Nixon Speech and Language, LLC

07/16/2025

The Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) program: random selection process for FY26 is now OPEN. Please see the image attached for more information. This year, instead of two rounds of LISS, there will only be ONE round. Those selected to receive LISS are eligible for up to $1000 in funding. Registration for the random drawing closes on September 15. Link to register: https://pcis.health.maryland.gov/liss-service/apply

For more information, contact LISS providers:
Maryland Community Connection 301-583-8880 or 877-622-6688
(Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester
Penn-Mar Human Services 410-357-4767 or 877-282-8202
Counties served: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard and Washington

07/02/2025

My mother used a scooter/power chair for years before she passed. Not just that, how many people have sprained an ankle, broken a leg, or needed a ramp?

Ask yourself, is this okay? What are people navigating these disabilities going to do when they need to go to a building without a ramp or with narrow doorways?

This move makes employment less accessible.

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-opposes-department-of-energys-direct-final-rule-removing-requirements-for-disability-access

Send your thoughts now on a new rule that would take away accessibility requirements for new federal buildings!

05/25/2025

Ensuring children with dyslexia receive appropriate intervention and evaluation is not political. It is just what needs to happen.

And Dr. Nadine Gaab's lab has made amazing advances in early identification, evaluation, and intervention.

But her lab's funding was cut because it's at Harvard. Literally because Harvard refuses to cave, her Federal research funding was cut.

Please share this link and if you know of any bridge or other appropriate funding, please send it to her.

https://www.gaablab.com/donate

Children with dyslexia show differences before kindergarten, yet we often wait years for intervention. Nadine Gaab’s words are a powerful reminder: early access to resources is essential.

05/02/2025

04/29/2025

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

04/25/2025

We Are Still in a Reading Crisis
Maryland’s reading proficiency is nowhere near its potential. Despite some progress, 67% of Maryland’s 4th-grade students and 67% of 8th-grade students are still not proficient readers. This means over 66,800 children in just two grades are struggling with reading.

📚 We must act NOW to tackle this crisis. Let’s come together and ensure every child has the tools to thrive in school and beyond.
Do you know how many students in your county are proficient readers? Download our report to find out:https://marylandreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MDStateofReading2025.pdf

04/25/2025

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 & 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬!

Conflicting reports today on a potential US Health Dept autism data platform.

Dept says no real-time platform (https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/us-health-department-denies-plans-for-autism-registry-despite-nih-directors-comments-us-secretary-of-health-and-human-services-robert-f-kennedy-junior-president-donald-trump-health-mental-health-asd), but one linking existing datasets.

Yet, leaders like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (NIH) and HHS Sec. RFK Jr. spoke of a real-time platform for research, health monitoring, and national registries (including autism).

The language is shifting, creating confusion around the purpose.

Adding another layer: RFK Jr. has repeatedly called autism a "disease."

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭?

Calling autism a "disease" could potentially invoke 𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐀/𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐀 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (yes, there are ...exceptions) allowing disclosure of health/education data for public health purposes like disease surveillance, unlike the current understanding that autism is not a disease needing a "cure."

Big questions remain about data privacy and the true nature of this platform.

More to come...

Posted 4/24/2025 at 10:35 pm.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦, 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑢𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠.

04/23/2025

Introducing a simple, free Kanban Task Tracker! 🎉 Visual workflow organization + drag and drop your tasks! ✨ Runs in your browser, saves data locally. Download it now: https://nixonspeechandlanguage.com/simple-kanban-task-tracker-free/

04/23/2025

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/22/rfk-jr-autism-nih This is not okay.

The National Institutes of Health claims it is fulfilling RFK’s promise to find cause of autism by September

04/15/2025

Nessy.com

04/08/2025

To learn about the effects of ADHD stimulant medications on children, adolescents, and adults, I highly recommend watching this video by Dr. Barkley.

Let me know if you have questions about these outcomes when you review.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iYn-KMhh99w&si=ZVXQlrOcTZWjnYC8

This short video reports the results of a recent study comparing the brains of stimulant treated adults with ADHD to those never treated with medication. It ...

03/21/2025

Significant cuts and changes within the U.S. Department of Education are causing worry among parents of children with ADHD and other learning differences who qualify for school services and accommodations. Here’s what you need to know about IEP law and 504 Plan protections.