Special Ed Rising; No Parent Left Behind

What happens when a child with a disability enters the foster care system?

In this episode of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind, Mark Ingrassia explores the unique challenges children with disabilities can face in foster care, including longer stays, multiple placement changes, and increased use of group homes or institutional settings.

Inspired by NPR reporting by Joseph Shapiro, Mark looks at the impact of trauma, autism, intellectual disabilities, complex medical needs, and behavioral-health challenges—and asks whether the system is equipped to truly understand and support these children.

The conversation also examines how families can reach a crisis point when they cannot access the respite, behavioral, medical, and community supports their child needs. Sometimes, “I can't do this anymore” really means, “I've been doing this alone for years, and I desperately need help.”

Mark discusses the story of Christian Williams, a 15-year-old with Type 1 diabetes and behavioral-health challenges who died while living in a therapeutic group home, raising important questions about whether children with complex needs are being placed in settings equipped to care for them.

The episode explores the importance of family connections, kinship care, better coordination between schools, medical providers, caregivers, and child-welfare agencies, and listening to former foster youth about what children actually experience.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about changing the way we think about children with disabilities in foster care.

Maybe the goal shouldn't be to make children fit the system. Maybe the goal is to build a system that can fit the child.

Because every child deserves to be understood before they're judged, supported before they're punished, and connected before they're corrected.

In This Episode:

• Children with disabilities in foster care
• Placement instability and trauma
• Behavioral-health and complex medical needs
• Families reaching crisis without adequate support
• Custody relinquishment and disability-related needs
• Christian Williams' story
• Kinship and family connections
• Coordination across schools, healthcare, and child welfare
• Listening to former foster youth
• Building a foster-care system that fits the child

Reporting Discussed: Joseph Shapiro, NPR

specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: What happens when a child with a disability enters the foster care system?

In this episode of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind, Mark Ingrassia explores the unique challenges children with disabilities can face in foster care, including longer stays, multiple placement changes, and increased use of group homes or institutional settings.

Inspired by NPR reporting by Joseph Shapiro, Mark looks at the impact of trauma, autism, intellectual disabilities, complex medical needs, and behavioral-health challenges—and asks whether the system is equipped to truly understand and support these children.

The conversation also examines how families can reach a crisis point when they cannot access the respite, behavioral, medical, and community supports their child needs. Sometimes, “I can't do this anymore” really means, “I've been doing this alone for years, and I desperately need help.”

Mark discusses the story of Christian Williams, a 15-year-old with Type 1 diabetes and behavioral-health challenges who died while living in a therapeutic group home, raising important questions about whether children with complex needs are being placed in settings equipped to care for them.

The episode explores the importance of family connections, kinship care, better coordination between schools, medical providers, caregivers, and child-welfare agencies, and listening to former foster youth about what children actually experience.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about changing the way we think about children with disabilities in foster care.

Maybe the goal shouldn't be to make children fit the system. Maybe the goal is to build a system that can fit the child.

Because every child deserves to be understood before they're judged, supported before they're punished, and connected before they're corrected.

In This Episode:

• Children with disabilities in foster care
• Placement instability and trauma
• Behavioral-health and complex medical needs
• Families reaching crisis without adequate support
• Custody relinquishment and disability-related needs
• Christian Williams' story
• Kinship and family connections
• Coordination across schools, healthcare, and child welfare
• Listening to former foster youth
• Building a foster-care system that fits the child

Reporting Discussed: Joseph Shapiro, NPR

specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: What happens when a child with a disability enters the foster care system?

In this episode of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind, Mark Ingrassia explores the unique challenges children with disabilities can face in foster care, including longer stays, multiple placement changes, and increased use of group homes or institutional settings.

Inspired by NPR reporting by Joseph Shapiro, Mark looks at the impact of trauma, autism, intellectual disabilities, complex medical needs, and behavioral-health challenges—and asks whether the system is equipped to truly understand and support these children.

The conversation also examines how families can reach a crisis point when they cannot access the respite, behavioral, medical, and community supports their child needs. Sometimes, “I can't do this anymore” really means, “I've been doing this alone for years, and I desperately need help.”

Mark discusses the story of Christian Williams, a 15-year-old with Type 1 diabetes and behavioral-health challenges who died while living in a therapeutic group home, raising important questions about whether children with complex needs are being placed in settings equipped to care for them.

