Sara and Richard Finegan
Sara Finegan has taught in the public and private school sectors (for more years than seems possible for such a youngish woman), in both general and special education settings. She has led workshops on learning and teaching methods as well as content-area instruction. She’s taught students with a variety of learning abilities including GATE, students diagnosed with emotional disturbances, high-functioning autism, non-verbal learning disorder, and expressive and receptive language deficits.
Ms. Finegan obtained her Masters Degree in Special Education from California State University at San Marcos and has served as Adjunct Professor at National University where she has taught and mentored graduate-level students working on action research in Special Education, and credential-level students learning about inclusion of differently-abled students in general education settings. In addition, she serves as a consultant to parents, advocates and education groups interested in supporting the needs of students with disabilities.
Consulting Services:
Sara and her husband Richard Finegan (a former journalist, lawyer and teacher and now a paraprofessional with years of experience supporting students with high-functioning autism/Asperger Syndrome) are available for consulting, to speak to parent groups and conferences, and to lead workshops. To inquire about their services, click here.
Have Questions?
We are always up for questions from our fellow teachers and parents. If you have a situation or problem related to a child with autism, please post it here, or email it to us. We’ll do our best to address your question in a blog entry in the near future, and have a pretty good history of responding to your emails swiftly.
Have Comments?
If you have comments about the content of a blog entry, or a specific intervention, please share with us. We’re always happy to hear from you.
Copyright
All posts, unless attributed to a third party, are copyright of the author, either Sara Finegan or Richard Finegan, as of the date of publication.
7 Comments
Congrats on the site; it is wonderful! I will give you better feedback this weekend, when I have more time to devote to it, but I am so impressed by it. Sara, one of the forms I am sending has to do with Ted’s visual tracking problems and this great eye doctor I sent him to that worked with him for a year.
Sara, I know that this Blog is for everyone! However I am so thankful that you have posted this information. Bobby’s Tri-annual and High School Transition IEP is coming up in September. I am hoping I can get his teachers to ready this information and help Bobby progress the way you did. You are amazing! Thank you so much for never giving up on Bobby.
Patty, you just let me know when the IEP is and I will be there if you like.
Sara
I need some help! My son is autistic, 13 years old. I have know for quite sometime now that he had a major reading comprehension problem. I just learned of the word “Hyperlexia” and I got the school now educated in the word. BUT, they handed me a book and workbook and printed out copies of your posts they thought would help me along and said “see ya” gave me no offer of help within the school. I don’t know what to do and/or how to do this. I do home school my son and he does go to middle school as dual enrollment. Please do what you can to get me on the right track. My son is so far behind it’s not funny! Thanks.
Paula M.
I found your website because I subscribe to Brenda Powers Choice Literacy newsletter. I am a primary special education teacher. All the children I case manage for are in integrated settings. I found the information you gave about hyperlexia and anaphoric cueing soooo interesting. The information is very relevant to my teaching. Have you published a book about this information? Do you give workshops about this technique? I would love to get more info if you could direct me where to go. Thanks!
Hi there! Richard and I are in the process of finishing revisions on a book about autism and reading. This last stage before it gets sent to a publisher is the most tedious and I confess that it’s been slow due to procrastination and our own classroom needs. But we hope to get the last bit finished in November!
I do give workshops and am always happy to meet fellow teachers. If your district or a parent group is interested, let me know. I know that budgets are tight in schools right now, but reasonable and creative people whose focus is on the kids can figure out ways to make it happen. I count myself among those types of folks, and I think many decision-makers in the districts are, too.
Dear Sara, my son (aged
goes to a special school in Switzerland for children with speech difficulties. I am looking for information on alternative methods of teaching reading that do not include phonics. Can you recommend anything? Thanks for any ideas. Rebecca