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The Private School Universe Survey, part of the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, is a biennial roundup of private schools with information on enrollment, demographics, college attendance rates and number of days in the school year.

The OPI Montana Autism Education Project is providing a limited number of FREE parent subscriptions for the Autism Training Solutions online autism/behaviorism training program. The subscriptions will begin in late March and will last for 90 days. For each individual subscription, the parent watches short online videos and then answers quizzes. Parents will have 24/7 access to 13 hours of online video lessons teaching: Antecedent Interventions Consequence Interventions Teaching New Behavior Principles of Behavior: Behavior Reduction Principles of Behavior: Reinforcement Introduction to Austim Spectrum Disorders Teaching to Request/Mand Instructional Control Participants will be asked to complete a training survey at the conclusion of the pilot project. At the end of the pilot project each participant receives a certificate of completion. More information and a free trial of the program can be found by searching the web for, "Autism Training Solutions." If you are interested in participating in this FREE training please send an email with the subject line of "ATS Parent Account" to DDOTY@MT.GOV Please include the following information in your email: Your name Your child's gender and age The town in which you live Thank you, Doug Doug Doty, Coordinator Montana Autism Education Project Montana Office of Public Instruction

Western Psychological Services, a publishing company based in Los Angeles, owns many of the common autism screening and diagnostic instruments. These include the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a widely used screening questionnaire that Constantino developed, as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), often referred to as the gold-standard tests for diagnosis of the disorder. Each time one of these tests is administered, the publisher charges a fee, and passes a portion of the royalties on to the test’s developers. “I don’t think there’s any other condition in medicine in which you have to pay a royalty to a publishing company in order to make the diagnosis,” says David Skuse, professor of behavioral and brain sciences at University College London. Skuse has helped develop two freely available tools, the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC) and the developmental, dimensional and diagnostic interview (3di). In many countries, paying royalties of even a few dollars represents a substantial hardship. Durkin and others say these costs not only limit access to diagnosis for individuals, but also forestall epidemiological studies, which require surveying thousands of individuals. One reason researchers have traditionally turned to publishers is a lack of alternative distribution channels, Durkin says. A new online clearinghouse of information, DisabilityMeasures.org, attempts to address this issue by gathering free diagnostic tools for developmental disabilities such as autism.

Each year the Annie E. Casey Foundation funds a national survey of child well-being. The new report was recently released. Montana is again ranked 28th, same as last year.The data is analyzed in four different categories: education, economic well-being, family and community and health.Montana was above average in three of the four categories, but finished 50th in child health.The report shows that Montana improved in economic well-being, up to 15th from 20th last year. We held steady on education at 13th. We declined a bit on family and community, down to 14th from 13th.But it’s the child health numbers that seem to be the greatest cause for concern.If you dig into the health numbers, Montana did improve over last year’s report in having fewer uninsured kids — down to 12 percent — and fewer teens abusing alcohol and drugs — down to 10 percent. However, we have increased our percentage of children with low birth weights — 7.5 percent — and increased the number of child and teen deaths per 100,000 — 45.How do we make sense of this data? It’s hard because for many of us these kinds of statistics don’t mean a lot when you pull them apart. As a state, Montana’s 28th place ranking is the lowest in the region. North Dakota ranks sixth, Wyoming ranks 15th, South Dakota ranks 18th, and Idaho ranks 20th.What the report tells us about child health is we have more work to do. It may seem like 88 percent of children being covered by health insurance is pretty good, but we’re average for the region. Similar to Idaho and Wyoming, but lower than both Dakotas.For teen death rates, we’re highest in the region at 45 per 100,000. Idaho is at 28, Wyoming at 32, North Dakota at 34 and South Dakota 39.In general what this means is in Montana we can do a better job, in this areas, of improving the health of our kids. The good news is that health continues to be a priority of the Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration, which launched an initiative last week called “A Healthier Montana: A Plan to Improve the Health of Montanans.”Bullock’s plan focuses on six areas: Preventing, identifying and managing chronic diseases; promoting the health of mothers, infants and children; preventing, identifying and controlling communicable disease, preventing injuries and reducing exposure to environmental health hazards; improving mental health and reducing substance abuse; and, strengthening Montana’s public health and health care system.Reports like Kids Count, are one of many analyzing different aspects of health in Montana and around the country, said Jon Ebelt, spokesman for the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. Typically, those reports only tell part of the story. And though the state takes the Kids Count report seriously, it fit into the broader look of health in Montana now outlined in Bullock’s initiative.“We’ve done a lot of work the last year to set the priorities on where we can make the most difference,” Ebelt said.At Lewis and Clark County, county health officer Melanie Reynolds is also focused on local work.The county has been working for a number of months on their community health improvement plan and is looking to unveil soon.So while the news from Kids Count was mixed, we’re pleased the state and local governments are continuing their efforts to support better health for Montanans. We anticipate these efforts will show themselves with an improved report next year.

