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One member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights questioned whether there was enough information to call the shortage a crisis.

As a child, Saran Tugsjargal’s school gave her a long list of labels that described her disabilities. But there was one that stuck out the most: emotionally disturbed.

“Youth and families need an IEP template that speaks to them, not a federal document that looks like a corporate document,” she said.

Her goal was to make sure that there was space for a statement from the student and also their parents, as well as teachers and other educators

Explicit, systematic instruction is also critical for students with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning disabilities, says one expert.

General education classrooms should be the first consideration when determining an educational setting for a student with disabilities.

A support group in Manchester is helping young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to have a deeper understanding and acceptance of the condition.

Many Gen X women are navigating the “chicken or egg” of ADHD symptoms and perimenopause, without adequate guidance.

Brown’s view of ADHD as an executive function disorder and his development of the Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales changed how clinicians assess, diagnose, and care for patients with ADHD.

Researching ADHD as a condition with benefits as well as deficits could help shift stigma.

To enable a more representative way to play and learn with your children, the toy company launched its new LEGO Friends Universe, including digital content featuring the latest generation of characters, storylines, and associated toys. The new characters live with ADHD, anxiety, Down syndrome, vitiligo, and other relatable personal experiences.

Whether they are fighting imaginary zombies or finding ways to avoid laundry, the relatable characters in these picture books and YA novels will speak to your child with ADHD.

The increase in ADHD diagnoses among peri- and postmenopausal women is likely due to to a combination of hormonal changes and better recognition of how ADHD presents in women.

Memphis students with dyslexia will start receiving targeted reading support this school year through the district’s first universal intervention program in an effort to increase state test scores.

The U.S. Department of Education will supply expected competitive grant funding for hundreds of in-progress special education projects nationwide in time for the upcoming fiscal year, reassuring grant recipients and advocates nationwide who had feared widespread cancellations.

A decade ago, 13% of Minnesota public school students were receiving special education services. That number now stands at nearly 18%. 

Research reveals why tedium is intolerable for people with ADHD – and how to bear boredom better with a neurodivergent brain.

Learn more about ADHD, why it’s so hard to diagnose, and the concerns with leaving it untreated.

There’s something people don’t tell you about being a special education teacher: It can feel lonely. 

We’re often left out of schoolwide instructional conversations. We don’t always have mentors who understand our setting. And there’s still resistance in some buildings to true inclusion and co-teaching. 

Teachers need evidence-based, structured, supplemental foundational curriculum to help struggling readers master challenges.

I remember pretending to read. Holding open chapter books I couldn’t make sense of, flipping pages to keep up appearances. No one saw the panic behind my eyes when we went around the classroom reading aloud. I’d count ahead to figure out which paragraph would be mine and rehearse it in my head, praying the teacher didn’t ask a follow-up question. I wasn’t dumb. I just couldn’t read. That experience shaped my understanding of what’s at stake. It’s more than a reading issue; it challenges a child’s confidence and creates a silent barrier that too many face alone.

In a study about the kinds of media kids consume that the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology published in June 2025, my colleagues and I surveyed the parents and other kinds of caregivers of 346 first graders. The study participants listed the TV shows, videos, apps and games the kids used the most. We found that only 12% of this content could be described as educational. PBS accounted for 45% of the educational TV or videos parents said their kids watched most often. This makes PBS the top source for children’s educational programming by far. Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. was in second place with 14%, and YouTube, at 9%, came in third.

With federal funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting now wiped out, one of the few trusted, equity-driven sources of children’s media is seriously wounded. To meet the moment, policy leaders and educators must move beyond screen time limits and cell phone bans — and focus instead on a long-term vision rooted in shared public interest values, powered by human connection and guided by standards that prioritize children’s well-being from the start. The nation needs a strategy for children’s media that draws from the trusted legacy of public media and leverages today’s most promising tech tools. 

