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It can all feel overwhelming. If you’re a parent, teacher, service provider, or play another role in the life of a child or adult with a disability—and especially if you’re a person with a disability—it seems there’s too much on our plates! Inclusion, education, assistive technology, behavior, employment, supports, modifications, mobility, communication, and living accommodations are some of the issues we probably face every day. With so much to deal with, we may try to simply maintain the status quo—doing more is just too much. We may try to do it all, and experience little or no success. Finally, some of our best, most well-intentioned efforts may not have much impact on a person’s life.

When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, their children learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behavior. Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. There are countless ways to be involved in your child’s education at all ages. This section of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse website highlights some of them.

Inexpensive and Easily Available Toys That Work for Children with Special NeedsWhen a birthday or holiday rolls around, I can usually get a nice assortment of age-appropriate toys for my typically-developing children for less than $100.  But just one adapted toy for my child with cerebral palsy can be anywhere from $50 to $200.   In an attempt to find some alternatives, I asked a group of moms what off-the-shelf toys worked well for their children, who have a wide range of disabilities, including physical, behavioral, developmental, and sensory disabilities.  I've included a variety of their favorites in this article.

The father of a 7-year-old Chicago boy who was diagnosed as a toddler with autism has sued the Naperville and Florida doctors who treated his son, alleging they harmed the child with "dangerous and unnecessary experimental treatments."

James Coman and his son were featured last year in "Dubious Medicine," a Tribune series that examined risky, unproven treatments for autism based on questionable science.

The defendants — family-practice physicians Dr. Anjum Usman of Naperville and Dr. Daniel Rossignol of Melbourne, Fla. — are prominent in the Defeat Autism Now! movement, which promotes many of the alternative treatments the Tribune scrutinized. Both have spoken to groups of parents at autism conferences and trained other physicians in their methods.

A debate is brewing following a report released late last year charging that many mental health practitioners use outdated, unsubstantiated treatment methods. On the one side are academics who say that too many therapists favor personal experience when establishing a treatment approach rather than scientifically proven methods. In particular, they say that cognitive behavioral therapy, which is the most studied method in a therapist’s tool bag, gets far too little use.

In what is believed to be a first-of-its kind hospitality experience, a New Jersey hotel is offering guests an autism-friendly suite.

As an increasing number of children are diagnosed with autism, researchers are looking to parent facilitated play therapy as a cheaper, more accessible alternative to traditional behavior therapy. There are not enough therapists to handle the influx of children with autism, so researchers are looking to early intervention models like the Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters, or the P.L.A.Y. Project, to fill the void. This play therapy approach relies on parents being trained by a professional to be their own therapy provider. Then, parents conduct 20 to 25 hours of play therapy weekly with their child who has autism.

Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a child's behavior that can lead to social rejection.

An industrial chemical developed to help separate heavy metals from polluted soil and mining drainage is being sold as a dietary supplement by a luminary in the world of alternative autism treatments.Called OSR#1, the supplement is described on its Web site as an antioxidant not meant to treat any disease. But the site lists pharmacies and doctors who sell it to parents of children with autism, and the compound has been promoted to parents on popular autism Web sites.

DESCRIPTION: Including children with autism in community preschools/childcare programs can be challenging due to potential behavioral difficulties, sensory integration difficulties, as well as social, communication and learning differences. This workshop will address the specific challenges of including children with autism in preschool/childcare setting. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of autism and will leave the presentation with tips, strategies, and principles to address inclusion challenges. WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday May 8, 2010 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Lewis and Clark Library 120 S. Last Chance Gulch, Helena

Electronic Registration: Opens March 1, 2010 http://www.montana.edu/cs/mbi This Year's Hot Topics: Parent/Family/Community Involvement Montana Schools – Best Practices Strand Targeted/Intensive Interventions Academic Supports Early Childhood Classroom Management Safe Schools Nutrition And much more!

This is a preview of the planned feature-length documentary AM I BROKEN? This preview piece captures in interview format the types of stories that we'll be capturing in real time while on location for one full school year. Visit amibroken.org to see how you can get involved and make this project come to life.

Forget driving to the office and milling about in the waiting room. Increasingly psychiatrists are ready to meet you face-to-face — no matter where you are — using computers and the power of the internet to make mental health care far more accessible than ever before. So-called telepsychiatry is on the rise and it couldn’t come soon enough. It’s estimated that more than 7 million kids have a need for mental health services due to a mental disorder, behavioral issue or developmental disability. Many of these children go without mental health services, according to a recent government survey.

Traveling with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) child could spell disaster. But instead of having to sit still and behave for hours on the plane -- or get in trouble for not doing so -- one ADD/ADHD boy made friends, made his parents proud, and had a great flight!

Come and get geared up for the new year with strategies to work with ALL students! Workshops will be held in areas of Indian Ed for All, differentiated instruction, DIBELS Administration and Scoring, behavior management, RTI, low incidence disabilities, early childhood, science, technology, legal issues, reading & literacy, social skills, and para-educator training. Register now and an email will be sent when workshops are posted.

Beyond Behaviors: Reframing our Perceptions When: June 28th – 30. 2010 Where: San Diego, California Click here to view flyer with full information.

Washington, DC (April 2, 2010) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined with grassroots advocates to celebrate the passage of three more state autism insurance reform bills this week in Iowa, Kansas, and Kentucky. The effort to end autism insurance discrimination nationwide has gained new momentum with these recent victories, combined with President Obama’s enactment this week of the Health Care Education and Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, which contains a provision including behavioral health treatment as part of the essential benefits package required in certain health plans.