Pediatricians and researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a first-of-its kind tool to help parents and health care providers better treat ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder). The new, three-part survey helps steer families and doctors toward “shared decision-making,” an approach proven to improve healthcare results in adults, but not widely used in pediatric settings. The results of the CHOP study are published in the journal Academic Pediatrics.

While teacher satisfaction has declined to its lowest point in more than two decades, parent engagement is climbing to new heights across America, a new survey reports.

"The teachers with higher job satisfaction are likelier to report greater involvement of parents and their schools in coming together to improve the learning and success of students."

The results of a survey of middle-school students in four states indicate a need for better education about mental illness and ways to reduce stigma.

Click here to register!What:Employment rates for people with disabilities are declining: people with ASD are among the least likely to be employed. In fact, only 15 percent of working aged adults with ASD are currently employed (Cameto et al, 2003). Effective interventions are clearly needed to improve employment rates for this population. SEDL and partners on the National Advisory Panel of the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Models for Individuals with ASD project have implemented a rigorous process for identifying programs that help increase competitive, long-term employment for people with ASD. Wildwood Programs was designated as an effective program in the summer of 2011. Located in Latham, New York, this program serves people with ASD needing employment-related supports. Wildwood Programs works collaboratively with individuals, families and businesses to increase individuals' independence and integration into the community. To hear more about Wildwood Program's replicable employment services please register for this free webcast at the top of the page.When:December 14, 20111:00 - 2:00PM Mountain Contact:Please send questions to vr-autism@sedl.org

As the demographics shift to reflect an aging population, innovation abounds in the area of developing new assistive technologies to make life tasks easier for an individual with disabilities or for a family caregiver. How can you find out about existing or new technologies? One answer is finding information on the Internet, and a recent online survey of caregivers provides some insight into this question.

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. 

A new 11-country survey from the Commonwealth Fund finds that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because they have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, have disputes with their insurers or discover that insurance won't pay as they expected.

One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated. Most parents continue to follow the advice of their children's doctors, according to a study based on a survey of 1,552 parents. Extensive research has found no connection between autism and vaccines.

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.

How useful are the views of public school students about their teachers?

Quite useful, according to preliminary results released on Friday from a $45 million research project that is intended to find new ways of distinguishing good teachers from bad.

Click here to register for this event What: This webinar presents findings from a January 2011 report, "Health Care Transition for Youth with Special Health Care Needs" published by Got Transition? The National Health Care Transition Center. The report authors, Peggy McManus and Katherine Rogers of the National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health, will discuss their analysis of national and state transition outcome data from  the 2005-06 National Survey of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs . McManus and Rogers will also present a preliminary summary of Title V State activities and initiatives addressing transition to adult health care. When: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 12:00-1:00pm Mountain After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

The Infant Toddler Temperament Tool includes a short online survey that allows parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers to recognize and explore their own temperament traits and those of a child for which they provide care. The IT3 generates results which support parents and caregivers in understanding how adult and child similarities and differences in temperament traits may affect “goodness of fit.” Along with these results, the IT3 generates simple best practice tips adults can use to foster the unique temperament of each child within their care.

To reserve your Webinar seat, Click Here What: This presentation will discuss a program at Rush University Medical Center that can improve the hospital experience for those with I/DD. It includes a pre-hospital tour program, a telephone hot line for special needs accommodations, procedure specific information booklets, an addendum to the nursing admission form, and enhanced staff education. Attendees will be able to identify hospital services that may improve the hospital experience and outcomes for adults with I/DD. This presentation is appropriate for anyone who cares about those with I/DD and their well being. Please complete this health survey before the Webinar begins: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QYW6WHP When: Monday, July 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Mountain