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These easy-to-use guides were created especially for teachers/caregivers and parents to provide hands-on ways to embed social emotional skill building activities into everyday routines. Each book nook is comprised of ideas and activities designed around popular children’s books such as Big Al, Hands are Not for Hitting, On Monday When it Rained and My Many Colored Days. Examples of suggested activities include using rhymes to talk about being friends, making emotion masks to help children identify and talk about different feelings, playing games around what to do with hands instead of hitting and fun music and movement activities to express emotions.

When: October 22nd, 9:30 am - 10:45 PM Mountain Brief Description of Webinar: A behavioral intervention gap exists, nationwide, in our schools. Indeed, surveys of schools nationwide indicate that they do not have enough professionals available to develop and implement essential social, emotional, and behavioral interventions. This is particularly compelling given the presence of many behaviorally challenging students—students who disrupt the academic climate of their classrooms, often are not academically successful, and who, many times, are early school drop-outs. This webinar discusses the need for schools to identify their behavioral intervention gaps, address them through systematic professional development programs, and implement strategic behavioral interventions so that challenging students receive the services they need and deserve. 

What: Teenagers with social challenges often lack a safe, accepting context where they can be themselves and develop relationships with their peers, which can place them at risk for a multitude of emotional challenges and can negatively impact their quality of life and self-esteem. MT CAAN is organizing a Teen Social Network to provide a context for any interested local teenagers, both those who are struggling socially (for whatever reason), and for their peers who want to connect with and support them, as healthy communities ideally do. The teen members will determine the direction of the group, meeting times, places, and activities as it evolves. It has been our experience that these diverse social networks benefit those who are doing fine socially as much as those who are struggling at whatever level. It's positive for everybody. All involved learn and grow. When: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. Mountain Where: Atonement Lutheran Church (Space Courtesy of the YMCA) 2205 34th Street • Missoula, MT  59801 Pizza and beverages will be served. Those with dietary restrictions or special preferences are welcome to bring their own snacks and beverages. Contact: If you have questions, contact us via e-mail or call 406-360-8673.

This three-hour training is intended to identify, explore and develop awareness and a basic understanding of the Best Practice in Gifted Education.  This general introduction and overview will also highlight how Gifted and Talented education is an integral part of a comprehensive Response to Intervention (RTI). Materials are provided and the following topics will be addressed: Identification Curriculum and Instruction for high-ability/high potential students Management Social/Emotional Professional Development Support Services Program Development There are no fees for this training but registration is required. Mileage reimbursement will be paid for those outside of the Billings area. SCHEDULED TRAININGS: At MSUB, College of Education Building, Room 122: February 22, 2011 (9:00AM to noon) March 15, 2011 (9:00AM to noon) At Lincoln Center (415 N. 30th Street), Room 213, Billings: (If not an employee of the Billings School District please check with Gail Surwill at surwillg@billings.k12.mt.us for space availability before registering.) March 8, 2011 (4:00 to 7:00PM) March 21, 2011 (4:00 to 7:00PM) April 5, 2011 (4:00 to 7:00PM) MORE INFORMATION: http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/giftedtalented.htm REGISTER ONLINE: http://www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister/GTregistration.htm If you would be interested in scheduling or attending a training session on Gifted and Talented contact John Keener, MRESA3 Coordinator, at john.keener@msubillings.edu or call 657-1743 for more information or to schedule a training.  There is no fee for this service.

