We changed the way we lay out our news links in our weekly newsletter to offer more context, but we want to ensure those who prefer to review the weeks news as a list of links still have the opportunity to do. Most recent news links are listed at the top:
10.03.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- What the Government Shutdown Means for People with Disabilities
- Administration Relaunches School Mental Health Grants With Modifications
- Education Department Reopens Mental Health Grant Applications
- Thousands of Complaints in Limbo After Civil Rights Office Closure
- Key Autism Advisory Panel Remains Defunct
- DOT Will Not Enforce Wheelchair Passenger Protection Rule
- H-1B Visa Fee Impact on Schools Facing Teacher Shortages
TEACHER SHORTAGE CHALLENGES
- Maps Reveal Gaps in Special Education and English Learner Teacher Supply
- Teacher Shortage Solutions for Special Education and English Learners
- Civil Rights Commissioners Mixed on Special Educator Shortage Solutions
EDUCATION & STUDENT SUPPORT
- SEL Rebranding: Political Pushback Prompts New Terminology
- AI Companions for Student Mental Health in Schools
- ADHD is Punished in Schools: How Teachers Can Flip the Script
RESEARCH & HEALTH INSIGHTS
- JAMA Study: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes and Prenatal Exposures
- Nature: Genetic Variants Associated with Autism Spectrum Traits
- Autism Spectrum and Neurodiversity Perspectives Amid Policy Debates
- Rising Autism Rates: Scientists Say Obvious Factors Being Ignored
- Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism Concerns
LEGAL & ACCESSIBILITY DEVELOPMENTS
- AMC Theatres Accused of Disability Discrimination
- Delivery Robot Collision With Man With Cerebral Palsy Creates Legal Issues
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
Target Works to Boost Accessibility at Stores
09.26.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- Congress Pushes Back on Proposed Disability Program Changes
- Education Department Will Emphasize Patriotic Education in Grant Competitions
- Lawsuit Seeks to Loosen Eligibility for Intellectual Disability Services
- Social Security SSI Benefits Expected to Rise
- Disabled Student Loan Borrowers Eligible for Debt Relief But Not Getting It
- CDC Work-From-Home Policies for Employees with Disabilities Face Scrutiny
HEALTH POLICY & MISINFORMATION CONCERNS
- Federal Autism Announcement Involves Tylenol and Leucovorin
- Unfounded Claims About Tylenol and Autism Raise Misinformation Concerns
- Public Health Whiplash: Renewed Autism Plans Stoke Fresh Fears
- What to Know About Leucovorin: Unproven Autism Drug
EDUCATION & LEARNING
- Neurodiversity in Teens: Stanford Research on Advocacy
- Literacy for Students with Learning Disabilities Requires Balance
LEGAL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS
INSPIRING ACHIEVEMENTS
- How Two Men with Disabilities Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro
- Say Cheese: How a Tooth Brought Sight to the Blind
09.19.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- Administration Cancels Dozens More Grants Affecting Civics, Arts, and Higher Ed
- Education Department Terminates Grants for Deaf-Blind Students
- House Committee Proposes Cuts to Federal Education Funding
- Medicaid Cuts Could Cost Kids Coverage That Aids Learning
- Social Security Phasing Out Paper Checks
- California Introduces Substitute Teacher Bill
- Advocates Call for Return of Rescinded Federal Guidance on English Learners
RESEARCH & HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS
- CDC Plans to Fund Study on Debunked Autism-Vaccine Link
- Why Are Autism Rates Rising? Reuters Analysis
- Understanding CTE: Hidden Costs of Repeated Head Trauma in Sports
- How Brain Trauma Triggers Lung Damage and Prevention Pathways
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
- Pottery Barn Expands Its Accessible Product Line
- Bookstore Offers Real-World Training for Young Adults with Disabilities
09.12.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- Education Department Plans to Scale Back IDEA Data Collection
- Millions Canceled for Special Education Teacher Training – What’s Next?
