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If you’re the parent of a child who’s having trouble learning or behaving in school, you quickly find yourself confronted with a series of difficult choices.

When: March 29th & 30th 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Where: Libby Middle School Library What: Families In Partnership & Libby Public Schools Family Centers Present Everyone is welcome to attend this FREE, positive, life-skills training Topics to include: Helping Kids to Own and Solve Their Own Problems Collaborative Problem Solving Staying Out off Control Battles The Explosive Child

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.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced grants to 41 health programs operated by the Indian Health Service; tribes and tribal organizations; and urban Indian organizations. The grants will help improve outreach and enrollment of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) uninsured children eligible for, but not enrolled in, their state’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

Blackfeet Tribe, Po'Ka ProjectMontana$300,000Indian Health Board of Billings, Inc.Montana$300,000

Once considered a disturbance in the classroom, cell phones, texting devices and other wireless technology are being embraced by some of the very same people who used to malign them: teachers.

Jessica's daughter, Isabelle, has Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder with a number of symptoms. Children with Williams are often physically small and frequently have developmental delays. But also, kids and adults with Williams love people, and they are literally pathologically trusting. They have no social fear. Researchers theorize that this is probably because of a problem in their limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. There appears to be a disregulation in one of the chemicals (oxytocin) that signals when to trust and when to distrust.

Public health scientists and clinicians tout vaccines as one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. But for many ordinary Americans vaccines have become controversial. Young parents are concerned at the sheer number of shots--some 26 inoculations for 14 different diseases by age 6--and follow alternative vaccination schedules advocated by gurus like Dr. Robert Sears. Other parents go further. In communities like Ashland, Oregon, up to one-third of parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids at all. And some advocacy groups, like Generation Rescue, argue that vaccines are no longer a public health miracle but a scourge; they view vaccines as responsible for alarming rises in certain disorders, including ADHD and autism.

I worry that the people in the system who are helping me and our kids will get burned out and quit - which is the last thing we want to see! So, having discovered how much it cheers and reinvigorates me when I get thank you notes from clients or others I've helped, I've started a campaign to spread the cheer. It takes just a few minutes of time, and can be done by email or snail mail.

April 2010 - Epistemic Games: Role-Playing, Technology-Based Games for Real-World Thinking and Learning Computer games delight and distract kids – and occasionally infuriate parents and teachers – but some games actually aim to encourage students to think about their world and their place in it. That latter category encompasses epistemic games. Epistemic what? Epistemic games. Derived from epistemology – the study of knowledge -- epistemic games remain a largely unknown element in the growing gaming universe. But they have already carved out a small niche well worth examining: technology-based games that help young players, including those with disabilities, assume the perspective of a specific group of individuals, including attorneys, doctors and urban planners, among others. The objective of epistemic games is to teach players how to problem-solve like real-world individuals and, in the process, develop creative and innovative ways of thinking.

Register for Conference Each National Conference brings together the OI community to share, earn and enjoy life. Attendees are as diverse as OI itself – parents, grandparents, kids with OI, siblings, teens, adults of every age, spouses, people with a new diagnosis and people who are conference veterans. Planning is well underway for the 2010 Conference scheduled for July 8-10, in Portland, OR. The theme will be: Living Well with an Unbreakable Spirit!  

One of the hardest things about parenting older kids who are on the autism spectrum is recognizing that the issues they're dealing with as teens are very different from the ones they dealt with in elementary school. It's so much easier -- and more comfortable -- for us to think about birthday parties and playground friendships than it is to tackle the prom and dating, isn't it?

 "Suddenly, the question is not simply, 'How do I teach my child this or that?' but a much more complicated 'How do I teach my child not to need me to teach him anymore?'" writes Claire Scovell LaZebnik in Growing Up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teens and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger's.

Kevin Michael Connolly spent the majority of his life "walking around" at three feet tall, growing up in small town

He was going on six-mile hikes through snow just as deep as he was tall with his uncle from a young age -- a challenge presented to him by his father. He went through more pairs of gloves and wore out the seats of his pants beyond mending. The Helena native was more than just the average rowdy kid from the country.

What:A group of moms of children with special needs of all types that meets monthly in Great Falls to share friendship, support, encouragement and ideas in dealing with their special needs families. Next event for Montana Special Moms-Great Falls group is on Friday, January 7, 2011 at 6pm. We’ll meet at Mac Kenzie River Pizza, 500 River Drive S in Great Falls, Montana. Group is open to Moms of kids with any type of disability or delay. Contact Jana at 406-727-2704 or jnjloo@yahoo.com for more information and to reserve your seat!

In the report from the public interest law center Texas Appleseed, data from 26 Texas school districts shows that educators are relying more and more on law enforcement to address school discipline issues. Notably, the report indicates that police regularly issue misdemeanor tickets to students as young as 6 for everything from using profanity to fighting.

A new tool kit released Thursday is designed to make the transition to adulthood easier for those with autism by giving families an overview of the options and resources available when it comes to housing, employment and other issues. The kit from Autism Speaks was developed by parents and professionals and is geared toward families of those ages 13 to 22. At more than 100 pages, it covers topics ranging from developing self-advocacy skills to sexuality in addition to practical concerns like housing, education and employment options after high school.

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.

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.

What:Please join us for a parent/teacher social hour to discuss disability related issues and concerns while the kids enjoy a movie, popcorn and drinks in a supervised room next door. When: Tuesday, March 8th at 6:00 PM Where: Willson School, Rooms 225 and 234404 West Main, Bozeman, MT For more information: Call Joanna Dumas, President, at 406-522-0851