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Creating a Sense of Urgency - Great Falls - Feb. 3, 2011 Click here to download the full brochure with registration form (PDF) When: February 3, 2010 Where: Hampton Inn Great Falls, MT What: This motivating keynote focuses on how we can adapt our educational system to a rapidly changing world. Participants will begin to look at education in a global context, how this view is imperative to raising student achievement, and why a sense of urgency must be created in order to engage all stakeholders. FREE TRAINING FOR: Elementary middle school and high school teachers special education teachers administrators paraprofessionals and parents.

Click here to register for this event What: This webinar will present a general introduction and overview of Broadband—both as a public policy agenda and as a quality of life issue for people with disabilities. The training will take a look at the unique ways in which Broadband is redefining health care, education, employment, citizenship, and community participation for people with disabilities. When: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 11:00 AM –  12:00 PM MST Presenter: Martin Sweeney -- As a parent, activist and current AT professional, Martin Sweeney has over 25 years of experience in the field of assistive technology. As a training specialist, Sweeney is part of the Center for Accessible Technology team promoting Broadband awareness, access and adoption throughout California.

Background: In a recent study, 77% of students said they had been bullied mentally, verbally, and physically. 32% of parents fear for their childs physical safety at school. 282,000 students in America are physically attacked each month. The effects of Bullying often have devastating effects on a childs life. Now we can stop Bullies and we can do it FAST. FAST Defense teaches Award Winning assertiveness and self protection skills to effectively protect our children from Bullies. Using simple and effective non-violent conflict resolution skills, FAST Defense playfully gives children ages 6-12 the tools to stop bullies in their tracks. And the confidence gained from the experience empowers them in all other facets of their lives. In a fun and safe environment, this dynamic one hour program effectively teaches our children how to skillfully deal with bullies: Avoiding common playground altercations How to handle name calling and teasing Protecting personal space and possessions Assessing appropriate defense and how NOT to start a fight Verbal skills to back off a Bully Team strategies to work together to stop Bullying Physical escapes from grabs or pushes Confidence and Assertiveness Training for all walks of life. What: A 1.5 hr Assertiveness and Confidence Training for Kids ages 9-14 Where: Billings Sportsplex 5000 Southgate Blvd. (406) 839-9080 When: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:00am Mountain Cost: Free Contact: Keri or Jamie at (406) 839-9080 Brought to you by FAST Montana, Billings Chi-Tu Do, www.billingschitudo.com & the Billings Sportsplex, www.billingsplex.com

In this webinar, Dr. Blumberg presents data from the recently released 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health and the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services to help participants better understand the rise in prevalence estimates of parent-reported autism spectrum disorder.

1.  If your child is exhibiting new behavioral problems that are interfering with their ability to access the curriculum; your school may need to implement a Behavior Support Plan to extinguish the negative or off task behavior. 2.  If your child is struggling academically in the first semester, don’t wait until second semester to address the problem.  If you have to request new assessments; keep in mind the timeline from the day you authorized the assessments.  The school has 60 days* in which to conduct the assessments and hold an IEP, so if you wait until second semester, the school year might be coming to an end; basically, your child has lost the entire year.  * Some States have different timelines so please check the timelines in your State. 3.  If your child will be attending Kindergarten, Middle School or High School the following year; you need to know all the areas of strengths and weaknesses to help them transition into the next phase of their education. 4.  If your child has been bullied in school, you need to make sure there is a safety plan implemented to protect your child from harm.  In addition, your child should know the name of the school personnel they can approach if the situation arises again; providing a safe place in the school environment. 5.  If your child’s placement is no longer working, do not wait to address this problem; otherwise, your child may lose an entire year of academics. 6.  If your child has been suspended repeatedly for behavioral problems, do not wait until the school is about to expel your child from the district.  Call an IEP to discuss changes in the Behavior Support Plan or ask for additional assessments immediately such as a Functional Behavior Assessment. 7.  If your child has been assigned an Aide that is not experienced enough to prevent your child from eloping, you need to call an IEP as soon as possible to request a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) or additionally training for the Aide.  Remember, every time your child leaves the classroom they are not being educated! 8.  If your child is experiencing depression, lack of self-worth, anxiety…etc.  You should call an IEP and request a Social/Emotional Assessment for in-school counseling.  If your child already has in-school counseling and that’s not working then you need to request an Educationally Related Mental Health Assessment to address these issues before they escalate into more serious behavior. 9.  If the services you agreed to at your child’s last IEP meeting are not working, you need to call an IEP to ask your school to increase the amount of services, or file for Due Process if you feel it’s necessary to take the matter directly to the school district. 10. If the School has not been following your child’s IEP; therefore, is out of compliance, call an IEP right away to allow the school to remedy the situation.  If they are not willing to rectify the situation then you need to either file for Due Process or file a complaint with the State Department of Education.

