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The 2010 Case for Inclusion report (medicaid.ucp.org), ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) for Medicaid services provided to intellectual and developmental disability (ID/DD) populations.

State Representative Martha Walz, the bill’s primary author, said the mandates will deter bullying and prevent it from reaching dangerous proportions.“When this passes, it will the strongest antibullying legislation in the country,’’ said Walz, a Boston Democrat and House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Education. “Without mandatory reporting, things can spiral out of control.’’

The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.

What: Now 620 nonprofits strong and growing, MNA is the voice for charitable nonprofits in Montana. In the true spirit of association, join together with MNA and your colleagues for this great event and celebrate the vital role that nonprofits play in community and civic life. All activities are free of charge except the afternoon workshop. Participants may attend any and all activities.  At Nonprofit Day, MNA will unveil our new Nonprofit Sector Report – details and analysis that will help legislators, the general public, and your donors better grasp the scope and scale of our sector and its importance to the economy in our state. Please pass this message along to others in your networks – it is critical that we have a strong showing for the 2011 Nonprofit Day on January 27 in the Rotunda.  In previous years, our day at the Capitol has had the largest number of attendees of any professional Association.  Term limits have made it increasingly important that we band together and speak with a common voice as we work to protect nonprofit rights in Montana and the US Capitol. And, don't forget to send us photos of your organization that we can share in our Nonprofit Showcase presentation in the Rotunda. Send photos that exemplify your nonprofit's mission in action to: Patty White (pwhite@mtnonprofit.org). Who: Montana Nonprofits When: Thurs, January 27, 2011 Time: 9:30 am-12:30pm & 1:30pm-4:30 Where: Capitol Rotunda in the morning and afternon workshop at the Downtown Holiday Inn, Helena Cost:  Morning session at the Capitol is FREE; afternoon workshop cost is $45 for members, $90 for non-members. You must register for either event.

Click here to register for this event (Cost $75) What: Develop skill sets and the tools to help direct support staff, parents as well as self-advocates, develop and customize sexuality education to the level suitable for the individual adult being supported. Well-rounded education is the key: teaching adults with autism or other developmental disabilities the necessary facts and skills to develop self-worth, friendship and loving relationships. Appropriate sexuality education can help prevent inappropriate behaviors from escalating in public, towards others or self-injurious activities. Skill sets, best practices and guidelines to: Discussing dating, sex and sexuality Helping folks differentiate the types of love Teach to respect boundaries/understand privacy Empowering people to recognize and report abuse When: Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 11:00 am to 1:00pm Mountain Who: Presenter Monica J. Foster, CC

Among people with disabilities, the report indicates that having health insurance is more common as is living in inadequate housing. Meanwhile, individuals in this group are also more likely to have conditions like diabetes and hypertension. However, federal officials said they weren’t able to obtain a complete picture of the health experiences of people with disabilities as compared to others simply because too little information exists. Of the 22 topics studied, disability data was available for just eight.

WEDNESDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Countering the belief that you have to be "older" to suffer from mental illness, a new report says there's actually no lowest-age limit.

In this new Fordham Institute paper, analysts examine public data and find that the national proportion of students with disabilities peaked in 2004-05 and has been declining since. This overall trend masks interesting variations; for example, proportions of students with specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, and emotional disturbances have declined, while the proportions of students with autism, developmental delays, and other health impairments have increased notably. Meanwhile, at the state level, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts have the highest rates of disability identification, while Texas, Idaho, and Colorado have the lowest. The ratio of special-education teachers and paraprofessionals to special-education students also varies widely from state to state—so much so that our analysts question the accuracy of the data reported by states to the federal government.

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

He knows nearly every dinosaur and the era they came from, but gets so frustrated by handwriting that he struggles to complete book reports. The 8-year-old Berwyn resident already has developed plots for three more “Star Wars” sequels, but sometimes lacks the social skills to effectively communicate with his classmates and teachers.

While many classrooms have evolved over the years to better work with students with disabilities, the school gym and athletic fields may be the exception. A 2010 report from the federal Government Accountability Office concluded as much, finding that "education has provided little information or guidance on PE or extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities, and some states and districts GAO interviewed said more would be useful."

This knowledge path about caring for children and youth with special health care needs has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at developing systems of care that are family-centered, community-based, coordinated, and culturally competent. A separate section lists resources for families. The final part of the knowledge path presents resources that address specific aspects of care and development, such as advocacy, early intervention and special education, financing services, rehabilitation, screening, and transition. This knowledge path for health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, educators, researchers, and families will be updated periodically.

By the time he was 17, Antonio Rocha had bounced among 11 New York City schools and was reading at a first-grade level. It wasn't until he told school officials "I want a lawyer!" that things began to change.

With the help of an advocacy group, Rocha pressured the city to pay for 480 hours of private tutoring, which eventually helped him read at a functional level. Now 20 and working for United Parcel Service, he's one of three people profiled (and the only one comfortable with being identified) in WNYC Radio reporter Beth Fertig's new book, Why Cant U Teach Me 2 Read?.

One in 10 college students has a disability but the federal government needs to do more to accommodate these students, a new report finds.

The National Autism Center is pleased to announce the completion of the National Standards Project and the publication of the National Standards Report.

The National Standards Project answers one of the most pressing public health questions of our time — how do we effectively treat individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)?

n high school cross country, there are names for people like Andrew Gerdts - gifted, dedicated and strong. But the memory of the high school junior from Le Sueur-Henderson is seared with another name: "I just dislike the word retarded, or retard," says Andrew softly. The boy with his name in lights on his school's electronic sign wishing him well on at state, has lived most of life defined by a word in a report: autism. "He was not actually diagnosed with autism until the summer after third grade," says Andrew's mother.

Using data from state reading and mathematics tests, this report takes an in-depth look at the performance of students with disabilities and highlights the problems with the testing data for these students.

Last week the Chicago Tribune printed a long piece on biological treatments for autism by Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, and an excellent piece it was. They clearly understand what the real story is – a subculture of fringe doctors and others who are essentially doing unethical experiments and children with autism. They are exploiting desperate parents (who then sometimes contribute to the exploitation of the next desperate parents) who are seeking any possible help for their children. Of course the desire of parents of autistic children to do everything they can to help them is perfectly understandable. But there is a quagmire out there – an insidious trap waiting to ensnare the vulnerable, in the guise of professionals offering help. So-called DAN (for Defeat Autism Now) doctors and others are offering a slew of experimental and often highly implausible treatments for autism.

What: PolicyLink's Ron Stief will facilitate a discussion on some of the latest and greatest practices developing communities and economies in Indian Country! This webinar will highlight two models: the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Promise Neighborhoods. Our speakers include Marissa Spang, Director of the Promise Neighborhoods project in Lame Deer, Montana and Krystal Langholz, Executive Director of Hunkpati Investments in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. When: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 10:00 - 11:00am Mountain To Join: Dial 1-866-740-1260 and visit www.readytalk.com and enter: 3853940 Check out the Plains Talk website to access previous webinar recordings and to download roundtable policy reports from across the Northern Plains!