Group items tagged

I have a confession to make. Until about a year ago, I had no idea what SAMHSA was. I had never even heard of it. My son has struggled with serious behavioral issues for more than nine years, which we now know are caused by his bipolar disorder. We were working with a small army of social workers, counselors, school personnel, psychiatrists, therapists—and I was well-versed in a small textbook of acronyms like IEP, SMI, ADHD, ODD, ADA, etc. But not one time was SAMHSA or any of its programs ever mentioned to me as a resource.

April 25, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- You might be familiar with micro-sculptor Willard Wigan's amazing miniature art. But not many know that Wigan has a disability, and it forced him to escape to a microscopic fantasy world in order to survive. Although Wigan dealt with severe learning disabilities his entire life, his artwork enabled him to overcome academic challenges.

Click here to register Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a competition where we invite K-12 students to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. At Google, we believe that dreaming about future possibilities leads to tomorrow’s leaders and inventors, so this year we're inviting U.S. kids to exercise their creative imaginations around the theme, "What I’d like to do someday…" Whether students want to find a cure for cancer or take a trip to the moon, it all starts with art supplies and some 8.5" x 11" paper. And, one lucky student artist will take home a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 technology grant for their school, among many other prizes. Registration closes at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) on March 2, 2011, and entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2011 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The winning doodle will be featured on our Google.com homepage on May 20, 2011.

Click here to Register - Registration will close at 5:00 p.m. ET 6/ 21/2011 What: The SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a free training teleconference to learn how consumers/survivors of mental health and substance use conditions are working together with private and public officials to make socially inclusive systems across many dimensions of community life—housing, employment, education, arts and culture, transportation, civic and entrepreneurial leadership, health and recreation. Speakers will provide strategies for building diverse collaborations to map community assets and discover individual capacities that benefit communities and the delivery of social services. As a participant in this teleconference, you will see that social inclusion is achievable and learn how YOU can be part of the change. When: Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time

What are manners? Years ago, I read a meaningful definition which described manners as “making another person comfortable.” Most of us probably try hard to have good manners, but many of us lose the art of manners when it comes to people with disabilities. While I was presenting the “History of Disabilities” at Idaho Partners in Policymaking, Howard (who is fifty-something) said he wanted to share how individuals had been treated and talked about in the past, based on their disability diagnoses.

How does one remain focused when choosing the direction in which to expend one’s energy?  As much as you might want to take on all comers and issues, there simply is not enough time or energy to do everything.  So what must be done is to prioritize what can be actually addressed.  I have always utilized a series of questions when doing this.

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.”

She has plans to be an art therapist, and says winning the Miss America pageant would give her the opportunity to bring autism awareness to the national stage. "We cannot cure what is not a sickness," says Miss Montana. "But we can begin to understand autism, and help those with the condition to unlock the potential that lies within all of us."

1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You’re a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less. 2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember “this, too, shall pass.” 3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline. 4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you’ve been impatient. Like you’ve misjudged. Like you’ve been too harsh. Like you’ve been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go. 5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it. 6. Family is the best. Even when it’s not perfect. And it’s never perfect. Ever. 7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises. 8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end. 9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That’s where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible. 10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You’re not. 11. Kids know the way to magical and they’ll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute. 12. There’s a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there’s no line at all. It’s all mixed up together. That “fine line” thing is a lie. 13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff. 14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids. 15. Look for joy. You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy’s like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good. 16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love — both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them. 17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you. 18. Parenting will bring you face to face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible. 19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn’t a tight-rope walk; it’s a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat. 20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he’s safe and tell him you’re not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile.

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.

Artist Sue Austin has been wheelchair-bound since 1996. Instead of allowing her circumstances to hinder her art, she uses it as a vehicle — so to speak. Austin has created, with the support of diving experts, an underwater wheelchair outfitted with a propeller and fins that allow her to steer. With it, she gracefully hovers through the deep ocean, mingling with fish and flying past coral reefs. The wheelchair is equipped with a clear fin, making the artificial device seem slightly less out of place in the serene ocean.

MONTREAL — When Eric Wan wheels onto Montreal’s Place des Arts stage Tuesday, the audience will soon forget that the solo violinist is quadriplegic. Paralyzed from the neck down, Wan will be playing violin with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Wanda Kaluzny.The concert will mark the world stage debut of the Virtual Music Instrument that Wan helped develop as a graduate student in engineering at the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto.

Click here to register!Whats and Whens:Pre sessions, Wednesday, January 18, 1-4 pm include workshops on: Proposed Montana Common Core Standards Math Proposed Montana Common Core Standards in English Language Arts Instructional Uses of English Language Proficiency (ELP), WIDA assessment results ACT Plus Writing training Thursday, January 19, 8:30-4:25 pm 8:30 am, Keynote: Tony Alpert, CEO of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, will provide updates and insights on the adaptive online assessment implementation in 2014-15. Friday, January 20, 8:30-11:30 am 8:30 am, Keynote: Montana GEMS data warehouse project. Conference presentations include sessions on assessment and data training for the 2012 MontCAS CRT test administration. Regularly updated information about the conference offerings and a call for proposals can be found at http://www.opi.mt.gov/curriculum/MontCAS/#p7GPc1_ Where:Red Lion Colonial InnHelena, MontanaContact:Judy SnowPhone: 406- 444-3656.

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.

Students with learning differences are twice as likely as their peers to drop out of high school, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Betty Ann Bowser visited an elementary school that practices early intervention -- engaging students with technology and art to improve their chances of earning a diploma.

10 Tips for Special Education Advocates

Remember, your goal is to assist parents in achieving an appropriate education for their child.

1. Good advocates facilitate the IEP process.