The Yale Seminar on Autism and Related Disorders is the United States' first undergraduate course of its kind. Our goal for this website is to make all of the lecture content and supporting materials available online for free for anyone who desires to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Inclusive education is still not widely practiced in schools across the United States. As a result, only the lucky few have seen what inclusion really is. Those that haven’t, are generally left to sift through myths, misunderstandings and the occasional truth. Therefore, there is quite a bit of confusion as to the real meaning of an inclusive environment.

We’re not trying to compete with Google or Bing. There are, of course, a huge number of sites out there that may help you. What we are giving you here is a selection of sites that don’t always rank highly with search engines or that you might not even think to include in your search. You may find that only some of them help in your unique situation. That is why we’ll tell you a little about each. We hope that you’ll find something that truly helps you among them.

The nation's premier special-needs theme park, Morgan's Wonderland opened four years ago based on the vision of philanthropist Gordon Hartman. "I was at a hotel pool with my daughter, Morgan, who was 11 or 12 at the time, when she kept looking over at two other kids in the pool who were tossing around a ball," he recalls. "I knew she wanted to play with them, but because she has special needs she didn't have the communication skills to ask, so she hit the ball. They grabbed it from her and got out of the water." That's the moment the retired homebuilder decided that he wanted to create a place where kids with special needs and those without could have fun together. He traveled around the country, seeking input from pediatricians, families, therapists, and engineers. The result: a 25-acre oasis on the city's northeast side, where every ride and attraction -- from the carousel to the train to the off-road adventure -- can accommodate all children and adults.

Smugglers' Notch Jeffersonville, Vermont Although it's known for its skiing, this resort area offers amazing summertime adaptive programs for kids ages 3 and up. Depending on the need, children may be given a trained camp counselor and can be incorporated into the kids' program to swim, hike, climb the rock wall, and do arts and crafts, or be part of a special-needs group. If they're 6 or older, they can take part in an Autism Mountain Camp that includes horseback riding and sailing. Private swim lessons, which focus on fulfilling a child's sensory needs, are also available.

Morgan's Wonderland San Antonio, Texas

Last week several hundred disability rights advocates were on Capitol Hill to support the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. The current version of the bill was introduced in February 2013 and would allow individuals with disabilities or their families to open a tax-sheltered savings account to pay for certain long-term expenses.

MISSOULA - Marcus Bartlett, a Missoula Sentinel High School student, has a passion for vacuum cleaners, and that passion is about to make him a little famous.

The forum, which included 14 candidates from Great Falls and northcentral Montana, was organized by Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids, Disability Rights Montana and The Arc of Montana.

Have you ever thought about bringing part of the therapy clinic to your living room?  Or have you wondered about making small changes to your home to make it more livable?  What about sensory integration?  Where would you start? A living room or family room is often where we spend the largest waking part of our day.  And the first step in planning a therapeutic living room is to decide if the environment should be calming or stimulating.  Then consider the type of activities for which your family typically uses the room and the space needed for specialized equipment or accessibility. Here I’ve collected 20 ideas for two types of therapeutic living rooms: a calming room and a stimulating room.  Most of these ideas come from my own home, and some are on my wish list.

A heartwarming message from 15 people with Down syndrome to a future mom.

Everyone knows a mom wears a variety of “hats.”We function as nurses, counselors, taxi drivers, coaches, and we have other responsibilities. Since my fourth child was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, my number of “hats” has increased.

Everyone knows a mom wears a variety of “hats.”We function as nurses, counselors, taxi drivers, coaches, and we have other responsibilities. Since my fourth child was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, my number of “hats” has increased.

Workshop on Building Capacity to Reduce Bullying and Its Impact on Youth across the Lifecourse At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC) will hold a two-day workshop that will feature expert presentations and discussion to highlight current research on bullying prevention as well as lessons learned from related areas of research and practice.

University of Montana RiteCare Speech, Language, & Hearing Clinic 634 Eddy Street University of Montana graduate students will run these groups under the guidance of CSD faculty. We hope to expand your efficiency in using devices, learn to how to join social media, and support you in communicating in social settings using your devices, voice, and vocalizations & gestures. We are here to help problem solve technology issues and provide a fun place to share resources and build friendships. Contact Chris Merriman for more information 406 243.2377 christine.merriman@umontana.edu

A forum of legislative candidates will discuss disability rights in Montana at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cameron Auditorium at Benefis Health System, 1101 26th St. S., Great Falls.The forum is sponsored by Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids, Disability Rights Montana and The Arc of Montana.

On any given day, the feeds of my social media accounts are brimming with resources, stories, and motivation about disabled people: parenting tips, educational advice, how to work with someone who has a disability, etc. About us, but too often not including us. There are countless communities geared towards supporting parents, family members, and professionals, sharing words of encouragement on how to be the best advocates for the disability community. And while I understand such support networks are usually well intentioned, in many cases, they take the power out of the hands of the people who know themselves and their needs best: people who are actually disabled. Don’t get me wrong – allies, or what I refer to as advocate-allies, are incredibly important to advocacy efforts. “Ally” implies being supportive, while “advocate-ally” paints a more accurate picture of people who join in along with self-advocates. And true advocate-allies deserve the utmost respect. But a real advocate-ally is someone who doesn’t overshadow the voices and efforts of the people who experience being disabled every single day. Of course, as a disabled child is just beginning life, parents and professionals have a responsibility to play a key role as advocates. Obviously, a four-year-old wouldn’t be able to discuss medical procedures or know what kind of environmental access modifications are needed, so we can hope that parents will make sound and informed decisions on their child’s behalf. But as disabled children grow older, if they can communicate effectively in any way, then the primary goal should be to embrace the child’s form of communication, working with them to develop their own voice for advocacy. It can become problematic if parents or professionals are reluctant to relinquish their positions of authority and move to the role of advocate-allies, advocating alongside, instead of on behalf of, disabled people. Therefore, as important as it is to step up as advocates, it’s more important to know when to step down.

My daughter Emma was just 3 when Teddy was born, with a viral infection he contracted in utero that caused extensive brain damage. This short film captures her love for Teddy, one not weighted down by disappointment, sadness or a full understanding of all the ways in which he wasn’t “normal.”

ASAN has prepared a comprehensive toolkit to empower people with disabilities, their families, and other disability advocates to help combat disability-based discrimination in organ transplantation.

On 25 April 2013, Matthew State reviewed the genetic discoveries made over the past several years in autism research and addressed challenges in the path forward — from reliable gene discovery to an actionable understanding of the disorder’s molecular underpinnings. The talk is part of SFARI’s Autism: Emerging Concepts lecture series. You can watch a complete video recording of the event above. Use the comments section below to discuss the lecture and pose follow-up questions.

(Reuters) - New smartphone apps that link to hearing aids are helping people with impaired hearing to pump up the volume on their devices or to use them as headphones to stream phone calls, YouTube videos and music.

There are several different types of student financial aid - scholarships, grants, work-study and loans. This guide explains the financial aid options available to students who want to further their education by attending a college or university or a career or technical school. You’ll also learn about how to apply for federal student aid, get information about scholarships for students with disabilities, and learn about other types of financial aid to help pay your tuition, fees and other higher education expenses.

There’s a very simple and common sense reason why IDEA 2004 requires that students with disabilities be invited to attend every IEP meeting where postsecondary transition goals will be considered: It’s their lives.