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What: An invitation to families with a child with a disability, and families with small, fidgety children: celebrate Mother's Day by enjoying a bell choir concert with ALL the members of your family. No need to leave anyone home because they might be "disruptive." The JuBELLation Handbell Choir is graciously giving a concert just for special families. Your special child, or little ones, can move, make noise, and just be themselves while you all enjoy the music together. Please join us at First United Methodist Church, 300 East Main, at 12:30 on May 8. Cookies and milk to follow. There is no fee, but free-will donations are welcome. Come enjoy some beautiful music together! When: Sunday, May 8, 2011 12:30-2:00pm Mountain Where: First United Methodist Church 300 East Main Missoula, MT

What: A free child safety fair will be held at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on April 16th beginning at 9am. Numerous local law enforcement and public safety agencies will have booths and presentations with information to help your family stay safe.  Free digital fingerprinting and a car seat safety inspection will be available. When: Saturday, April 16, 2011 9:00am Mountain Where: Flathead County Fairgrounds

Even though my son struggles with communication and social interaction and suffers from multiple anxieties, most people who meet him would probably describe him as high-functioning. There's a decent chance that he can grow up to hold a job and live on his own. Neurodiversity makes sense for him, but why should I -- or anyone else -- assume that it makes sense for "lower-functioning" autistic people?

The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool. Students with learning disabilities can enhance and develop their communication skills, learn how to adapt to situations, and develop social skills. Check out this collection of iPad apps that can make a difference in the life of a learning disabled child.

Click here to download the Schedule/Description (PDF) Click here to download the Brochure (PDF) What: Healthy LIVING and The Summit in conjunction with various local Flathead Valley and Montana speakers invite you to join us in an all day event guaranteed to give you a better understanding of autism and the world our autistics children live in. Come fill your backpack with the maps, tools and strategies you will need when you work or play with Autistic children. Registration and Payment Due by: Wednesday, April 20 Conference Fee: $25.00

Visit the Mason's Mountain Run Website What: This race is being started to celebrate the life of a very special boy, Mason Bailey Shuck. Mason died in August 2009 after living with mitochondrial disease for 11 years. His spirit and sense of humor lives on with us today. He enjoyed many days in the mountains, hiking and camping. This race/walk is to enjoy a day in the beautiful mountains and to encourage anyone who is capable to run for those who can’t. June 11th will be a day to celebrate and have fun. You can sign up for a challenging 10K trail run or participate in a family fun trail walk. For those individuals, especially special needs children, who are unable to participate in the 10K trail run or moutain walk, a treasure hunt will be set up around the Lion's Camp. This will be a fun time to find prizes while following a trail of knock knock jokes. After both events there will be a BBQ lunch to just enjoy and appreciate nature and our lives together. Event day activities include a treasure hunt, inflatables, music, games, prizes for kids, face painting, lunch for all registrants and entertainment for all! Sign up to participate in the fun today! When: Saturday, June 11, 2011 Registration begins 9:00am Mountain  Race starts at 10:30am Mountain Where: Lions Camp,  Red Lodge, Mt.

Thresher and friend Larry Bissonnette, 53, who have been advocates for 10 years for people with autism and the disabled community at large, are about to get a new platform for spreading their can-do message: They're the focus of "Wretches and Jabberers," a documentary film opening next week in 40 cities that makes the point that "disabled" doesn't mean "dumb." "Wretches" is what they jokingly call themselves after picking up the term from another person with autism. To them, "Jabberers" are people who can speak.

On behalf of the Autism Subcommittee of the Council on Children with Disabilities, please note the current AAP autism resources for health care professionals and parents. Find more information about these items as well as additional resources at: http://medicalhomeinfo.org/about/cocwd/autism.aspx. Be sure to check out the sneak preview of the autism toolkit contents - only for AAP members (see below). Sound Advice on Autism - The AAP has developed a series of audio interviews with medical experts and parents of children with autism who answer parents' frequently asked questions. Conversations include: screening, diagnosis, treatment, alternative therapies, prevalence and causes of autism. AUTISM: Caring for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resource Toolkit for Clinicians - A clinical resource (on CD-ROM) to assist in the recognition, evaluation, and ongoing management of ASDs. SNEAK PREVIEW for AAP Members - including samples and additional content information!! Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) - This booklet provides critical information about ASDs and answers parents' most common questions. This booklet will help to identify ASD symptoms so that an intervention program can be started as soon as possible.   Is Your One-Year Old Communicating with You? - This brochure encourages parents to share any concerns about their baby's language development with their pediatrician as early as possible. It also provides early language and social milestones checklists. 

