May 29, 2026: autism diagnosis disparities, teacher shortages, and more news from this week

In this week’s episode of Special Education News & Noteworthy, Paige and Kate discuss some of the biggest conversations currently shaping special education across the country. This week’s stories include: • Special education teachers using AI tools to manage growing paperwork demands. (https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-...) • An investigation involving a nonverbal student at a New York special education school. (https://westchester.news12.com/police...) • New research highlighting disparities in autism identification among girls, multilingual learners, and students of color (https://theconversation.com/black-his...) • A Michigan initiative helping paraprofessionals become certified teachers (https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/...) • A specialized college housing program supporting neurodiverse students as they transition into adulthood (https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/a-...) Throughout the episode, we explore themes of individualization, student safety, inclusion, educator support, and what meaningful systems of support can look like for students with disabilities and their families. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (https://special-education-news-notewo...) for this week’s Special Education Insight on what truly makes an IEP individualized, along with our Picks of the Week focused on accessibility, inclusion, and parent advocacy. Learn more about our training: From Parent to Advocate (https://www.inclusiveeducationalpract...) 🎧 Listen and subscribe on Spotify to stay connected each week.