- Federal Officials Link Tylenol Use to Rising Autism Rates
- Increase in Special Education Complaints as Parents Seek Resolution
RESEARCH & HEALTH ADVANCES
- New Clinical Research on Neurodevelopmental Conditions in The Lancet
- Social Media Use, ADHD, and Early Trauma Connections
- Group Works to Improve Care for Adults with Cerebral Palsy
- On-Demand Ride Options Expand for People with Disabilities
LEGAL & ADVOCACY DEVELOPMENTS
- Uber Sued by Justice Department for Disability Discrimination
- Family Fights to Prevent Deaths on Disability Service Waitlists
- Disability-Focused Shows Win Emmys
09.05.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- House Lawmakers Endorse Some Education Cuts
- Education Department Plans to Scale Back IDEA Data Collection
- Labor Department Seeks to Roll Back Disability Hiring Mandate
- State Preschool Program Helps Kids Catch Up But Many Missing Out
RESEARCH & HEALTH INSIGHTS
- New Research on Neurodevelopmental Conditions Published in Nature
- Screening for Autism in Premature Infants: New Guidance
- Research on Neurodevelopmental Factors
TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION
- Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Teachers?
- How Rescue Animals Are Teaching Students Emotional Awareness
- Education Lessons from New Orleans Two Decades After Katrina
INSPIRING STORIES & ADVOCACY
- How an Ice Cream Shop is Challenging the “Short Bus” Stigma
- Film About Electric Shock Use on People with Disabilities Hopes to Reach Sundance
08.29.25
POLICY & FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS
- Federal Officials Promise Big Autism Announcements
- Administration Cancels Dozens of Education Grants
- Administration Quietly Rescinds Guidance on English Learners’ Rights
- State Leaders Cheer as Education Department Investigates Schools
- For Decades, Feds Were Last Hope for Special Ed Kids – What Happens Now?
- ABLE Account Rules Updated as Bigger Change Looms
- Last State Agrees to Continue Special Ed Past Age 18
RESEARCH & HEALTH INSIGHTS
- Stanford Research Examines ADHD in Preschoolers
- Study: “Parentese” Infant Vocalization and Autism Development
- New Research on Neurodevelopmental Conditions Published in Nature
- New Data Examines Health Spending Among Children with Autism
- Federal Data Reveals Racial Disparities in Special Education Placement
EDUCATION & TEACHING CHALLENGES
- Math Teaching: General and Special Ed Researchers Don’t Agree
- AI is Changing Teaching But Few Labor Contracts Reflect It
ACCESSIBILITY & DISCRIMINATION CONCERNS
- Discrimination May Lead Kids with Disabilities to Skip Doctor Visits
- Amtrak Falls Short for Passengers with Disabilities
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
08.22.25
POLICY & FUNDING CONCERNS
- Education Department Preparing to Cut Millions in Special Education Funding
- Fears Grow About Cuts to Special Education Support Funding
- Social Security Working on Plans to Limit Access to SSI
- Labor Department Wants to Remove Pay Protections for Disability Caregivers
- Family Caregivers Under Increasing Strain
RESEARCH & HEALTH INSIGHTS
- Using Acetaminophen During Pregnancy May Increase Children’s Autism and ADHD Risk
- Autism, ADHD, or Both: New Insights for Clinicians
- New Research on Neurodevelopmental Conditions Published in Nature
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS & INCLUSION
- Blind Models Work the Runway at Fashion Show for Visually Impaired
- How One State Became a National Leader in Adapted Sports
- Band for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Fosters Artistry
- Communities Turn to Disaster Registries for People with Disabilities
08.15.25
POLICY & FUNDING CHALLENGES
- Disability Programs in Limbo as Congress Weighs Funding
- Secretive Special Ed Settlements Cost Schools Millions
- Research Shows Special Education Teacher Shortages Persist
- Minneapolis Still Fails Special Education Students After Decade
- Immigration Policies Cause Student Trauma and Absenteeism
RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS & HEALTH INSIGHTS
- Autism Diagnoses Happening Earlier for Boys, Girls Wait Years
- New Research on Neurodevelopmental Conditions Published in Nature