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Autism spectrum disorders are surrounded by a haze of misconceptions, many of which are harmful for autistic children and adults. It’s time to straighten a few things out, and to spread the word on this complex series of cognitive and intellectual disabilities with a little good old-fashioned debunking. 1. Autistic people have no empathy. This is a common belief about autism; people think that because autistics are sometimes blunt or have difficulty navigating social norms, they aren’t empathetic. In fact, just the opposite seems to be true. Rather than not feeling enough, many autistics feel very intensely, and are easily overwhelmed by the emotions of those around them. 2. Autistic people can’t communicate. Autism spectrum disorders take a variety of forms, and some people with autism are nonverbal, but that doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. Some use communication boards and other methods to communicate with the people around them, but it requires patience to establish and maintain communication with them. Historically, people with more severe forms of autism were often isolated in institutions, but more modern treatment of autism encourages the use of therapy and other techniques to interact with patients and find a communication mode they feel comfortable with. 3. Autistic people are violent. This particularly damaging assumption about autism was widely bandied around in the aftermath of the horrific Sandy Hook shooting. In fact, autistic people are no more likely to commit acts of violence than anyone else, and when they are violent, self-harm is a much more significant concern. Autism and other disabilities also put people at an increased risk of violence, which means autistics have far more to fear about the world around them. Some autistic people do act out or have what are known as “meltdowns,” usually as expressions of frustration with themselves or situations, but this doesn’t equate to violence against other people; an autistic might throw objects in frustration, for example, without any desire or intent to hit people with them. 4. Autistic people are savants. Everyone who’s seen Rainman thinks autistic people are savants, capable of extreme feats of memorization and other amazing skills. While it’s true that some savants are autistic, not everyone with an autism spectrum disorder has these capabilities; some in fact have significant learning disabilities that require accommodations in the classroom. 5. Autism is the result of “refrigerator mothers.” This awful myth about autism has been largely debunked, but it’s still worth a mention. Some people used to believe that autism was caused by bad parenting, with a specific focus on cold or isolated mothers. The result was a lot of misinformation about autism, and terrible pressure on mothers who were already learning about how to navigate the world with autistic children. In fact, autism has no clear cause. 6. Autistics can’t make friends. Along with the belief that autistic people lack empathy comes the assumption that they live isolated lives and have difficulty making friends. Just like everyone else, though, autistics are perfectly capable of establishing and maintaining not just friendships but other kinds of relationships with the people around them. Isolating autistic people in a misguided attempt to protect them can be very harmful, just as it would be for anyone else. 7. Stimming (repetitive behavior like flapping or rocking), is undesirable and should be stopped. Stimming is familiar to many people who are at least vaguely familiar with autism — sadly, it’s often used in mockeries of autistic people, by individuals who think that making flapping gestures or imitative noises is funny. For autistic people, stimming is one way to deal with chaotic environments or stress, and rather than being something that should be suppressed, it can actually be a healthy method of personal expression and sometimes communication as well. Autistics who are forced to modify or hide their stimming behaviors can develop even more stress, which can interfere with focus, completing tasks of daily living, and other activities. It’s important to be aware that the autism spectrum is vast, and that autism spectrum disorders can manifest in a huge variety of ways. Every autistic is different, and every one deserves respect and dignity. That includes not perpetuating harmful stereotypes, and correcting people who falsely repeat them.

Click here to register for this webinar About our series: The impact of violence, abuse, neglect, disaster, war, and other harmful experiences continues long after the traumatic event has ended. Exposure to trauma is a pervasive issue that has significantly impacted the health and well-being of millions of Americans and nearly everyone seeking services in the public health and social services systems. Understanding how trauma affects the emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and physical functioning of the people we care for can improve our services. When: March 17, 2011 12:00 - 1:00pm Mountain Presented by: Bruce Perry MD, PhD Senior Fellow at the ChildTrauma Academy Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University After participating in this webinar participants will: Understand the effect of trauma and neglect from a neurodevelopmental perspective Identify signs and symptoms of trauma and neglect in young children Learn new strategies for care, program development and policy as related to developmental trauma

Among the challenges of raising children with Asperger syndrome are the emotional ones placed upon the family. The collection of glaring social issues, mixed with subtle thinking variations and occasional unpredictable emotional swings, transforms parenting into a confusing trip of trial and error. When errors mount, family life is often mired in conflict, and the child’s issues are exacerbated. Parents may resort to blaming one another, leading to further downward spiraling.

Teenagers who have difficulty making and maintaining healthy friendships with peers at age 13 continue to struggle with relationships long after high school, according to a new University of Virginia longitudinal study. Early secondary school is well-known as the time social pecking orders are established, bullying and gossip proliferates, and kids start seriously thinking about jumping off that bridge if all their friends do. The study suggests that a student's ability to balance peer pressure with social desirability in early adolescence can predict how well they will handle social relationships in adulthood.

When: May 20-21, 2010 Day Two : May 21, 2010 Who Should Attend: Social Workers Counselors Teachers Juvenile Court and Probation Staff Residential Treatment Staff Daycare Staff Parents and More! Objectives: Describe how different explanations for and interpretations of challenging behavior in kids can lead to dramatically different approaches to intervention, and why conventional reward and punishment procedures may not be effective for many challenging kids Identify and assess the various cognitive skills that are central to handling life’s social, emotional, and behavioral challenges • Identify and prioritize unsolved problems precipitating challenging behavior The three basic mechanisms by which adults handle problems and unmet expectations in kids (Plans A, B, and C) and what is accomplished by each, and the three steps or “ingredients” of Plan B How to effectively implement Plan B to develop a helping relationship, solve problems, teach lagging cognitive skills, and reduce the frequency and intensity of challenging behavior in schools, homes, and restrictive therapeutic facilities

Play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in early childhood. It is a natural tool for children to develop resiliency as they learn to cooperate, overcome challenges, and negotiate with others.