The episode explores the importance of family connections, kinship care, better coordination between schools, medical providers, caregivers, and child-welfare agencies, and listening to former foster youth about what children actually experience.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about changing the way we think about children with disabilities in foster care.

Maybe the goal shouldn't be to make children fit the system. Maybe the goal is to build a system that can fit the child.

Because every child deserves to be understood before they're judged, supported before they're punished, and connected before they're corrected.

In This Episode:

• Children with disabilities in foster care
• Placement instability and trauma
• Behavioral-health and complex medical needs
• Families reaching crisis without adequate support
• Custody relinquishment and disability-related needs
• Christian Williams' story
• Kinship and family connections
• Coordination across schools, healthcare, and child welfare
• Listening to former foster youth
• Building a foster-care system that fits the child

Reporting Discussed: Joseph Shapiro, NPR

specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

In this episode of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind, we explore the transformative power of inclusive theater with ArtStream, a nonprofit creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to perform, create, collaborate, and tell their own stories.

Joining me are Hayley Cutler, MFA, Artistic Director of ArtStream, and Adrian Forsythe, an ArtStream performer since its founding in 2005 who is entering his 21st season.

keywords inclusive theater, disability arts, community building, improvisation, original productions, arts and advocacy, peer support, arts education, accessibility in arts, creative collaboration

key topics

• The history and mission of Artstream
• The process of devising original theater with actors with disabilities
• The role of improvisation and collaboration in artistic development
• The impact of inclusive arts on community and confidence
• The integration of families and support networks in arts programs
• The importance of authentic representation and 'nothing about us without us'
• The growth of actors from beginners to professionals
• The benefits of arts for advocacy and self-expression

Sound Bites

• "Every piece is original, every story is unique"
• "Nothing about us without us"
• "Everyone deserves a chance to perform their art"

Chapters

00:00Introduction to Artstream and its mission

01:57The process of creating original inclusive theater

09:50The role of improvisation and collaboration

19:56Impact on actors' confidence and community

30:00Family involvement and community support

39:59The growth of actors and the importance of authentic representation

49:56Future aspirations and performances around the world

Website: https://art-stream.org/

Specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

In this episode, January Addison Lare shares her insights on navigating special education, advocating for children, and building collaborative relationships between families and schools. Her personal experiences and professional expertise offer valuable guidance for parents, educators, and advocates.

special education, advocacy, IEP meetings, parent-school collaboration, disability support, education system, guardianship, Medicaid, family advocacy

• The importance of relationship building in IEP meetings
• Strategies for parents to advocate effectively
• The role of advocates in special education
• Impact of policy changes on families and services
• Guardianship and long-term planning for individuals with disabilities
• The need for systemic change in education and advocacy

January Addison Lare

Educational & Family Advocacy Consultant

Founder, Empowered to Thrive LLC

📞 785-513-9735

📧 [email protected]

🌐 empoweredtothriveconsulting.com

📍 811 S 1st Street, Atwood, KS 67730

• “Fake it till you make it.”
• “Parents want someone to listen.”
• “Treat it accordingly.”

00:00 — Introduction and guest background

324:55:32 — Personal journey and name origin

6388:49:06 — Experience in special education and advocacy

14972:09:33 — Guardianship and long-term planning for loved ones

28555:30:07 — Impact of policy changes on services and families

352777:43:44 — Entering IEP meetings: Building relationships

380833:17:10 — Preparing for effective meetings and collaboration

453611:04:09 — The role of advocates and communication tips

535277:44:32 — Addressing systemic challenges and future outlook

🌐 Empowered to Thrive Consulting

📧 [email protected]

📞 785-513-9735

specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind

“How was school today?”

“Fine.”

Sound familiar?

In this episode, Mark Ingrassia turns the Back-to-School Feelings Game Show into a year-round tool for helping kids talk about what’s really happening at school.

Using fun rounds like the Weather Report, Feelings Meter, Worry Button, Pause Button, Backpack Question, Superpower Round, and Surprise Round, parents can help their children identify feelings, recognize challenges, ask for help, and think about solutions.

Mark also explains how to adapt the game for nonspeaking children and children who communicate using AAC, pictures, signs, gestures, pointing, objects, or other communication methods.

The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety. It’s to help children understand that feelings are information and that communication is always welcome.

