SPED*NET, Special Education Network of Wilton, LTD., has launched its yearly speaker series featuring noted authorities who are well known experts in the fields of parenting complex kids, special education, and disability-related issues.

SPED*NET is a Wilton nonprofit, which for the past 20 years has brought useful information and support to parents of kids who have IEPs or 504 Plans, who have been identified as being eligible for services, and who are struggling but have yet to be identified. Its goal is to empower parents to become their children’s best advocates.

The first speaker of the year, Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown, the director of College Autism Spectrum and former assistant clinical professor at Yale Child Study Center, discussed the toll the pandemic has taken on kids and offered strategies to help lessen their anxiety, boost their social-emotional wellbeing, and make them feel more comfortable as they return to their classrooms and campuses. The video of this webinar is available at SPED*NET’s newly-redesigned and expanded website.

The presentations and webinars for 2021 include the following:

How to Talk with Your Child’s Team: Effective Communication During the PPT/504 Process
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-noon
Todd Kellogg, LMFT, BCBA
Wilton Library

“Put Your Oxygen Mask on First” Simple Tools for Parents of Complicated Little Kids
Thursday, Oct. 14, 9:15-11 a.m.
David P. Sylvestro, MA, CSP
Miller-Driscoll Early Learning Center

What Parents Should Know About School Discipline for Kids with IEPs
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 10-11 a.m.
Robert M. Tudisco, Esq.
WEBINAR

Transition Programs that Prepare and Support Students with IEPs and 504 Plans in Their Post-Secondary Pursuits
November (date and time TBD)
Panel Discussion
WEBINAR

The Power of the Words You Choose to Use
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 10-11 a.m.
Lydia Soifer, PhD
WEBINAR

All presentations are being co-sponsored by Wilton Public Schools. Videos of prior presentations and webinars are available on the SPED*NET website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

SPED*NET also offers an acclaimed guide to special services, Bringing Knowledge to the Table: How to Be an Effective Advocate for Your Child, created to empower parents to become full partners in the education of their children. It walks parents through the special education and Section 504 process — through warning signs, evaluations and diagnosis, to the time teens transition from high school. The free, interactive online version, available on the SPED*NET website, is kept current with links to useful websites, resources and state and federal forms. Printed copies are available from Wilton Public Schools or through the website.

For more information about SPED*NET or for volunteer opportunities, visit SPED*NET online.