This free online course helps parents and educators build knowledge and confidence as they become advocates for their children living with hearing loss and work with local school districts and service providers.

Steve Silberman, investigative reporter for Wired and other national magazines, declared Thinking Person's Guide to Autism his Book of the Year (!): Covering a wide range of nuts-and-bolts subjects — from strategizing toilet training and and planning fun family outings, to helping your kid cope with bullying, to identifying the issues that a skilled speech-language therapist can work on with your child, to spotting and avoiding “autism cults,” to navigating byzantine special-needs bureaucracies and providing your child with appropriate assistive technology, to fighting for your kid’s right to an individualized education — the Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism is bracingly free of dogma, heavy-handed agendas, and pseudoscientific woo. What distinguishes it from, say, the fine guide for parents recently made freely downloadable by the National Autism Center, is the heart, soul, fierce intelligence, and subversive wit of the authors and editors, which shines on every page. Offering observations from parents, professionals, and autistics themselves, the book is a welcome dose of optimism and uncommonly good sense.

What:The OPI in partnership with DPHHS will bring together parent and youth representatives, school administrators and educators, school counselors, CSCT program administrators and other mental health providers from across the state.Cick here for more informationWhen:March 1-2, 2012Where:Red Lion Colonial HotelHelena, MT Contact:Brandi Long, bklong@mt.gov

When: Oct 3-5, 2010 in Helena, MTWhat: The 2010 Youth in Transition Conference is a youth and parent centered event that will assist youth with disabilities and their teams to plan and develop plans for after high school. This venue will include: A “Real Life” Fair: participants can meet with a wide variety of community re-sources. Keynote Presenters: Fun, informative, youth centered! Workshops: information that supports what was learned at the Real Life Fair. Students, parents, and all relevant team members are encouraged to attend! Topics and Information: Transition to What? Information Available: Housing Transportation Food/Clothing Recreation Employment Education/Training Financial Aid Community Service Self-Advocacy

Goals: To build local capacity and expand inclusive child care options for families by providing training, resources, and technical assistance directly to Montana's child care resource and referral programs (specifically the Early Childhood Specialists), licensed child care programs, LCPs (legally certified providers), PLUK (Montana parent and training information program), and CFSP (regional child/family service providers/early intervention programs).

When/Where: October 4, 2010 Fifth Avenue Christian Church Havre, MT October 5, 2010 Hampton Inn Great Falls, MT Free Training For: Elementary and middle school teachers Special education teachers Therapists Administrators Reading teachers Paraprofessionals Parents. The purpose of this Level II professional development is to: Focus on specifics in instructional practices for mathematics; evaluating and enhancing mathematics curricula to meet the needs of learners; progress monitoring (National Council of Teachers of Math Big Ideas Probe). Advice for diagnostic throughout the school year using Curriculum Based Measurements and Mathematics Diagnostic Assessment. Differentiating math for students with diverse levels of mathematical competency by using data and key ideas for differentiated instruction. Action goals/plans for follow up using Video-Conference Sessions.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in Education presented by Cheryl A. Theis (MA), Director of the Foster Youth with Disabilities in Transition (FYDT) and Clearinghouse and Education Advocate for the Parent Training Information Center Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)

