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We love music and are committed to music education, within our community and beyond. This website, in conjunction with our live performances, provides a great way for people of all ages to hear, learn, and have fun with music. Consider this site your premier web destination for learning about music -- that's why it's here! And, if you'd like to share this site with others, send them a postcard. We hope you enjoy the SFS Kids' Site and we encourage you to visit time and time again!

Sound too good to be true? Have you seen some of these words, phrases and promises in advertisements on TV, online or in newspapers and magazines? Have you thought about whether your child might benefit from one or more of these approaches? Have you wondered about whether these therapies are “really” legit or whether they are profit-making companies that are preying on the vulnerabilities of parents who will do pretty much anything to help their child?

I met Matt when he was a young adolescent. He was diagnosed with both learning disabilities and ADHD, was depressed, and was pessimistic about success in the future. His description of school as captured in one of his writings reminds us of the way in which many youngsters with learning problems experience school.

We’re pleased to share this video blog from Friends of Quinn, an online community that offers resources and support for young adults with LD and the people who love them. This video features Connor, a young web development manager in Colorado who was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school. Connor, along with his parents, share how dyslexia affected his ability to read and write as a young child. Despite his challenges, Connor has always worked hard and learned how to cope with his learning disability eventually finding success as a young adult. Watch his inspiring story below.

For decades, frustrated parents and teachers have barked at fidgety children with ADHD to “Sit still and concentrate!” But new research conducted at UCF shows that if you want ADHD kids to learn, you have to let them squirm. The foot-tapping, leg-swinging and chair-scooting movements of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are actually vital to how they remember information and work out complex cognitive tasks, according to a study published in an early online release of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. The findings show the longtime prevailing methods for helping children with ADHD may be misguided. “The typical interventions target reducing hyperactivity. It’s exactly the opposite of what we should be doing for a majority of children with ADHD,” said one of the study’s authors, Mark Rapport, head of the Children’s Learning Clinic at the University of Central Florida. “The message isn’t ‘Let them run around the room,’ but you need to be able to facilitate their movement so they can maintain the level of alertness necessary for cognitive activities.”

AT for kids with LD is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits. Over the past decade, a number of studies have demonstrated the efficacy of AT for individuals with LD. 1 AT doesn't cure or eliminate learning difficulties, but it can help your child reach her potential because it allows her to capitalize on her strengths and bypass areas of difficulty.

Thanks to advances in imaging techniques and scientific inquiry, we now know much more about learning disabilities (LD), dyslexia, and the role of vision problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Council on Children with Disabilities, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology published a joint statement that summarizes what is currently known about visual problems and dyslexia. The statement also covers what treatments are and are not recommended when diagnosing and treating vision problems, learning disabilities, and dyslexia.

Welcome to the Family Center on Technology & Disability's Online Discussion Center. Join us this month for a discussion of "Improving Teaching and Learning through Technology." Led by national experts, Lisa Thumann and Karen Janowski, our discussion will range from the specifics of using particular applications for both teacher and student learning to the results of recent research on best classroom practices. Our threaded discussion format allows you to follow individual lines of discussion, start new topics, and easily post questions and comments.

Improving Teaching & Learning through Technology with Karen Janowski and Lisa Thumann

We are pleased to announce a summer class presented online by Gail McGregor of the University of Montana on Standards-Based IEPS.  It is an excellent and reasonably priced opportunity for graduate credits and meaningful professional development for special education teachers, content teachers, special education directors and coops, and other educators who work with students with special needs. This course is designed to introduce general and special education teachers to the concept of standard-based IEPs and is organized around a series of five webcasts that have been created for the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI).  Supplementary readings and course assignments are designed to complement the information in the webinars.  The course syllabus and webinars are on the OPI website at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/Curriculum/MontCAS/MontCAS_Presents.html#gpm1_3  This course will be offered through the Office of Public Instruction and the University of Montana.  The Office of Public Instruction will provide the environment for the online learning communities that are part of the course.  The environment for the learning communities will be Adobe Connect webinars.  Students will need to have Flash Player and the Adobe Connect Add-in installed on their computers and have a microphone and speakers in order to participate in the learning communities.  OPI will assist participants in connecting and has microphones for check-out if needed.  Participants may take the course for renewal units through OPI or graduate credits through the University of Montana, and the grading option is a traditional letter grade.  Registration and payment for graduate credit is also through the University of Montana. The cost for two graduate credits is $135. We plan to offer this class in the summer, but need information from you regarding which session will work best for the majority of students that plan to take the course either for renewal units or graduate credits.  May 23-June 24..............................First Five-Week Summer Session June 27-July 29............................Second Five-Week Summer Session May 23-July 29.....................................Ten-Week Summer Session Please email Karen Richem if you are interested in the course and the session you prefer by Wednesday, May 11, 2011.  The session with the most interest will be offered.  Contact information for Karen:  krichem@mt.gov or 406-444-0748

Language-based learning disability (LBLD) refers to a spectrum of difficulties related to the understanding and use of spoken and written language. LBLD is a common cause of students' academic struggles because weak language skills impede comprehension and communication, which are the basis for most school activity.

Friends of Quinn is an online community that offers resources and support for young adults with learning differences, as well as for the people who love them. Founded by Quinn Bradlee, filmmaker and author of A Different Life, a book about growing up with LDs, our mission is to connect the LD world.

The following articles provide information on the inclusion of students with learning disabilities or ADHD in the general education classroom.

What: All Montana students require equitable access to a variety of resources, encompassing the breadth of human conversations and creations for academic achievement and personal growth.  By learning to access and evaluate information they gain an appreciation and respect for diverse ideas and creative expressions.  By using information literacy skills in all aspects of learning, students become empowered and engaged lifelong learners. To thrive in the 21st Century, students must employ a process of inquiry that can be adapted to any information need.  By learning strategies to manage and ethically use information, Montana students open the door to the world in all its diversity. Teacher librarians, in collaboration with other classroom and content area teachers, empower all students to become information literate. The Library-Information Literacy and Technology (LILT) will assist the state's school districts in meeting the Montana LILT standards by providing training to Montana educators. Registration: If you are interested in attending a training session you may register online at http://www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister/LILTregistration.htm.  There is no registration fee for this training but registration is required.   If you are interested in scheduling training on LILT or would like more information please contact John Keener, MRESA3 Coordinator, at john.keener@msubillings.edu or call 657-1743. There is no fee for this service. Current Training Schedule: We currently have training sessions scheduled for the following dates to be held at MSUB, College of Education, Room 122: April 11, 2011 5:00 to 8:00PM April 26, 2011 1:00 to 4:00PM May 3, 2011 5:00 to 8:00PM May 4, 2011 1:00 to 4:00PM