Different Drum Learning Designs

Video Modeling and Video self-modeling are Effective Teaching Strategies!

Curious about video-based intervention? Learn about three types to help you across a variety of settings with us on June 2nd at 6:30 PM.
To register, scan the QR code or go to euvbi626.eventbrite.com

We’re inviting mission-aligned community partners to be part of the Tucson Spellers Building Bridges Conference 2026!

This special event will bring together families, nonspeaking individuals, educators, therapists, providers, advocates, and community organizations for a day focused on rethinking apraxia, movement, and communication.

A limited number of community partner tables will be available, and this will be a curated opportunity to ensure the organizations represented are truly aligned with the needs of Spellers and their families.

If your school, clinic, therapy practice, support service, nonprofit, or organization serves nonspeaking individuals and families in Arizona, we’d love to hear from you.

Interested in being considered? Please message the Tucson Spellers page and tell us a little about your organization.

Together, we can build bridges of understanding, access, communication, and community.

Saturday, September 12, 2026

A good day is not the same as a compliant day. Too often, people with intellectual disabilities are praised for being “good” simply because they followed directions and caused no problems. Compliance may make support easier, but it does not tell us whether the person felt happy, respected, or heard. Doing everything you are told is not the same as living a meaningful life.

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ID: Title reads: Remember: For people with intellectual disabilities compliance is not the same as a good day. Image shows a professional-looking person talking to a support staff person. The speech bubble reads: “He had a really good day today.”
Person with an intellectual disability with a thought bubble: “I did everything you told me to.”

People with Down syndrome, like everyone else, use behavior to communicate. When they can’t clearly express their needs, feelings, or discomfort, it may show up as behaviors that interrupt daily routines.

In this free webinar, Thaddeus J. Nestheide, PsyD, Bree Stepp, BCBA, COBA, and Amanda Steel, MA from the Timothy Freeman, MD, Center for Developmental Disabilities will offer parents, families, and caregivers a practical way to understand and respond to challenging behaviors. They will also share helpful tools and resources you can use along the way.

Join us on May 28 at 6 PM ET by registering at https://ndss.org/ndss-webinars

"It's just Down syndrome."

Unfortunately, many families have heard this statement after describing a behavior change or new symptom that they have noticed their loved one with Down syndrome experiencing. In medical care, this is called diagnostic overshadowing.

When a healthcare professional overshadows with regards to Down syndrome, the professional focuses primarily (or only) on the fact that the person has Down syndrome and less on the possibility of a co-occurring health condition. Diagnostic overshadowing can lead to misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis of potentially treatable health conditions. When a person with Down syndrome has a change in their health, it is important to do a thorough assessment for physical and/or mental health conditions.

Learn more about diagnostic overshadowing in the article by Brian Chicoine, MD, linked below.
🔗 https://adultdownsyndrome.org/resources/diagnostic-overshadowing/

Read this first and then a letter from Helen Keller’s great niece. https://www.thetransmitter.org/autism/