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Click here to download the Brochure with Registration Information (PDF) Vision Net training is for kids 0-6 with sensory losses and other disabilities. It will start Jan. 13 -- instructors need advanced registrations to get materials assembled and vision net sites. Please fill out the attached registration form if interested.  Topics will include brain development, sensory processing, family centered practices, use of touch, hearing, vision system, CVI, communication, motor development and more. What: INSITE Basic Training prepares early intervention professional to work with families in acquiring information, skills and support to facilitate the development of their young children who have sensory impairments combined with other disabilities. It includes a comprehensive overview of the rationale and organization of the INSITE Model, including early identification, administration and supportive service components. The majority of the training time is devoted to training in the direct services to families. Participants become familiar with the INSITE resource manual (purchased separately by participants)  which contains information and learning activities for families on early communication, audition, vision, cognition, motor impairments, and the development of auditory and visual skills. They learn about the INSITE approach to information gathering, child assessment and program planning needed for developing the IFSP.

"Children who enter grade school with cognitive and social-emotional delays are at an increased risk for reading problems, academic underachievement, and becoming disengaged or disinterested in school." This assessment, from Janet Welsh, a research associate at Penn State University's Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, is at the heart of a new intervention program developed by researchers at the school to help families with kindergarteners at risk for poor school performance.

Sign up now to attend a free webinar on Friday, March 19 at 1pm MST on how to coach teachers and staff members to create a school culture that serves all students. This one-hour session will include a link to download the NIUSI-LeadScape framework for cognitive, culturally responsive coaching and will help you move your coaching from a problem-solving model to strategic capacity building that will change the way teachers and staff understand their work.

AccessApps is an initiative supported by the JISC Regional Support Centres (RSC) and JISC TechDis. It consists of over 60 open source and freeware Windows applications, running from a USB stick. AccessApps provides a range of solutions to support writing, reading and planning as well as sensory, cognitive and physical difficulties.

Assistive technology (AT) is available to help individuals with many types of disabilities — from cognitive problems to physical impairment. This article will focus specifically on AT for individuals with learning disabilities (LD).

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.

Crossing the Technology Bridge -- Where Do We Go as a Field to Help All Learners Succeed?An Interview with Ruth Ziolkowski, President and Chief Operating Officer, Don Johnston, Incorporated

This month the Family Center is pleased to feature the insights of Ruth Ziolkowski, President and CEO of the Don Johnston Company, a leading assistive technology firm that recently celebrated its 30th year in business. Don Johnston, and the company that bears his name, are known for literacy software programs, tools, devices and professional development services aimed at supporting students with cognitive, physical and learning challenges. We asked Ms. Ziolkowski to comment on various aspects of the AT field, including where it is headed in K-12 education.

Safe Kids and the MetLife Foundation have partnered to bring you a series of safety videos highlighting how you can take precautions in the home to help prevent injuries to children with physical, developmental or cognitive disabilities.

Our 5th grade son, Alex, has high-functioning autism and average cognitive abilities. He has not met his IEP reading goal in over 2 years. The school does not use standardized measures to track his progress and has been giving him average grades. He reads 2 years or more below grade level, yet the school gives him average grades. We were clueless and didn't notice.

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

Click here to register for this event What: Early childhood is often when a child and the family first receive a diagnosis while in the hospital or outpatient setting. This course will explore the basics for introducing assistive technology devices to the family while in the hospital setting/outpatient setting. Learner Outcomes: Participants will identify criteria to determine when to introduce assistive technology to the child Participants will become familiar with the basic features of assistive technology assessment Participants will receive an overview assistive technology devices appropriate for a new diagnosis involving motor, sensory and cognitive issues. When: Webinar begins at 10:00am Mountain time. Session sign in begins at 15 minutes prior. This session requires you to call in to access the audio. If applying for Individual Continuing Education Units (one hour of instruction) registered attendance and successful completion of this educational program is required and must be applied for with the payment of $16 being made directly to RESNA. Submission application will be provided.   Certificate of Attendance will be available upon completion.

Click here to access this presentation and for more information What: Concerns and experiences of college students with TBI How do changes in cognition and social development impact students' college experiences? What services are currently available to students What do students with TBI need in order to be successful in college? Sessions are presented via a fully accessible Talking Communities webinar platform. When: Tuesday, June 22, 2011 at 1 p.m. - 2:30

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.