- Study: Parental Workplace Chemical Exposure May Affect Autism in Children
- Princeton Study on Autism Subtypes Paves Way for Personalized Care
- Study Uncovers Alarming Anxiety Rates Among Autistic College Students
DISCRIMINATION & DISPARITIES
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS & INCLUSION
- Dance Company Advances Inclusion Through Innovative Programming
- Documentary Explores Life of Temple Grandin
- Music Project Uses Bluegrass to Unite People on Autism Spectrum
- FDA Approves Video Game as ADHD Treatment
08.08.25
POLICY & FUNDING UPDATES
- Federal Order Sparks Concerns About Forced Institutionalization
- Senate Supports All Parts of IDEA in Education Funding Bill
- Education Department Issues ESEA Flexibility Waiver
- Education Department Proposes AI-Related Grant Priorities
- Education Department Promotes Special Education School Choice
- States Weigh Big Decision on Federal School Vouchers
- Public School Enrollment Decline Amid Voucher Expansion
- Medicaid Cuts Could Impact Special Education Funding
- Exploring Solutions to Special Educator Shortages
EDUCATION LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
- Principals Don’t Always Understand Special Education – That’s a Problem
- Report Shows Mixed Picture in Pandemic Recovery for American Children
LEGAL & SYSTEM CHANGES
- Supreme Court Makes School Disability Discrimination Lawsuits Easier
- Illinois Implements Universal Mental Health Screenings in Schools
- States Aim to Improve Child Care for Kids with Disabilities
- Curbing the Expulsion of Kids with Disabilities at Child Care
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
HEALTH & RESEARCH UPDATES
ACCESSIBILITY & SUPPORT PROGRESS
08.01.25
POLICY & FUNDING UPDATES
- White House Releases Billions in Previously Frozen Education Funds
- Education Department Flags More States for Special Education Failures
- Special Educator Shortages Persist Across All Education Levels
- GAO Examines Head Start Funding Amid Litigation
- Social Security Backs Off Major Change Set for September
- For Decades, Feds Were Last Hope for Special Ed Kids – What Happens Now?
RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS
- 15-Minute ADHD and Autism Screening Test in Development
- New Research Insights into Neurodevelopmental Conditions
- Why Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD Students Are Stressed at School
- Mental Health Supports Crucial for Special Education Success
HEALTHCARE & SUPPORT ADVANCES
- Pediatricians Urged to Promote Assistive Communication Devices
- ESL Teachers Call for More Mental Health Support
- Chicago Restructures Special Education Department
- Merged Schools: Growing Strategy to Integrate Classrooms
ACCESSIBILITY PROGRESS
- Video Game Makers Roll Out Accessibility Tags
- New Nature Trail Designed for Every Sense
- School Makes Driver’s Education Accessible to Students with Autism
- Massachusetts Considers “Blue Envelope” Proposal for Drivers with Disabilities
07.25.25
POLICY & FUNDING UPDATES
- Federal Government Delays Rollback of Disability Rights Protections
- Administration Releases $1.4 Billion for After-School Programs
- Teacher Professional Development Jobs Face Cuts from Funding Freeze
- Special Educator Shortages Persist Across All Education Levels
- States Sue Over Ban on Undocumented Youth in Head Start Programs
- ADA’s 35th Anniversary: Advocates Warn of Potential Backslide
- Medicaid Recipients Fear Coverage Loss Despite Years-Away Timeline
- How Medicaid Cuts Could Impact School Services
- End of Programs That Paid Parents to Care for Disabled Children
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
- Study: How Autistic Teens’ Brains Respond in Social Settings
- Mental Health Supports Crucial for Special Education Success
ACCESSIBILITY PROGRESS
07.18.25
POLICY & FUNDING CHANGES
- Supreme Court Clears Path for Education Department Cuts
- Education Department Layoffs Spark Special Education Concerns
- 24 States Sue Over $7 Billion Education Funding Freeze
- Former Special Ed Leaders Urge Congress to Protect Programs
- School Districts Face Budget Chaos from Frozen Federal Funds
- Schools Brace for Wave of Parent Opt-Out Requests
