Center for Disabilities Studies

Parents of students receiving special education services report being overtaxed and exhausted trying to ensure their children remain engaged with school and receive any other services they need. A civil rights attorney says that schools are required to offer remediation for time or services lost and questions whether at-home learning puts too heavy a burden on parents to be considered “free” or “appropriate,” legal requirements of the education provided to students with disabilities.

The Delaware public health director said Tuesday that the state is considering making coronavirus testing mandatory at long-term care facilities, after a voluntary universal testing plan got few takers. Since her announcement, about three-quarters of facilities have signaled their interest in participating. Concerns including legal conflicts of interest and unclear testing procedures reportedly made many facilities wary.

State Medicaid directors say that without immediate funding, many of the health facilities that serve Medicaid patients, a population including millions of people with disabilities, could close permanently. More than half of the $100 billion Congress authorized in March to support health care providers has already been allocated, with most going to hospitals, doctors and other facilities that serve Medicare patients.

A Swedish study of identical and fraternal twins, in which at least one of every pair was on the autism spectrum, found that the contribution of genetics and environmental factors to a person’s likelihood of having autism has held steady over several decades. This suggests that the uptick in autism prevalence may be due to improvements in diagnosis and community education. The research team next plans to study several environmental factors in isolation that have previously been linked to increased risk of autism.

Children with developmental disabilities, epilepsy, diabetes and obesity may be more susceptible to an inflammatory illness apparently linked to COVID-19 exposure, Nemours medical professionals said during an online Q&A session. Information is still being gathered on the condition, symptoms of which include abdominal pain, nausea, lethargy and rash. Speakers also addressed mental health warning signs and the unique stresses faced by members of racial minorities during the pandemic.