There are so many moving parts to education that it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle in your first few years, but there are three main ideas that you need to keep in mind as the school year starts: Create routines for your classroom ahead of time, get to truly know your students, and be prepared to learn alongside them. Remembering these can help keep you growing as an instructor and help you start your year on a positive note.

What promise might generative artificial intelligence hold for improving life and increasing equity for students with disabilities?

That question inspired a symposium last year, hosted by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which brought together education researchers, technologists and students. It included a hackathon where teachers and students with disabilities joined AI innovators to develop product prototypes.

Absent a school board election or a looming strike, the CPS year starting Monday looks relatively calm. But with financial struggles and threats from Washington, D.C., there’s plenty to keep tabs on.

Disability advocates say that the U.S. Department of Education could cancel hundreds of grants made under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the coming weeks.

How technology impacts ADHD and what parents can do to help manage it.

Drug treatment can help people newly diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to reduce their risk of substance misuse, suicidal behaviour, transport accidents and criminality, a study suggests.

Empowering educators and partnering with parents are just two recommendations from EdTrust for expanding equitable reading opportunities.

Advocates worry confusion over shifting rules will make children miss out on tablets, glasses, hearing aids, and therapy that help in the classroom.

Speakers at this week’s OSEP conference highlighted an Illinois teacher apprenticeship program and technical assistance for minority serving institutions.

AI isn’t replacing neurodivergent minds; it’s finally making space for them to thrive. In a world shaped by automation, human difference is becoming our greatest advantage.

SEL programs improve student engagement, mental health, and relationships. So why aren’t teachers adequately trained in this educational approach?

Dr. Sarah Wheeler on loving your ADHD brain—and letting go of perfection.

How common is ADHD? Learn more about ADHD and why it seems more people have it than really do.

State-level complaints over disputes with districts have never been as easy as intended. Now, they’re all desperate families have left.

After a federal judge in 2023 ordered city officials to make dozens of reforms to more swiftly provide special education services to families who won legal disputes, top Education Department officials embraced the extra oversight.

Yet almost as soon as the order was handed down, the city began to miss deadlines. Now, two years later, the Education Department has failed to comply with most of the order’s requirements.

New study: Schools place double emotional burdens on neurodivergent students.

This back-to-school season, follow ADDitude’s guide for neurodivergent students and their parents and educators. Click each image below to learn more.

I recently received an ADHD diagnosis at 32. I’ve used coping mechanisms for years to make life easier without knowing why I was doing it. Now, I’m learning about thriving with ADHD, and the confirmation of a diagnosis is validating.

Fewer states are meeting their obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal officials say, with most deficient multiple years in a row.

From early education to postsecondary, schools face common recruitment and retention challenges — and solutions, CASE-CEC panelists say.

Test scores [in Mississippi] have improved dramatically in the past 15 years, and the state is now ranked as a Top 20 state for public education. Scores exceed Michigan’s across the spectrum, from Black and white students to poorer and richer ones. Known as the Mississippi Miracle, the state’s improvement is a testament to tenacity, not originality. Over the past 20 years, Michigan adopted many of the same tools and accountability standards as Mississippi, only to abandon them for another plan. While Michigan leaders talked about fixing education, Mississippi did it starting in 2013, approving and sticking with sometimes unpopular ideas like grading schools and holding back third graders who couldn’t read, while investing big in teacher training and literacy coaches. 

With billions of federal dollars frozen by the Trump administration, 85% of school district leaders say they now have to find alternative sources to pay for contracts they have already entered into. Half those leaders say they will have to cut staff to make ends meet if the money doesn’t arrive, according to a new survey. The survey, from AASA, the School Superintendents Association, paints a picture of how the Trump administration’s choice not to distribute more than $5 billion in federal school funds Congress approved in March is affecting districts as they prepare for the upcoming school year. To close the resulting budget holes, nearly three-quarters of leaders with contracts covered by the frozen funds say they will likely have to cut academic supports for students—like literacy and math coaches—and 83% plan to cut professional development for staff

Strong parent partnerships are essential to effective special education, as collaboration between families and educators provides students with disabilities with academic, social and emotional, and behavioral support. While laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandate involvement, genuine collaboration requires ongoing, intentional effort. Building trust can be challenging when families have felt unheard or excluded. Because of this, it’s crucial that educators adopt proactive, empathetic, and inclusive practices. The following six strategies offer evidence-based ways to strengthen trust and foster meaningful family partnerships.

