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What: The annual Montana Mentor Institute 2011 – the Art and Science of Teacher Mentoring is scheduled for August 8-10, 2011, at the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman. This year the institute will have a novice strand for mentors new to the teacher mentoring process and a skilled strand for teacher mentors who have previously attended a mentor institute. The structure for the institute includes two days of skills and concept training, and a half day of team planning and resources available to support instruction. Districts that have developed teacher mentor programs in Montana consistently report that providing high-quality training to the mentors is a challenge. The Mentor Institute is a great place to have your teacher mentors trained. The institute aligns with Montana correlates in the following areas: Academic Performance – Instruction, and Learning Environment – Professional Growth and Development. The institute will provide renewal units, and graduate credit (for an additional cost). Registration information for the Montana Mentor Institute 2011 can be found at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/Mentor/11MentorInstitute.pdf When: August 8-10, 2011 Where: Best Western GranTree Inn Bozeman, MT

The American Bar Association's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law established the national Mentor Program for: law students with disabilities prospective law students with disabilities, and recent law school graduates with disabilities The Program’s purpose is to give members of these groups the opportunity to learn from an experienced attorney. In a recent study conducted for the ABA, those immediately out of law school cited having a mentor as an important driving factor of satisfaction with their career. Career satisfaction, however, is just one benefit of having a mentor-mentee relationship. Practitioners, students, and academics have all praised the benefits of a mentor program for those with disabilities, namely the availability of advice, guidance, and support.  

The American Bar Association's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law established the national Mentor Program for: law students with disabilities prospective law students with disabilities, and recent law school graduates with disabilities The Program’s purpose is to give members of these groups the opportunity to learn from an experienced attorney. In a recent study conducted for the ABA, those immediately out of law school cited having a mentor as an important driving factor of satisfaction with their career. Career satisfaction, however, is just one benefit of having a mentor-mentee relationship. Practitioners, students, and academics have all praised the benefits of a mentor program for those with disabilities, namely the availability of advice, guidance, and support.  

Register here!What:This webinar, presented by directors of two emerging programs for students with ID, will present information on mentoring programs.  Topics to be covered are: Mentors and their different roles, Recruiting and Training Mentors, Matching Mentors and Students, Supporting Mentors, the Benefits of Mentorship and Assessment of Mentor Programs. Additional web and print resources on mentoring will also be shared.  The webinar will be presented by Dr. Cindi May of College of Charleston and Dr. Missy Jones from Northern Kentucky University.When:Wednesday, January 18, 2012 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm MT Contact: Cate Weir at Cathryn.weir@umb.edu or Debra Hart at Debra.hart@umb.edu

What: Come to the first annual Paraeducator Mentor Institute on August 11, 2011 in Bozeman. This one-day institute will provide an introduction to effective mentoring skills, and how to develop a paraeducator mentor program at your school or district. Registration information for the institute can be found at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/speced/Link/11AugParaMentorInsti.pdf For more information, contact Nikki Sandve, nsandve@mt.gov; (406) 444-0299. When: August 11, 2011 Where: Best Western GranTree Inn Bozeman, MT

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) will be on Wednesday, October 20.  It will be a day of job shadowing experiences around the state, bringing students and job seekers with disabilities into the workplace where they can learn about various career opportunities.  They will be paired with a career professional to learn what it means to work in that field or occupation and observe a typical workday.

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) will be on Wednesday, October 20.  It will be a day of job shadowing experiences around the state, bringing students and job seekers with disabilities into the workplace where they can learn about various career opportunities.  They will be paired with a career professional to learn what it means to work in that field or occupation and observe a typical workday.

About two hours after Melissa Thomason gave birth to her son Welles, she and her husband learned their baby had the chromosomal abnormality known as Down syndrome. “I remember sitting in the hospital room and having a lot of uncertainty about what that diagnosis meant for us, what it meant for him.” She wished she could talk to someone who’d had the same experience.

Today, however, most of the approximately 10,000 infants, children and youth who are deaf-blind in the U.S. live at home and attend local public schools. This change, Mr. Gense says, is incredibly positive and profound for children and families. However, it presents a growing challenge to serve an increasing number of widely dispersed children with complex disabilities, like deaf-blindness, in settings that often lack access to trained personnel on-site.

We just received the super rad news that Komodo OpenLab has been accepted as a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2012! If you are a switch user who can also hack, this will be your chance to, not only get a Tecla Shield for free, but also to get a big pile of cash while helping us enhance Tecla so that you and your fellow switch users can get the most out of it.

We just received the super rad news that Komodo OpenLab has been accepted as a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2012! If you are a switch user who can also hack, this will be your chance to, not only get a Tecla Shield for free, but also to get a big pile of cash while helping us enhance Tecla so that you and your fellow switch users can get the most out of it.