The game is the vehicle. Communication is the goal.

For parent coaching, workshops, and resources, visit specialedrising.com.

Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind.

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

In this episode of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind, Mark Ingrassia examines recent claims from President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggesting a connection between vaccines and autism.

Mark asks a simple question: Where’s the evidence?

The episode looks at decades of research involving hundreds of thousands of children, including large studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews examining the MMR vaccine, thimerosal, and vaccination more broadly. The research has consistently found no evidence that vaccines cause autism.

Mark also discusses why rising autism diagnoses do not automatically establish a cause, the retraction of the original 1998 vaccine-autism study, and the importance of distinguishing legitimate scientific questions from conclusions made before the evidence is available.

Most importantly, this conversation is about families. Parents need accurate information, qualified professionals, meaningful services, and support—not fear, confusion, or unnecessary guilt.

We should continue researching autism. We should ask difficult questions. But we also have to be willing to follow the evidence.

• Trump and RFK Jr.'s claims about vaccines and autism
• What decades of research actually show
• The MMR vaccine and autism
• Thimerosal and vaccine safety
• Why autism prevalence alone doesn't establish causation
• The impact of misinformation on families
• What policymakers should be focusing on instead

Don't follow the person. Follow the evidence.

• Hviid et al. (2019), Annals of Internal Medicine — Nationwide study of MMR vaccination and autism involving more than 650,000 children. MMR Vaccination and Autism: Nationwide Cohort Study
• Madsen et al. (2002), New England Journal of Medicine — Population-based study examining MMR vaccination and autism in more than 500,000 children. Population-Based Study of MMR Vaccination and Autism
• Taylor, Swerdfeger & Eslick (2014), Vaccine — Meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies examining vaccines and autism. Vaccines Are Not Associated With Autism: Meta-Analysis
• DeStefano & Shimabukuro (2019), Annual Review of Virology — Review of the evidence surrounding the MMR vaccine and autism. The MMR Vaccine and Autism
• Price et al. (2010), Pediatrics — Study examining prenatal and infant exposure to thimerosal and autism risk. Prenatal and Infant Exposure to Thimerosal and Autism
• World Health Organization (2025) — Global expert review reaffirming that available evidence does not show a causal relationship between vaccines and autism. WHO: Vaccines and Autism Evidence Review
• Autism Science Foundation — Evidence-based information and research on vaccines and autism. Autism Science Foundation: Autism and Vaccines
• Disability Scoop (August 12, 2026) — Michelle Diament, “Doctors, Advocates Call Out Trump For Claims About Autism.” Disability Scoop: Doctors, Advocates Call Out Trump For Claims About Autism

Visit specialedrising.com for more resources and information.

Question everything. Demand evidence. Listen to autistic people. No Parent Left Behind.

In this episode, Matthew Alexander shares his inspiring journey of founding a travel agency dedicated to supporting families with children who have special needs, including autism. He discusses the importance of accessible travel, how to plan inclusive vacations, and the transformative benefits of travel for individuals with disabilities.

keywordsaccessible travel, autism, special needs, family vacations, travel planning, inclusive travel, disability accommodations, travel tips, autism travel, travel with special needs

key topics

• The origin of Matthew Alexander's travel agency supporting families with special needs
• The importance of understanding autism from a first-hand perspective
• How travel can positively impact individuals with disabilities
• Key questions families should ask for accessible accommodations
• The role of partnerships and relationships in providing accessible travel options
• Innovative solutions for accessible travel including hotels, airlines, and cruises
• The significance of planning and communication in accessible travel
• Resources and programs that support travelers with hidden disabilities

Sound Bites

• "Travel can be transformative for people with disabilities."
• "Understanding autism from a first-hand perspective helps create better travel experiences."
• "Accessible travel is about more than just wheelchairs; it includes medications, sensory needs, and emotional support."

Website https:Professional Accessible Travel Hub

https://specialedrising.com/

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

In this episode I’ll be presenting some resource links and information to support you in parenting your child with exceptional needs.

Your entire school’s curriculum in the cloud, with training built in!

In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Adinolfi discusses innovative approaches in early childhood education, emphasizing the role of AI in supporting teachers and fostering inclusive, stress-free learning environments. Discover how digital curricula and AI tools like LB are transforming classrooms and empowering educators.

