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The nation's premier special-needs theme park, Morgan's Wonderland opened four years ago based on the vision of philanthropist Gordon Hartman. "I was at a hotel pool with my daughter, Morgan, who was 11 or 12 at the time, when she kept looking over at two other kids in the pool who were tossing around a ball," he recalls. "I knew she wanted to play with them, but because she has special needs she didn't have the communication skills to ask, so she hit the ball. They grabbed it from her and got out of the water." That's the moment the retired homebuilder decided that he wanted to create a place where kids with special needs and those without could have fun together. He traveled around the country, seeking input from pediatricians, families, therapists, and engineers. The result: a 25-acre oasis on the city's northeast side, where every ride and attraction -- from the carousel to the train to the off-road adventure -- can accommodate all children and adults.

Smugglers' Notch Jeffersonville, Vermont Although it's known for its skiing, this resort area offers amazing summertime adaptive programs for kids ages 3 and up. Depending on the need, children may be given a trained camp counselor and can be incorporated into the kids' program to swim, hike, climb the rock wall, and do arts and crafts, or be part of a special-needs group. If they're 6 or older, they can take part in an Autism Mountain Camp that includes horseback riding and sailing. Private swim lessons, which focus on fulfilling a child's sensory needs, are also available.

Morgan's Wonderland San Antonio, Texas

In a nutshell, my son is 7 years old, going into 2nd grade next year. He is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, and Anxiety Separation Disorder. He has been receiving Special Education Services since age four. His strengths are in Fluency/Comprehension and Spelling. His weaknesses are in the Personal & Social Development area. His placement is in a self-contained/ small class setting for Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics and in mainstream classes with adult support for all other subjects. I want to learn to create SMART IEP goals for his areas of weakness. I am having a hard time figuring out how to make to make behavior goals SMART – specific, measurable, use action words, realistic, and time-limited. I appreciate suggestions or examples.

From art to outdoor adventures and leadership to sports, there’s sure to be a camp that fits your child’s interests this summer in western Montana.

Even as a youngster, Anthony Vasquez exhibited a probing curiosity and a pulsing energy to seek out new experiences. That drive continued when he entered Cal State Long Beach and decided that learning Chinese would be a worthy challenge. On Thursday, he will be honored as the outstanding graduate in the College of Liberal Arts, a recognition of a cumulative grade point average of 3.895 while earning bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Chinese studies. But for his family, friends and teachers, the honor and academic achievements have special meaning because Vasquez is blind. He used Braille and specialized computer software to learn Chinese and now speaks Mandarin as well as Spanish and English.

Overview Join us on September 27 from 1:30pm to 2:30 pm (Mountain) to learn how to apply the principles of supports planning to create a meaningful system of supports for students with intellectual disability. The content draws upon best practices presented in the11th edition of Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports, a state-of-the-art manual on defining and classifying intellectual disability.  Intellectual Disability is published by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

You write letters to request information, request action, provide information or describe an event, decline a request, and express appreciation. In this article, you will learn about two approaches to letter writing, the Blame Approach and the Story-Telling Approach. You will learn the difference between business letters and therapeutic letters - and why you should never send therapeutic letters to the school.

When: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 4:00-7:30pm Where: Home Arts Building at Fairgrounds (enter off of South Avenue) What: Please joins us for this free event. Organizations and services for families will be under one roof, one night only, to provide information and support to families of Missoula County. Included, but not limited to, after-school programs, health and nutrition services, recreation programs, employment services, housing, legal services and support services. Dinner will be served.

VSA, renowned artist Simon Mckeown, and 17 countries around the world are celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with screenings of the groundbreaking video installation Motion Disabled to raise awareness of disability rights. Mckeown uses motion capture, a technique used in feature films and video games, and 3D animation to explore digitally the movements of 15 people with disabilities performing activities from kickboxing to riding a bicycle. This mesmerizing installation challenges conventional ideas of motion. Watch the video online or find a screening near you. The 650 million people worldwide who live with disabilities deserve inclusion and access to equal opportunities. Because disability knows no borders.

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.

It is well known that people with special needs can accomplish amazing things despite their so-called disabilities. But in the annals of such heroics, a special place must be reserved for Joshua A. Winheld. On February 5, 2010, Winheld was awarded a Master of Arts degree in urban studies from Temple University in Philadelphia. For his thesis, he explored factors preventing local real estate developers from building more housing that is accessible to people with physical disabilities. Accessible housing was a subject that had interested Winheld since the age of 10, when he was forced into a wheelchair by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

If you know and love anyone with autism or on the autism spectrum, you are going to want to keep reading. In my case I have quite a few friends with children on the spectrum and I have a beautiful daughter who is too. I am blessed with three fantastic children all different and special in their own way, I love them each beyond words.

The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from ALS with creative technologies. It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus & custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes

VSA Arts of Montana celebrates World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2010, with an Opening Exhibit of photographs by people on the Autism Spectrum at Begleiter Studio, 223 W. Front. The opening reception begins at 4:00-7:30pm and the photographs will be on exhibit for the month.

When Kristi Cardwell was found to have dyslexia back in the early 1970s, her parents told the second-grader to let her teachers know so they could make accommodations for the extra help she might need.

The 6th Annual VSA Montana Cabaret When: Thursday, May 20, 2010 7:00 pm at MCT Theatre

Kids spend an average of more than 7 hours a day with some form of media.  As a result, they sometimes grow up having more interaction with TV, the Internet, and other media messages than people.  Media Literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages of all kinds.  This interactive training will explore basic concepts of media literacy by examining TV commercials, messages and print ads, and tobacco and alcohol marketing.  We will work in small and large groups to discuss the language of persuasion, deconstruct ads, and create counter messages.  After this training, participants will have a greater understanding of media literacy and walk away with tools they can use with their learners. Objective 1: Participants will define media literacy and understand some techniques of persuasion. Objective 2: Participants will understand how media literacy education helps prevent tobacco and alcohol initiation among youth. Objective 3: Participants will learn new media literacy activities and exercises they can do with their learners. The Media Literacy Professional Development Project will assist the state's school districts in meeting the Montana media literacy content standards by offering Media Literacy Professional Development (PD) to Montana teachers.  Please note that media literacy is included in both Curriculum Arts and Health Enhancement standards. There are no fees for this taining but registration is required. Mileage reimbursement will be paid for those outside the Billings area. Scheduled Workshops (Mountain): Febraury 15, 2011 (6:00 to 8:00PM) March 14, 2011 (9:00 to 11:00AM) March 30, 2011 (9:00 to 11:00AM) Location: All workshops are scheduled at for MSUB, College of Education Building, Room 122. To Register: More information at http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/medialiteracy.htm Registration form at http://www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister/MediaLiteracyRegistration.htm. If you would be interested in scheduling or attending a training session on Media Literacy contact John Keener, MRESA3 Coordinator, at john.keener@msubillings.edu or call 657-1743 for more information or to schedule a training.  There is no fee for this service.

“Lucy” is a powerful play about life with autism.  Written by Canadian playwright Damien Atkins and directed by David Stradley at the Delaware Theatre Company, this is not a “feel good” story, rather it challenges us. Lucy is a teenager with autism who does not seem destined to “recover” or grow up to be the next Temple Grandin. 

Click here to download the full flyer (PDF) What: Autism Information Face Painting spectrUM Games for All Ages, including: Life-Size Candy Land Game AND an Art Auction for the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium Presented by the Neuro Networking Club - A social club for adults with Aspergers/Autism and friends. When: April 23, 20111:00 to 3:00pm Mountain Where: University Center Ballroom - University of MontanaMissoula, MT Contact: For more information, contact Treva Bittinger: treva.bittinger@umontana.edu or by phone at 406-543-0003 Facebook - Neuro Networking Club