Some of this year's workshops include: Writing, Bollywod Dancing, Understanding Money, Dance NIA, DIY Fashion, International Culture, Intro to College, Japanese Drumming, Taekwondo, Personality Exploration, Sustainable Energy, Cooking and more!What:Keynote speaker and President of Montana State University, Dr. Waded Cruzado is the first woman and first minority to serve as a university president in the state of Montana. Her commitment to teaching and volunteer service is certain to be an inspiration for all Montana girls. History of GFAC:Girls for a Change is a grass-roots initiative designed to empower girls to embrace their future--confident in their individuality, supported by friends, parents and mentors, and secure in their ability to lead and achieve self-sufficiency, fulfillment, balance and success. Founded in 1997 by sixteen girls and their female mentors, Girls for a Change (GFAC) is a signature program of Thrive devoted to supporting and encouraging the successful development of girls.GFAC Activities:Each year GFAC plans an annual conference, does one local and one international community service project, participates and facilitates workshops and attends a retreat. GFAC participants also meet and facilitate activities with international visitors resulting in an ongoing dialogue about girls' and womens' issues in different cultures. Outcomes of GFAC:Girls feel confident about themselves and their ability to succeed--Girls gain public speaking skills--Girls are empowered to accomplish their goals and dreams--Girls learn what strengths they already possess and how to build on those strengths--Girls learn that there are all different kinds of beauty--Girls gain exposure to other girls from different social, cultural and international backgrounds--Girls learn to work together as a team. When:Saturday, February 25, 2012 Where:MSU Strand Union BuildingBozeman, MTContact:Email: gfac@allthrive.orgPhone: (406)587-3840Website: allthrive.org

RCT Demonstrates the Efficacy of the LEAP Model of Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the development of interventions for children with autism have expanded greatly in recent years, though most comprehensive interventions have not received systematic, scientific evaluation. One of the few exceptions is LEAP (Learning Experiences�An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents), a comprehensive intervention for preschool children with autism, developed by Phillip Strain in 1981, that uses a variety of science-based learning techniques. Although LEAP had been shown to improve child outcomes in a prior evaluation, the developers recently implemented a new experimental evaluation comparing full LEAP implementation to a reduced model based only on access to materials. With funding from the National Center for Special Education Research, principal investigator Phillip Strain and his research team conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing classroom implementation of LEAP with training and mentoring by LEAP staff to classrooms in which teachers were only provided with the usual LEAP training manuals and materials. They found that providing preschool teachers with LEAP training and mentoring resulted in greater fidelity of implementation and more positive child outcomes when compared to teachers who were only given the training manuals and materials.

Click here to Register Online What: This year, the New Community Opportunities Project at ILRU is offering three webinars on the role of the CIL in facilitating and advancing successful youth transition. In the first event, "Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs," our presenter will provide participants with strategies on how CILs can use existing services they provide for all populations to support youth in transition.  Upon completion of this webinar, participants will have knowledge and resources which will enable them to: Describe tools and strategies for self-assessment of student's needs, interests, and preferences. Assist the student with developing an Independent Living Plan that enables the youth to describe and take charge of their transition process. Through peer mentoring, support students to gain the independent living and advocacy skills necessary for them to achieve their goals. Identify other resources available to youth and young adults that can support them in achieving their goals.  When: April 20, 2011 1:00-2:30pm Mountain Target Audience: Executive directors and staff of centers for independent living involved in the youth transition process. Registration Fee: $75.00 per site. Fee does not apply per participant; registrants are encouraged to gather as many individuals as desired to participate in this webinar. ALL CILs are encouraged to participate in this important training.

Click here to Register Online What: This year, the New Community Opportunities Project at ILRU is offering three webinars on the role of the CIL in facilitating and advancing successful youth transition. In the first event, "Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs," our presenter will provide participants with strategies on how CILs can use existing services they provide for all populations to support youth in transition.  Upon completion of this webinar, participants will have knowledge and resources which will enable them to: Describe tools and strategies for self-assessment of student's needs, interests, and preferences. Assist the student with developing an Independent Living Plan that enables the youth to describe and take charge of their transition process. Through peer mentoring, support students to gain the independent living and advocacy skills necessary for them to achieve their goals. Identify other resources available to youth and young adults that can support them in achieving their goals.  Target Audience: Executive directors and staff of centers for independent living involved in the youth transition process. Registration Fee: $75.00 per site. Fee does not apply per participant; registrants are encouraged to gather as many individuals as desired to participate in this webinar. ALL CILs are encouraged to participate in this important training.

College remains a hurdle for many with disabilities. Now a new study offers insight on what separates individuals with special needs who are ultimately successful in higher education from those who are not. In interviews with recent graduates with disabilities, researchers found that students who earned degrees shared the ability to self-advocate and persevere. They also had good insight into their abilities and limitations and often cited a strong relationship with at least one faculty or staff member on campus.

Six-year-old Charlie Jones gets super excited when Skyler Bexten, 18, comes over to take care of him and his 3-year-old brother, Max. “It’s kind of hard to excite Charlie with someone coming over,” his mother, Elizabeth Cummings, said.  Both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Skyler and Charlie share an unspoken deep understanding and a bond that continues to grow. For Cummings, Skyler provides a role model for her son and the community of what people with autism can achieve and contribute. “His success has been tremendous,” she said of Skyler. “He is a fully mainstreamed student who will graduate with honors from Glacier High School this spring.”

When, at age 3, my son received a medical diagnosis of autism, my husband and I received a list of intensive treatments that we needed to initiate as quickly as possible and a pep talk saying that if we did these things there was a good chance we could “fix him.” As a mother, I was terrified. Images of Rain Man filled my mind, quickly followed by painful memories of security officers trying to restrain my beloved 350-pound adult autistic patient during a violent meltdown. As a physician and researcher, I did what I was best trained to do—I quickly took charge of the situation, scheduled consultations with every type of therapist in the city, and immersed myself in the autism literature. But I soon realized that expert opinions clashed greatly, there were no easy answers, and the evidence in support of the various therapies was extremely limited.