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The Communication Matrix is an assessment tool designed to pinpoint exactly how an individual is communicating and to provide a framework for determining logical communication goals. It was first published in 1990 and was revised in 1996 and 2004 by Dr. Charity Rowland of Oregon Health & Science University. It was designed primarily for speech-language pathologists and educators to use to document the expressive communication skills of children who have severe or multiple disabilities, including children with sensory, motor and cognitive impairments.

rom audio books to classroom sound systems, many families have found that assistive technology (AT) can provide a crucial boost — to struggling students' academic performance and self-esteem. Need some guidance when it comes to choosing the best tools for your child with a learning disability? Learn more about AT and how to find the right fit for your child's needs and strengths with this collection of articles developed in collaboration with Marshall Raskind, Ph.D., an expert on assistive technology.

Welcome to the QIAT-PS website. This project, Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology in Post Secondary, offers tools and resources on quality implementation of assistive technology in the Post Secondary environment. QIAT-PS is a collaborative effort of hundreds of professionals from a wide variety of higher education and K-12 schools and based on the successful implementations of assistive technology indicators in K-12 public schools.

Welcome to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) toolbox on promoting children's health and well-being through health information technology (IT). This resource is designed to provide concrete health IT tools to families, public and private organizations and clinicians who provide services to children and their families.

Since the early days of the digital era, assistive and instructional technologies (AT/IT) have evolved along with other technologies, producing tools that can dramatically increase learning gains by children with and without disabilities. Still, getting that technology into the hands of those who need it the most remains a struggle in many schools and districts.

The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool. Students with learning disabilities can enhance and develop their communication skills, learn how to adapt to situations, and develop social skills. Check out this collection of iPad apps that can make a difference in the life of a learning disabled child.

The goal of iAdvocate is to share and develop specific strategies with parents for working collaboratively with a school team to improve their children’s education. iAdvocate uses problem-based learning strategies, simulations, and provides contextual access resources to build parental advocacy skills and knowledge.

Click here to download the Schedule/Description (PDF) Click here to download the Brochure (PDF) What: Healthy LIVING and The Summit in conjunction with various local Flathead Valley and Montana speakers invite you to join us in an all day event guaranteed to give you a better understanding of autism and the world our autistics children live in. Come fill your backpack with the maps, tools and strategies you will need when you work or play with Autistic children. Registration and Payment Due by: Wednesday, April 20 Conference Fee: $25.00

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: Behavior Management This academy is intended to give the paraeducator knowledge and skill in instructional methods that support students who have challenging behaviors in inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, elf-contained classrooms, domestic settings and the community. The module focuses on interactions that paraeducators have with students whose behaviors are challenging and on the role they lay in assisting the professional members of their teams with behavior challenges. Effective behavior management is a complex system of proactive strategies, positive reinforcements and natural or logical consequences. The most important concept to understand is that good behavioral management begins with the educator; that ultimately the only person anyone can truly control is him or herself. Our focus, therefore, must be on changing what we, as educators do, as opposed to attempting to make or force our students to change. This academy will address this issue and provide participants with a “tool box” of ideas and strategies that have been proven to encourage positive behavior in students. If your school is an MBI school, these strategies are consistent with the MBI philosophy. Number Theory and Rational Numbers This academy was designed to provide paraeducators with the skills and knowledge needed to assist students, grades 5-8, with mathematics skills taught in the classroom. The course content is designed and adapted from standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes the specific skill-building areas of number sense, computational techniques for fractions, decimals and percentages; and their related applications for intermediate and middle-school learners. Participants are encouraged and welcome to attend both days of training. When: June 8-9, 2011 Where:Robins Administration Building Upstairs Conference Room 425 6th Street Havre, MT Register: Register online at www.havre.k12.mt.us Click on the CSPD icon (upper right hand corner) Click on CSPD Calendar

What: Montana Digital Academy announces live math help in May, 2011 aimed at K-8 students in Montana. Montana Digital Academy's Direct Academic Student Help desk, or DASH, has been providing live, one-on-one tutoring in math and other subjects since October, 2010.  We are expanding DASH's mission in May to experiment with ways that we can utilize our University of Montana students to help struggling students throughout Montana. Starting May 2, DASH will run two weeks of live, after school tutoring sessions with our staff to try our remote tutoring model.  We will provide access through GoToMeeting, an excellent online tool for bringing people together in different locations. For a flyer to share with your students, click here. For our live session page or to get more information, go to our Math Help Live Wikispaces page here.

What: 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. Objectives: Participants will define media literacy and understand some techniques of persuasion. Participants will understand how media literacy education helps prevent tobacco and alcohol initiation among youth. 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. OPI Renweal Units are available. There are no fees for this taining but registration is required. SCHEDULED WORKSHOPS: May 6, 2011 - (9:00 to Noon) May 11, 2011 - (9:00 to Noon) May 17, 2011 - (9:00AM to Noon) All workshops are scheduled at for MSUB, College of Education Building, Room 122. TO REGISTER: For further information go to http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/medialiteracy.htm To register go to http://www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister/MediaLiteracyRegistration.htm

Autism is an environmental illness -- at least in some cases. Just as lead paint chips can cause learning disabilities and radon in the basement can cause lung cancer, certain chemicals and other outside influences seem to help set autism in motion. But autism is also a genetic disease. It definitely runs in families, and scientists have identified several specific genes that put kids at risk.

Diabetes HealthSense is designed to provide people with diabetes, people at risk for the disease and those who care for them with easy access to useful tools and programs that exist within the public domain and facilitate the behavior change process. The research articles in Diabetes HealthSense are a selection of review articles, landmark studies and meta-analyses on the science of behavior change and psychological health that promote the practical application of these strategies. To be included, resources must clearly address how to implement a change in behavior, be accessible to the public and contain limited or no advertising of commercial products.

In August, 2011 the Department of Education (DOE) released a report providing recommendations for improved equal opportunities for physical education for students with disabilities in response to a 2010 Government Accountability Office (GOA) report which states that local and state officials would find more federal guidance helpful in this arena. The recommendations from the DOE include the use of specialized equipment and tools such as Play Station, Wii and Xbox which simulate participation. It is the participation, however, which is seen as the key component for physical education whether the students participating have disabilities or not. The report notes that it is only through participation that all students learn about teamwork and sportsmanship.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been widely celebrated for providing millions of disabled children with broader educational and life opportunities. This Note seeks to improve the implementation of the IDEA by questioning one of its key assumptions: that parents possess the tools to advocate for their children in special education matters. This Note argues that many parents need assistance to achieve optimal outcomes for their children because of the complexity of both the disabilities involved and the formal rules of the system itself. Several policy options are considered in the hope that local educational agencies will implement pilot programs to further explore the issue of external advocacy in special education.

Hopefully this web site will  help you  to quickly grasp the basics of the law, explain my understanding of the philosophy driving that law, and help you attain basic skills that will enable you to be an equal member of the team directing your child's education. From my experience as a parent of children with disabilities, from many years of working with educators, and from experience as a volunteer parent advocate, I have  a fair amount of insight into the education process, and the advocacy tools that work. 

The toolkit offers best-practice tools and information regarding specific medical and behavioral concerns of adults with IDD, including resources for patients and families. The website is divided into four categories: General Issues; Physical Issues; Health Watch Tables; and Behavioral and Mental Health Issues.