What: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are disability income benefits administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that also provide Medicaid and/or Medicare health insurance to individuals who are eligible. The application process for SSI/SSDI is complicated and difficult to navigate. Nationally, about 37 percent of individuals who apply for these benefits are approved on initial application and appeals take an average of two years to complete. For people who are homeless or who are returning to the community from institutions (jails, prisons or hospitals), access to these programs can be extremely challenging. Approval on initial application for people who are homeless and who have no one to assist them is about 10-15 percent. For those who have a mental illness, substance use issues, or co-occurring disorders that impair cognition, the application process is even more difficult – yet accessing these benefits is often a critical first step in recovery. SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) is an approach that helps states increase access to mainstream benefits for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness through: Strategic Planning Meeting(s) to establish collaboration among key state and/or local stakeholders and to develop an action plan for implementing the SOAR approach (e.g. SSA and Disability Determination Services (DDS); State Mental Health Agency and Department of Corrections leadership; and community homeless, health and behavioral health providers). Training of case managers using SAMHSA's Stepping Stones to Recovery curriculum that includes a step-by-step explanation of an improved SSI/SSDI application process. A Train-the-Trainer program allows for expansion and sustainability. Technical Assistance to states and communities including support for action plan implementation, training observations with feedback, and assistance with tracking outcomes in order to document success and help access additional resources.  (SOAR Technical Assistance Center. http://www.prainc.com/SOAR). When/Where: Great Falls SOAR Refresher Course September 23, 2011 & October 28, 2011  9AM – 2PM Largent Building - 915 First Avenue South Great Falls, MT (406) 761-2104 Billings SOAR Training Registration: September 28 & 29 | 8:00 – 5:00 Garfield School – Room 103 3212 1st Avenue South Billings, MT 59102 Great Falls SOAR Training Registration October 13-14, 2011 Largent Building - 915 First Avenue South Great Falls, MT (406) 761-2104 Helena SOAR Training Registration November 1-2, 2011 Disability Determination Services 2550 Prospect Avenue Helena, MT 59601

The Communication Matrix is an assessment tool designed to pinpoint exactly how an individual is communicating and to provide a framework for determining logical communication goals. It was first published in 1990 and was revised in 1996 and 2004 by Dr. Charity Rowland of Oregon Health & Science University. It was designed primarily for speech-language pathologists and educators to use to document the expressive communication skills of children who have severe or multiple disabilities, including children with sensory, motor and cognitive impairments.

Click here to download the registration form for this event (PDF) What: Recent studies indicate that the rate of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children with Down syndrome (DS) is higher than previously reported. Early detection of ASD is critical because early intervention has been associated with more favorable child outcomes and therefore, the presence of ASD in a child with DS has implications for treatment and special education decisions. However, identifying ASD in children with DS is difficult because of overlapping symptoms, the presence of cognitive and language delays and deficits, and other developmental factors. Moreover, little is known about what autism assessment measures are valid for use with children with DS. This talk reviews the various issues surrounding the accurate identification of ASD in children with DD and presents a set of considerations to assist evaluators in selecting appropriate screening and diagnostic assessment protocols. When: May 18, 2011 1:00-2:30pm Mountain

What: Do you need to know more about how to promote successful outcomes for your students in the area of math skills? Come to the MASP Summer Institute to discover how to apply recent research findings in your classroom. Learn the essentials of math preparation that we now know underlie proficiency in mathematics, including the importance of effective instruction. Find out the implications for identifying mathematics disabilities and for planning intervention. This is an important conference because there is a great deal of new evidence about how to foster the acquisition of good math skills, information that is not widely known yet. This will be one of the first opportunities that most people in our audience will have to learn about current knowledge on how children learn mathematics and how that learning can go wrong. Presenter One of the world's leading authorities on how children develop understanding of mathematics, Michèle M.M. Mazzocco is a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is the principal investigator for the Math Skills Development Project at the Kennedy Krieger School. With Daniel B. Berch, she is the co-editor of Why Is Math So Hard for Some Children?: The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, a respected book that provides, in the words of one fan, "an exceptional review of literature on LD in maths." Dr. Mazzocco initiated the Math Skills Development Project in 1997, through which she has followed a group of students from kindergarten through 9th grade (so far!). This project involves an extensive study of normally developing children, children who have learning disability not associated with a genetic condition, and children who have genetic conditions that are known to contribute to math disability. The focus of the research is to seek an understanding of how cognitive, behavioral, and genetic factors contribute toward successful mathematics achievement. Dates and Times: June 12, 13, and 14, 2011 Registration opens at 5 o'clock on Sunday evening, June 12, 2011. The conference begins at 6:30 on Sunday evening and concludes for the evening at 9:30. On the following days, June 13 and 14, the conference continues from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The doors open at 8 o'clock each morning. Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Billings Treasure State Salon A & B 2465 Grant Road, Billings, Montana, USA 59102 (near Costco and Best Buy) Tel: 406-655-8800 Fax: 406-655-8802

“We are finding more solid evidence, based on higher quality studies, that these early intensive behavioral interventions can be effective for young children on the autism spectrum, especially related to their cognitive and language skills,” said lead author Amy Weitlauf, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator. “But the individual response to these treatments often varies from child to child.”