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Lawrence Wang used to hate the shrill sounds of the flute. He'd clamp his hands over his ears to drown out his sister's piano playing. During music lessons, he'd fidget and fight with his teacher.On Saturday, though, he tapped his feet while blowing happily on his saxophone, a member of an unusual band of special-needs performers.

Monica Paoli and her 17-year-old daughter Bella watch the performance of “Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical” adapted for people on the autism spectrum and with sensory integration issues last week at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts. Bella, a sophomore at Sentinel High School, said she liked the performance “because it’s quiet and there’re no surprises.”

For more details, a complete list of camp offerings and registration information, contact Angela Boos at Easter Seals-Goodwill at 406-657-9721 or via email at angelab@esgw.org. Space is limited in some of the camps. Scholarships are available.

It is just one of a half-dozen summer camps that Easter Seals-Goodwill is offering in Billings that caters to children with special needs. The summer roster, which runs from June through August, also includes:

A weeklong handwriting camp for preschoolers with fine-motor challenges.

You can register online here! or download the full flyer here!What:Join us for March’s Technology Tuesday as we explore the world of iPad apps for educators. Presenter Trina Halama will share apps for the iPad that are educational tools that can be used in the classroom. There are a variety of useful apps to make the classroom livelier and more engaging for both the students and teacher. Among the apps being shared are apps for time management, social networking, discussion forums and boards, books, art and graphics, and much more. Some of the particular apps to be shared are: Kindle, How Stuff Works, Flashcardlet, free books, Red Stamp, Toontastic, Math Quizzer, Quick Graph, and more. This will be an opportunity to receive and share resources. Bring your iPad or use one of ours!Trina Halama is a 2007 graduate of MSUB with an emphasis on elementary education and a minor in music. Currently, she teaches third grade at Fromberg Elementary School. She is on Fromberg’s Technology Board, the Promethean Consortium Board, is pursing certification to teach Promethean and SMART Board technologies, and has a vast knowledge of technology in general. Trina is also a Library Information and Technology Literacy trainer for the Montana Regional Education Service Area III.When:March 20, 20125:00 pm - 7:00 pmWhere:MSUB College of Ed. BldgRoom 122Billings, MTContact:John KeenerPhone: (406) 657-1743Email: john.keener@msubillings.eduorDebra MillerPhone: (406) 657-2072Email: dmiller@msubillings.eduIf you have a particular question or suggestion you can contact Trina at thalama@fromberg.k12.mt.us.

Premature babies who receive an interventional therapy combining their mother’s voice and a pacifier-activated music player learn to eat more efficiently and have their feeding tubes removed sooner than other preemies, according to a Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt study published today in Pediatrics.

(Reuters) - New smartphone apps that link to hearing aids are helping people with impaired hearing to pump up the volume on their devices or to use them as headphones to stream phone calls, YouTube videos and music.

Enjoy a sensory friendly day at the fair for special needs children and their family. Rides will be operated at a slower pace, the music will be turned down, and the faster scarier rides will not be operating.

This fall, a fancy new place opened in Vienna that will give him that level of care for $75 a night. Called Jill's House, it boasts a swimming pool, gym, music room, art center, suites with bejeweled ceilings that look like outer space and a playground so cool, I'd call it Seven Flags. There's a ceiling track that snakes from the bed to the bath, so that a guest can be carried, via sling, for bathing. There's the indoor-outdoor lock system, in case a guest bolts. Picture cards all over the place let the guests point to food, water or a toilet if they can't articulate a need. The indoor swimming pool, surrounded by Bahamian decor, has water-proof wheelchairs, a ramp, a sling and one lifeguard for every guest.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers financial awards for students, ages 6 to 19, to participate in after school, weekend or summer programs focused on developing skills in the arts or sciences. Programs can be offered through museums, nature centers, art or music centers, zoological parks, space and science camps, dance and theater studios, martial arts studios or any other program with a focus on the arts or sciences.

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.

For most of his life, music critic Tim Page felt like an outsider. Restless and isolated, he was overstimulated and uneasy around others. Finally, when he was 45, Page was diagnosed with Asperger's, a syndrome that falls within the autism spectrum. As Page explains in the prologue of his new memoir, Parallel Play: Life As An Outsider, the diagnosis came as a relief: "Here, finally, was an objective explanation for some of my strengths and weaknesses," he writes.People with Asperger's often struggle to interact with groups and understand social norms. Page describes himself growing up as a "very lost little kid" who acted out in school by making faces at teachers and being aggressive with the other students. His ability to connect to others didn't improve with age.

Nominations are now open for the seventh annual Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Youth Achievement Award. This $1,000 award recognizing the strengths and accomplishments of young people with learning disabilities and ADHD will be given to a student 19 or younger who has demonstrated initiative, talent, and determination resulting in a notable accomplishment in any field—including art, music, science, math, athletics or community service. Honorable Mentions will also be awarded.

What: A Booster Shot of INCLUSIVE Energy to your Classroom! Discover how Inclusive Instructional Strategies can transform your life and the lives of your students in a powerful and fun way! Diana Pastora Carson takes simple strategies to EMPOWER teachers and energize all learners, even ones with significant disabilities:   Rhythm Music Movement Interactive Visual Aids Collaborative Projects When: Friday, April 29, 2011  11:00am-12:00pm Mountain Registration: $55 Early Registration - Until April 21st $65 - April 22nd and beyond  Register Now! Create a sense of belonging for all students Empower confidence, motivation, and achievement Inclusive ideas can facilitate a positive learning experience for all, including teachers and staff Make learning environments and curricular content accessible to a full range of students

What: Human Therapy on Horseback is hosting the 8th Annual Dinner and Auction at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell. The event, being held on Saturday, May 7th, will feature a live and silent auction, a cash bar, a raffle and many door prizes. Roy Wilhelm and the Sundowners return this year for musical entertainment and dancing pleasure. The doors open at 4:30 with dinner at 6:30 and the live auction following dinner. Tickets for the Dinner & Auction cost $50 per person and tables of 8 are available. Tickets are available at Glacier Insurance Strategies at 2602 Highway 2 East in Kalispell or click on the Human Therapy on Horseback website, www.hthflathead.org. When: Saturday, May 7, 2011 4:30-10:30pm Mountain Where: Hilton Garden Inn 1840 Highway 93 South Kalispell, MT

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.

Chris Cragwick isn't that different from any other student. He likes listening to music and watching old "Walker, Texas Ranger" episodes on YouTube. "No show has had fight scenes with surround sound," he says. "But that show does." The thing that makes Cragwick just the slightest bit different from other students is the fact that he has autism. It's only noticeable when he takes long pauses, combing his fingers through his beard while he thinks of what to say. He doesn't make eye contact too often, but when he does, it's easy to see his bright blue eyes. Despite his condition, Cragwick doesn't consider himself disabled. He's held jobs before and is getting his bachelor's degree in English. He's even written several book-length stories. "It's hard to think of things I can't do," he says.