Please take part in the IDEA National Survey, a survey of whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents are protected.  The IDEA National Survey Project is sponsored by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), Autism Society of America (ASA), Autism National Committee (AutCom), and The Advocacy Institute (AI). The survey is at http://www.ideasurvey.org The survey looks at whether parents are treated as equal partners in their children’s education. Topics include whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents protected throughout the special education process, including IEP meetings and IEP issues, eligibility (Child Find), Due Process hearings (impartial hearings), and other education issues.  All members of the community are welcome: parents; attorneys, advocates, other professionals; and self-advocates (people with disabilities).  We also welcome all disabilities, not just those our organizations focus on.  You can take the survey and read more about it at http://www.ideasurvey.org The survey will run March-May 2011.  The results will be compiled into a report about experiences under the IDEA that will be published this summer.   For more information, contact Jessica Butler, Coordinator, IDEA National Survey Project, at jessica@jnba.net

April is Autism Awareness Month, and to kick off events, the advocacy group Autism Speaks is releasing results of its first online community survey on livability. The organization used the data to generate a list of places to live for people with autism, reporting the places most often cited by respondents for best availability of services and resources, including educational offerings and recreational and medical services.

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: Behavior Management This academy is intended to give the paraeducator knowledge and skill in instructional methods that support students who have challenging behaviors in inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, elf-contained classrooms, domestic settings and the community. The module focuses on interactions that paraeducators have with students whose behaviors are challenging and on the role they lay in assisting the professional members of their teams with behavior challenges. Effective behavior management is a complex system of proactive strategies, positive reinforcements and natural or logical consequences. The most important concept to understand is that good behavioral management begins with the educator; that ultimately the only person anyone can truly control is him or herself. Our focus, therefore, must be on changing what we, as educators do, as opposed to attempting to make or force our students to change. This academy will address this issue and provide participants with a “tool box” of ideas and strategies that have been proven to encourage positive behavior in students. If your school is an MBI school, these strategies are consistent with the MBI philosophy. Number Theory and Rational Numbers This academy was designed to provide paraeducators with the skills and knowledge needed to assist students, grades 5-8, with mathematics skills taught in the classroom. The course content is designed and adapted from standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes the specific skill-building areas of number sense, computational techniques for fractions, decimals and percentages; and their related applications for intermediate and middle-school learners. Participants are encouraged and welcome to attend both days of training. When: June 8-9, 2011 Where:Robins Administration Building Upstairs Conference Room 425 6th Street Havre, MT Register: Register online at www.havre.k12.mt.us Click on the CSPD icon (upper right hand corner) Click on CSPD Calendar

Great Falls residents are promoting mental well-being around the community - one step at a time. The Center for Mental Health held a team captain kickoff luncheon on Wednesday for the annual Beautiful Minds Walk. The event aims to help improve the lives of those living with mental illness.

What: You are Cordially Invited to Attend the 2011 Annual Dinner and Celebration Of the Great Falls Chapter of Mental Health America-Montana, Guest speaker John Schaffer will talk about a Policeman’s perspective on Autism at 7:00pm, followed by the presentation of the 2011 Virginia Blend Award. When: May 2, 2011 No-Host Cocktails: 5:30 p.m. Dinner: 6:15 p.m.Presentation: 7:00 p.m. Where: Good Eats – 801 2nd Avenue North Great Falls, MT Tickets: $12.00 per ticket Please RSVP By Friday, April 22 Diana Meyers (406-452-7189) or Sharon Odden (406-454-6083)

MISSOULA- Western Montana hosted its first autism conference this weekend, an event that was aimed at helping the Missoula community understand autism.

The LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) Community of Practice offered a series of webinars on inclusion over the past year. They are now making the recorded archived webinars available to the public. Please click here to download the full list of webinars with instructions on how to access them (PDF)

Some of the listings below identify camps available to all children, while some are especially for children who have disabilities. It is also very likely that your community has summer camps or recreational opportunities available that you won’t find listed here.

Click here to download the flyer for this event (PDF) What: As the end of the school year approaches SEPTA invites everyone to attend our last event of the school year. Potluck festivities and the distribution of Teacher & Staff Appreciation Certificates will follow after a brief meeting. Come and celebrate with us! Please bring a dish to share for this POTLUCK event. When: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 6:00 PM Where: Eagle Mount, 6901 Goldenstein Ln in Bozeman For more information: Contact Joanna Dumas at 406-522-0851.

Click here to download the full flyer (PDF) What: Have you been waiting for your children to start school before you complete your GED or prepare for College? Wait NO Longer -- Call 406-523-4033 to enroll in Spring/Summer classes! Education for the whole family begins at Even Start, located at 310 S. Curtis in Missoula, MT. Adult Education GED ESL –English as a Second Language Vocational Training Prepare for College Parent and Child Together Time Activities for Parents and Children to Learn and Play Together Early Childhood Education for Children Ages  0-8 years Physical, Intellectual, Social, Emotional and Language Development Scientifically-based curriculum Parent Education Child Development Language and Literacy School Readiness Community Resources

Are you thinking about setting up your own online classroom? This webinar will explore how to more effectively serve your community through online instruction. Date:  Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Mountain Read More and Register

Click here to register for this event What: This webinar will illuminate how these states have incorporated meaningful stakeholder involvement and the benefits to their state systems and participants. When: July 13 at 1:00 PM Mountain