ASPIRE Blog

ASPIRE has joined nearly 200 organizations by co-signing a letter from Everylife Foundation to leadership in all 50 states aimed at highlighting the unique access barriers created by the coronavirus and temporary policy fixes that could serve to address them.

nformation regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 is rapidly changing. This is to be expected as it is a newly discovered strain. Today, March 23, 2020, Dr. O’Hara has updated information regarding Preventive measures to consider or if you or your child is mildly ill that we covered in our interview, COVID-19 – Q&A with Dr. Nancy O’Hara, published on March 21, 2020. 

How To Talk With Your Child About The Virus

How To Decrease Stress & Anxiety

We are so excited to have Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, a member of the ASPIRE Professional Advisory Board, kick off our series of Q&As on COVID-19.

It is essential that you contact your state representatives in Congress IMMEDIATELY; significant efforts are underway to remove IDEA obligations at the federal level, as well as other educational civil rights protections.

Loffredo, L., Spalice, A., Salvatori, F., De Castro, G., Guido, C. A., Zicari, A. M., Ciacci, P., Battaglia, S., Brindisi, G., Ettorre, E., Nocella, C., Salvatori, G., Duse, M., Violi, […]

PANS Rocks!  Come Join the Fun!  Paint Rocks and Spread Awareness! ASPIRE spoke with Michelle Dowd, who has started a fun project for kids with PANS/PANDAS that also helps spread […]

Many students with PANS/PANDAS have IEPs. During this period, many schools a being closed for extended periods completely while others are closing temporarily to make plans for remote teaching. The U.S. Department of Education lays out Questions and Answers on the states’ responsibilities for children with disabilities. Below we have pasted in two questions covered in the document. One is, if a school closes due to COVID-19 and provides no education to the general ed students, do they have to provide services to those with IEPs. The answer is No. The second is if the school is closed but providing educational services to the general ed students, do they have to provide those with disabilities educational services too? The answer is yes, to the best of their ability, under FAPE. Please read through the entire document as there are many other related topics covered including information on what happens when the child has COVID-19 and can’t attend.

Vitalant & ASPIRE Community Plasma Drive March 15 – May 15 – locations throughout the country What to know more about Plasma Donation? ASPIRE has created an easy to understand […]

GiuseppaPiras, LorenzaRattazzi Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 29 February 2020 Patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have increased levels of Immuno-moodulin (Imood), a protein in their lymphocytes, a type of immune […]

Whether you think PANS/PANDAS is a Rare Disease or actually just rarely diagnosed, it is a day to educate people about PANS/PANDAS. The main objective of Rare Disease Day is to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives.