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A new school year means a new grade, new teachers, new goals, and maybe even a new school! In order to help you and your child with special needs be as successful as you can be, we've put together a list of eight helpful back-to-school tips that we hope will make the transition into a new school year a little easier for you and your child.

Summer is almost over, and parents everywhere are experiencing that inevitable anxiety over how to make the most of the upcoming school year. In my experience, anticipating the hurdles of reentry and carefully structuring the first few weeks of school goes a long way to setting the stage for a successful year, particularly if your child has an anxiety disorder or another psychiatric condition. With that in mind, here are some dos and don'ts for families who want to start the school year right.

With new teachers and classmates, bigger classrooms, new routines and more schoolwork, the beginning of a new school year can be an exciting and stressful time for children. This time can be particularly overwhelming for children who are facing major transitions such as moving to a new city, or entering elementary or middle school for the first time. As a parent there are important steps you can take to support your child as he or she heads back to school.

President Obama has challenged us all to help “Win the Future” by out-educating, out-innovating, and out-building our competitors in the 21st century. President Obama believes the best ideas come from the American people. That’s why the White House started a series called “Champions of Change.” Each week, the White House selects 5-20 Americans, businesses, or organizations who are doing extraordinary things in their communities. This series highlights a different group each week ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists. The Office of Public Engagement hosts a roundtable event here at the White House to honor those who are “Winning the Future” and empowering and inspiring other members of their respective communities.  Agency representatives and White House Policy Offices participate in the event and host a discussion on amplifying best practices learned in each area. Paired with each White House event, these “Champions” are featured on the White House website. The Champions of Change series is designed for people to look into their communities and nominate everyday heroes who are demonstrating commitment to improving their own communities, their country, or their fellow citizens. That is why the White House is looking for you to nominate someone as a “Champion of Change” who is doing extraordinary things to make a difference in your community. The White House will consider your nominations as they feature people who are bringing about change in their communities to share their ideas on how to win the future. Champions of Change, for example, are: Longstanding businesses that are expanding or investing in new ideas, companies that are adding jobs, hiring back those they laid off and investing in their workers and entrepreneurs who are “betting on winning the future” - starting new companies or commercializing new ideas. People rebuilding neighborhoods, putting brownfields, vacant housing and buildings back to work, making the streets safe for children to play in, creating opportunities for neighbors to come together and harnessing the power of the arts to forge awareness and new bonds. Innovative teachers and school leaders creating engaging and rigorous learning environments that get results, out of school programs providing hope, inspiration and opportunity, young adults setting off to be entrepreneurs or leaders in their communities, programs giving adult learners the skills they need to succeed in a 21st century economy. Communities restoring our waterways and preserving our parks, prairies and preserves for future generations, programs investing in our farmlands and rural America, inventors and innovators harnessing America's natural resources for our shared clean energy future. For more information on the Champions of Change Series and past Champions, please visit:www.whitehouse.gov/champions.  To nominate someone as a Champion of Change, please visit: www.whitehouse.gov/champions/nominate. 

Click here to download the full flyer (PDF) What: Join our statewide network of information and resource sharing for families and caregivers of children with emotional or behavior difficulties. Together our voices will be heard by the state agencies and providers of services for our children. Be part of a life-changing movement. Topic: Back to School When: Friday, August 19, 2011 6:00 – 7:30pm Where: American Lutheran Church 5 Lewis Ave. Billings, MT To register, contact: Jami Machler jami.machler@pluk.org (406) 850-2938 Dinner and Childcare Provided if Pre-Registered

Looking back on the past three years, I wanted to document the critical factors that seemed to make a difference in my son’s experience. Some of these factors parents can influence, and some are more difficult. I can personally attest to difficulty of rolling the ball up hill so-to-speak, when it comes to implementing change in schools. But if we start identify what is working well, then, perhaps, we can start to advocate and change schools so that they work for kids with autism instead of against them.

When the Montana Office of Public Instruction notified Frazer's schools that because of poor performance, it was stepping in with a federally funded program intended to turn things around, the state office didn't get push-back. They got buy in.

Michael Boll , is the father of an eight -year old boy on the autism spectrum.  A twelve-year, certified classroom teacher, Michael decided to take some time off from his career to create and implement a home program that compliments his son’s school program.  After two enjoyable years, Michael is back in the classroom. He teaches fifth grade at Concordia International School, Shanghai, China.  His son is now attending a school for kids with special needs in Shanghai.  Michael’s wife, Lori, works at that school. He interviews parents, therapists, and other experts about the latest trends and methodologies for working with kids on the autism spectrum.

With many schools now back in session, you may have observed a child/student having difficulty using typically printed instructional materials to participate and make progress in the classroom. Perhaps you are wondering if accessible instructional materials (AIM) might be needed?This special Back to School edition highlights AIM Center resources that will help answer this and other questions frequently asked by families and educators as they enter the new school year. Also in this issue:Webinar Offering: Making a Measurable Difference with AIM, September 16, 3-4PM EDTPolicy Brief on Fair Use - UpdatedAIMing for Success Videos - New

The Governor’s State Workforce Investment Board Youth Council is supporting a statewide GED Initiative. You have been identified as a person who clearly understands the economic needs of our state, and the importance of a competitive workforce. Prior to launching the Initiative, two regional promotional sessions have been scheduled to discuss the economic impact of high school dropouts and the importance of statewide support for the GED Initiative. At each meeting, we will discuss how every community can play an active role in reaching out to local youth to bring them back into the education pipeline and open the doors to further education and career opportunities. The first session is: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 Hampton Inn – 5110 Southgate Billings, MT 8:30 am – 4:00 pm AGENDA | FACT SHEET The second session is: Thursday, December 16, 2010 War Bonnet Inn – 2100 Cornell Ave Butte, MT8:30 am – 4:00 pm AGENDA | FACT SHEET Bringing representatives from various agencies together to prepare for the Initiative launch will ensure that we have a successful campaign and Montana has the credentialed workforce necessary to move our state forward. A recent study showed Montana’s dropout rate among students 16 to 19 years old was 9% - the sixth highest rate in the nation. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Carol Flynn at cflynn@mt.gov. Additionally, please feel free to forward this invite to anyone you feel would be interested and can assist with the Initiative.

On behalf of Region III CSPD I would like to welcome you back to another school year! I would also like to let you know what we have planned (so far) for the upcoming year. I hope to have all of the events listed on the CSPD website, www.msubillings.edu/cspd , soon and will add the brochures for the events as I get information from the presenters. If you have questions, would like to join the Region III CSPD Council, or would like to suggest professional development topics for 2010/2011 please feel free to contact me at 657-2072 or e-mail me at dmiller@msubillings.edu. Thanks, and have a wonderful school year! - Debra Miller, Region III CSPD Coordinator

The longer there is a strong distinction between general and special education, the worse it is for students who are labeled with a disability. It perpetuates the language of us and them. These two worlds need to meet and the sooner they meet, the better. I will try to make it as simple as possible. In my opinion, there are the three things that need to happen in order for our schools to become better for all learners. Back to top Making things better for all 1) Acceptance – Create environments of acceptance in the classroom. We may not all be the same, but we are all deserving of understanding and acknowledgement of our strengths. 2) Access – A curriculum that is accessible to all learners! Modifications, accommodations and assessment are the key components to giving our students with special needs access to the general curriculum. 3) High Expectations – Never assume that what we are teaching is going over our students’ heads. This sells us (as educators) and them (as learners) short. We must always presume competence of our students and give them the support that they need in order to be successful. Oh…and I forgot about the wildcard: Technology! Assistive technology is often the missing piece to getting a reliable communication system for our students; not to mention accessing the curriculum by moving beyond paper and pencil work. The farther technology advances, the more access our students will be able to have.