- What Education Department Cuts Mean for American Students
- How Federal Changes Could Dismantle the Education Department
RESEARCH & HEALTH
- Scientists Identify Four Distinct Autism Subtypes with Genetic Links
- Study Finds No Link Between Vaccine Aluminum and Autism/ADHD
- Pediatricians Get Updated Guidance on Diagnosing Developmental Disabilities
- Mental Health Supports Crucial for Special Education Success
EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS
- New Sports League Launches for Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities
- Walmart and CVS Join Coalition to Expand Disability Access
- California Shows How States Can Support Young Students with Disabilities
- Special Olympics and Nike Announce Three-Year Partnership
07.11.25
- Plan To End Subminimum Wage Employment Of People With Disabilities is Withdrawn
- How Medicaid, SNAP Changes in the Budget Bill Could Affect Schools
- Researchers Identify Four Autism Subtypes with Distinct Genes and Traits
- Federal budget plan could reshape special education
- Amid an ongoing teacher shortage, Oklahoma announced plans for a new test to screen teachers
- Education Department dismisses thousands of civil rights complaints
- 9th Circuit revives Oregon lawsuit over short school days for special education students
- ‘A Good Deal of Nostalgia’: New York’s Uneven Embrace of the Science of Reading
- Who Will Bear the Brunt of White House Hold on $6.8 Billion in School Funds?
- Florida Men Accused of Stealing More Than $100 Million Meant for People With Special Needs
- AI Tool Shows Promise for Faster, More Accurate Autism and ADHD Diagnoses
07.04.25
- Congress Approves Nearly $1 Trillion In Cuts To Medicaid Threatening Disability Services
- How would Trump’s FY 26 budget plan reshape special education?
- Nearly $7 Billion for Schools in Jeopardy as Ed Dept. Holds Up Federal Funds
- 16 States Sue to Restore Mental Health Grants for Schools
- Absent Federal Support, States Become Innovators in Early Care and Education
- Education Department Restores COVID Funds For Schools—With Some Caveats
- Kansas Sees 12,000-Student Increase in Special Education Over the Past Decade
06.27.25
- The Hidden Struggles of Inclusive Classrooms
- Teacher-Educators Urge Congress: Prioritize New Pathways to Teaching
- ADHD medication linked to less impulsive behavior and fewer crashes
- Team Teaching Reduces Turnover Compared to Going Solo, New Research Finds
- Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools
- Senate Seeks Deeper Cuts To Medicaid Amplifying Worries About Disability Services
- Missed special education targets show need for support
- College for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Faces an Uncertain Future
- Teachers Aren’t Prepared or Equipped to Teach English Learners, Survey Finds
- House Votes To Prohibit Disability Discrimination In Organ Transplants
- States balance supports and discipline to address troubling student behaviors
- Popular Reading Programs Feature ‘Multisensory’ Instruction. Does It Help?
06.20.25
- Florida law will require K-12 schools to teach disability history
- California Is Poised to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law After a Long, Tense Debate
- US Supreme Court bolsters school disability protections
- Student Well‑Being Report flags chronic absence among special ed students
- NIH Launches Major Autism Research Initiative
- Maybe It’s Not ADHD – Maybe It’s Anxiety
- Nebraska Keeps Special Ed Students in General Classrooms, With Promising Results
- Maine Case Opens New Battleground for School Choice: The Right to Discriminate
06.13.25
- Unanimous SCOTUS ruling raises schools’ liability in disability cases
- Hair Test Detects Autism Risk
- New Jersey sends kids with disabilities to separate schools more than any other state
- Effort To Roll Back Federal Disability Rights Protections Alarms Advocates
- Nebraska invested in having special education students learn alongside their peers — and is seeing promising results
- Who are the nation’s teachers?
- Across The US, Unions Are Seeking Big Boosts To Paraprofessional Pay
- Layoffs of 1,400 Education Dept. staff challenged in court—special ed enforcement at risk.