The Trump administration will now release the federal funding for after-school and summer programs that districts and states expected to begin accessing July 1 but had been frozen by the Office of Management and Budget, OMB confirmed. The $1.3 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers was under review by OMB to ensure the funding aligned with Trump administration priorities. The weekslong delay had already caused cancellations and other disruptions to summer and school-year student services, according to educators, families, education organizations and lawmakers. Still under OMB review is about $5.6 billion in other K-12 funds, including programs for English learners, professional development, student academic supports, migrant services and adult education. OMB did not provide a time frame for the review or release of those funds.

In D.C., and N.Y., age cutoffs for kindergarten fall far into the school year. As Maureen Yusuf-Morales, who has worked at public, charter and independent schools, suggests, “Parents with children born after September should be allowed choice with guidance based on developmental milestones, as opposed to birthdays being the only hard-and-fast rule.” Here are some ways to level the playing field for the youngest students: grades with multiple classes can be broken up into three- or four-month bands, so students are learning with a narrower-aged peer group; and repeating a year should be a more acceptable option. Any steps taken to help New York City’s youngest learners would provide the largest experimental sample size in the country, making those results potentially beneficial for students across America. 

Beginning next school year, all of the city’s public schools — from elementary to high school — must pick from a list of at least nine city-approved intervention programs designed to help struggling readers, according to documents obtained by Chalkbeat. The city hopes “all NYC students become thriving readers and writers by 2035,” the document states. Intervention programs can involve a range of approaches. In elementary schools, for example, teachers may pull students into small groups to go over phonics concepts from earlier grade levels to reinforce the relationships between sounds and letters. In high school, some campuses use online platforms to help build vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Jamie Wace, a young entrepreneur who “hated” school because of an undiagnosed learning disability, has opened up about his experience in a bid to raise awareness among parents and teachers.

It’s frightening to learn we’re not to similar to others, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. One way to respond is to allow that feeling of otherness.

Millions of TikTok users are watching influencers speak about their experiences of ADHD. But how useful is the information being shared?

The Government has published its 10-year plan for the NHS, which focuses on moving care from the hospital to the community and placing a greater emphasis on primary prevention.

President Donald Trump’s administration is pausing over $6 billion of congressionally-appropriated federal funding for after-school, student support, teacher training, English language and other education programs, according to a Department of Education memo obtained by ABC News.

For the past three years, the education department has doled out grants worth up to $10,000 apiece to help future teachers seeking their licenses.

The initiative — called the Educator Recruitment and Retention program — was created via legislation four years ago to combat Colorado’s teacher shortage, especially in special education and rural communities.

Horizon Academy features small class sizes and highly trained staff, but the intensive services come with a high price tag.

Anxiety can look like an attention problem, so how can you tell the difference?

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is particularly prevalent among women with ADHD. Learn about red flags; the impacts of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse; and how to get help.

The “Dawson’s Creek” and “Girls5eva” star says she suffered from low self-worth – until her adult ADHD diagnosis upended those feelings.

“Women are raising their voices against long-established male-centric thinking about ADHD and demanding diagnostic criteria that reflect the female experience.”

Hormonal fluctuations in midlife can hit women with ADHD hard. Learn what perimenopause treatment options can help — and how to talk to your doctor about them.

As diagnoses of the condition in the U.S. have climbed steadily, some longtime researchers are raising fundamental questions.