Mark and Dr. Suzanne Adinolfi delve into the transformative role of AI in early childhood education. As the Director of Research and Content Development at Learning Beyond Paper, Dr. Adinolfi brings a wealth of experience to the discussion, exploring how innovative tools can alleviate pressures on teachers and enhance learning environments for children.

key topics

• AI in early childhood education
• Digital curriculum development
• Teacher support and professional development
• Inclusive and adaptive learning strategies
• Parent-school communication and engagement
• Classroom management and behavior support
• Special education and inclusive practices
• Future trends in educational technology

Sound Bites

• "AI keeps track of lesson objectives and standards"
• "When teachers are confident, children learn more"
• "AI can help teachers think outside the box"

Websites Learning Beyond Paper and Learning Beyond the Bell.

Special Ed Risng: specialedrising.com

Rqy's Respite Care Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

In this heartfelt interview, Christine Devane shares her journey as an author dedicated to teaching children empathy, kindness, and responsibility through her engaging books about pets and social issues. She discusses her creative process, the impact of her work on children and families, and her inspiring efforts to support rescue animals like Tippy.

keywords: children's books, empathy, pet rescue, social-emotional learning, animal welfare, author interview, children's education, kindness, responsibility, pet adoption

key topics

• The importance of teaching empathy and kindness to children
• How pet rescue stories can educate and inspire
• The process of writing children's books about social issues
• The impact of storytelling on children's social-emotional development
• Supporting rescue animals through literature and community engagement

guest nameChristine Devane

key frameworks

• Empathy Education in Children's Literature
• Pet Rescue and Adoption Awareness
• Social-Emotional Learning through Stories

titles

• How Children's Books Can Foster Empathy and Responsibility
• The Journey of a Children's Author Supporting Pet Rescue

Sound Bites

• "I'm good. How are you?"
• "Tippy is waiting for surgery."
• "Maybe one day you will too."

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Christine’s Background

02:12Meet Tippy: The Rescue Dog with a Story

05:00Tippy’s Surgery and New Beginnings

07:02Inspiration Behind the Pet-Themed Books

10:05Teaching Empathy and Responsibility to Kids

15:01Using Stuffed Animals to Educate Children

19:48Addressing Children’s Fear of Animals

24:58Connecting Through Stories and Personal Experiences

30:05The Challenges and Rewards of Writing for Children

35:05The Role of Schools and Parents in Social-Emotional Learning

39:57Supporting Rescue Animals and Community Involvement

45:01Future Projects and Final Thoughts

• Christine Devane's Website
• Amazon - Christine Devane's Books
• Barnes & Noble - Christine Devane's Books

• Website
• Instagram

specialedrising.com

Ray's Respite Care: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-rays-respite-care-mission

🏛️ Federal Special Education Oversight

The Department of Education is moving forward with plans to transfer many special education responsibilities to the Department of Health and Human Services while shifting much of its disability civil rights enforcement to the Department of Justice. Learn what has changed—and what protections under IDEA remain in place.

🧸 Preschool Pushout

A troubling new report finds that preschool children with disabilities are suspended, expelled, or informally pushed out of early childhood programs at dramatically higher rates than their peers, raising concerns about access to early intervention and inclusive education.

⚖️ The Future of Olmstead

The Department of Justice has issued a legal opinion challenging decades of federal interpretation of the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision. Disability advocates warn the move could weaken enforcement of the right to receive services in community-based settings. The Arc responds with what families need to know about their rights moving forward.

📋 Civil Rights Enforcement Declines

A new Senate HELP Committee report reveals that the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights reached a 12-year low in resolution agreements, raising questions about accountability and protections for students with disabilities.

🗳️ Accessible Voting

The latest update on the SAVE America Act, including why disability advocates remain concerned about its potential impact on accessible voting and why the legislation remains stalled in the Senate.

🌎 Immigration Policy and Disability Services

A new federal immigration rule is raising concerns that eligible immigrant families may avoid Medicaid and other disability services out of fear it could affect immigration status, potentially creating a chilling effect on access to essential supports.

• Disability Scoop
• The Arc of the United States
• Education Law Center of Pennsylvania
• U.S. Senate HELP Committee

🌐 Website: SpecialEdRising.com

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with parents, educators, advocates, and anyone committed to creating a more inclusive future for children with disabilities.

Because informed families become empowered advocates.

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