06.06.25
- The Law That Transformed Disability Education
- Assessing the Association Between ADHD and Brain Maturation
- School Districts Face Soaring Demand For Special Education
- The Pandemic’s Impact on Children’s Language Development
- No Clinical Differences in Core Autism Traits Between Female and Male Autistic Children Aged 12-48 Months
- Trump’s Ed. Dept. Wants to Fund ‘Evidence-Based’ Reading. What Will That Mean for Schools?
- What’s Happening to Federal Money for Teacher Training?
- Association Between Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders and Intestinal Disorders
05.30.25
- Federal Judge Blocks Attempt to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education
- States Drop Effort To Overturn Section 504, But Continue To Challenge Disability Protections
- How Trump’s Policies Are Already Upending Special Education
- States Sue Over Cuts to Research Funding, STEM Diversity Efforts
- California agrees to include religious schools as special education placements
- Court Dismisses Reading Lawsuit Against Lucy Calkins, Other ‘Balanced Literacy’ Proponents
05.23.25
- Students in Special Ed Prepare for Life Beyond High School
- Trump Official’s Autism Schools Secluded and Restrained Students at High Rates
- The Key to Spotting Dyslexia Early Could Be AI-Powered Handwriting Analysis
- No Link Between ADHD Meds And Psychosis, Study Says
- Parental Genes Indirectly Influence Child Development
- The Pros and Cons of DEI in Education
- Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change
- Doctors Get Guidance on Treating Patients with Disabilities
- How Kids with Disabilities Will Be Impacted by Medicaid, Education Department Cuts
- Losing a Parent May Increase Children’s Risk of Being Bullied
- Sports, Exercise Protects Mental Health of Growing Kids
- What Is ‘Illegal DEI?’ Trump Admin.’s School Probes Start to Paint a Picture
- No Quick Fix: How Can Schools Make Real Change to Overcome Student Underachievement?
05.16.25
- Supreme Court to Rule in Case that Could Upend Rights of Students with Disabilities
- AI Shows Racial Bias When Grading Essays — and Can’t Tell Good Writing from Bad
- Contaminants Found in Baby Formula May Hurt Brain Development, Experts Say
- Spanking and Other Physical Discipline Lead to Exclusively Negative Outcomes for Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
- Marijuana Use While Pregnant Linked to Preterm Birth, Low Birth Weight
- Judge Reverses Ed. Dept.’s Abrupt End to States’ Time to Spend COVID Relief
- As Federal Dollars for Head Start Slow, Rural Parents Left without Other Options
- With VR Goggles, Students in Detention Centers Gain Career Training
- To Improve Accessibility, Closed Captioning Gets an Overhaul
- Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success Plan Under Investigation Over DEI
- Meeting the Needs of Early Childhood Educators with Critical New Resources
- Athletes with ADHD Take Longer To Recover From Concussion
- Schools Brace for Tariff-Related Price Increases of Chromebooks and iPads
- Education Researchers Sue Trump Administration, Testing Executive Power
- $1B to Support Student Mental Health is Gone. Schools Fear What’s Next.
05.09.25
- HHS Clarifies: No New Autism Registry Will Be Created
- IDEA Services for Infants, Toddlers Brace for Budget Impacts
- Swim Schools Launch Program for Kids with Autism
- Colorado’s Preschool Program Ranks High for Enrollment, Low for Quality Guardrails, Report Finds
- Supreme Court Poised to Back Student in Key Disability-Rights Case
- Prospect of Special Ed Moving to HHS Prompts Fears of Return to Bleak Past
- 19 States Sue Education Department Over Anti-DEI Efforts
- President Trump Wants to Gut Head Start. He’s Already Begun
- White House Order Prioritizes AI in Schools
- Temporary Anxiety Impacts Learning
- No Greater Risk of Brain Aging Among People with Autism
- A Smaller Nation’s Report Card
- Changes to Federal Education Department Could Harm NJ Students with Disabilities, Advocates Warn
- Justices Seem Puzzled by District’s Argument in Disability Case
- Could A Common Pregnancy Disorder Help Explain Rising ADHD Cases?