• The different conditions which fall under the neurodiversity umbrella
• Understanding how neurodiversity influences the intense behavioral needs of students in special education and practical guidance for responding to those needs
• Practical guidance for providing high-quality behavioral instruction
• How neurodiversity affects the behavioral needs of students who have experienced adversity and trauma
• Reliance on relevant data to improve educational outcomes