All high school graduations are special...but some are more special than others. Commencements are particularly meaningful and significant when the students have struggled greatly in their high school careers. For those kids, the commencement ceremony is truly a victory...for them, their families and their teachers. Last month, I was honored to del…

As I travel about on trains, boats and planes I often get involved in conversations with folks. When I tell them how I make my living, we generally have a pretty detailed conversation about kids with special needs because - it seems - EVERYBODY has a son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, cousin or neighbor who is struggling in school. It is oft…

For the past 30+ years, I have worked at residential schools for kids with special needs. This experience allowed me to have a "laboratory" wherein I could observe these kids on a 24-hour basis and monitor their academic and social lives. Over these decades I have developed countless field-tested strategies and methods to assist these special kids …