What: This conference will provide information and hands-on training in the latest technology being used to enhance communication and social skills for individuals living with autism. This conference is for everyone who loves and works with children and adults with autism every day. This year we will highlight Communication and iOS devices - iPads, iPods and iPhones. Today’s technological advances offer highly interactive tools that can be used to help build communication skills. During our event you will learn how to choose applications appropriate for your needs, whether you are a parent, educator or practitioner. Through demonstration and actual hands-on training you will be introduced to a variety of applications that use interactive text, illustrations, painting, animation, voice recording, stories, songs and speech/language based activities that may be helpful in developing communication abilities of children and adults on the Autism spectrum. Practitioners can use these devices to help people with cognitive-behavioral needs through applications that target social skills and executive functioning like planning, organization, attention and memory.  We will also benefit from meeting and hearing from people of all ages who are navigating through life on the spectrum. Their stories will inspire, educate and bring us closer as a group as we take action to improve the lives of individuals with autism. This conference is for everyone who loves and works with children and adults with autism every day. Join us as we continue our work for Montana families living with autism. When: July 27 & 28, 2011 8:00am - 5:00pm (both days) Where: MSUB Main Campus - Library Room 148 Billings, MT Register: Call 406-896-5890 to register for this event; visit http://www.msubillings.edu/autism/ for more information.

Click here to download the full flyer and registration for this event (PDF) Free training for: Elementary teachers, Special education teachers, Administrators, Paraprofessionals and parents This workshop is designed for a variety of individuals: Schools just beginning to think about Response to Instruction (RtI) Support staff in schools already implementing RtI (speech therapists, school psychologists, occupational and physical therapist, tutors, etc.) New administrators or teachers in schools already implementing RtI New members on established RtI teams Participants will be provided: An overview of the Montana RtI model--both the “big picture” and the eight essential implementation components Practical strategies and possible next steps they might take to “power up and move forward” with RtI implementation efforts Discussion of how their specific positions and roles “fit in” with RtI structures and procedures. When: October 4, 2011 8:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Where: Robins Administration Building 425 6th Street Upstairs Conference Room Havre, MT

Click here to register for this event What: Social inclusion occurs when individuals and entire communities of people have access to rights, opportunities, and resources that are usually available to members of American society. People with mental health and substance use problems are more  likely to fully recover and rebuild their lives when they have access not only to care and services, but also to social, economic, educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities that most citizens take for granted.  A socially inclusive society also provides opportunities for individuals in recovery to contribute to their communities as peers, employees, parents, residents, students, volunteers, teachers, and active citizens. Social inclusion provides a policy framework to make this vision a reality.  The SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a FREE teleconference training to learn about three innovative community programs that are improving lives, changing communities, and transforming systems through social inclusion practices. The training will highlight the promising practices of the 2010 Campaign for Social Inclusion Award recipients, including:  SC SHARE’s Dream Team, which is reaching thousands of young people throughout South Carolina through partnerships with key government, faith, and community leaders. The Dream Team uses lived experience to show that there is hope; that a full, productive life can be the expectation; and that recovery is possible.  Heartland Consumer Network’s Poetry for Personal Power, which is changing lives and influencing educational systems by bringing open mic spoken poetry competitions to colleges throughout Missouri. This program is offering young people with mental health and substance use problems the chance to use personal experience and creativity to inspire others.     Advocacy Unlimited, Inc., which developed a 30-minute documentary titled Shining Stars – Young Adults in Recovery to give a voice to young people with mental health and substance use problems who teach about what recovery looks like and the important role all of us play in supporting each other. This program will be featured during a public viewing of the documentary in June at the State Legislative Office Building in Connecticut.    These SAMHSA-supported community-based efforts will demonstrate how social inclusion programs improve lives, communities, and systems. Participants will also learn how they can apply for the 2011 Campaign for Social Inclusion Awards and become a pioneer for building a socially inclusive America.   Date and Time Monday, May 9, 2011 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mountain