Most children with autism get diagnosed around age 5, when they start school. But signs of the developmental disorder may be seen as early as 1 year old. Yet even if a parent notices problems making eye contact or other early signs of autism, some doctors still dismiss those concerns, a study finds, saying the child will "grow out of it." That can delay diagnosis and a child's access to therapy.

Montana is on track to join 28 states and the District of Columbia by expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income people.

Play has crucial and wide-ranging benefits to children and the people around them. When children of all abilities play together, kids learn to appreciate the differences between people and respect the perspective of others. Playing together connects our community and creates fun, happy memories we call all share.  These programs are designed to allow people with and without disabilities to recreate together. Give us a call to discuss inclusiveness options in our other recreation programs.  Please contact Meg Rogosienski at 552-6271 or email Meg. McCormick Park is home to Silver Summit, a new, universally-accessible playground. The All-Abilities Playground Project continues to raise funds to expand the playground.  Learn more at The Playground Project. 

The four-day on-campus experience, Movin' On in Montana, will include a several seminars, a campus tour, campus experiences, and community activities. Seminars may include topics such as self-advocacy skills, career/college interest exploration, disability accommodations, student resources, basic communication/soft skills, and a class lecture. Campus experiences and community activities will be unique to each summer location (e.g., UM’s planetarium, Missoula’s Big Dipper, or Kim Williams Trail hike). Students will also get first-hand experience living in a dorm room and with on-campus dining.  

Based in Denver, Colorado, Kids Mobility Network, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is changing the lives of children with disabilities by providing durable medical equipment ("DME") such as walkers and wheelchairs to children whose families are underinsured or uninsured.

In a move to further diversify its hiring practices, Microsoft has announced that it will make a concerted effort to hire people with autism.

Levi Balentine has already bonded with Bridger, a service dog who helps him cope with his autism.Levi is the first autistic child in Montana to receive such a specialist dog. K9 Care Montana, Inc., of Philipsburg is training Bridger and other dogs to help at least two Butte families.

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and more specifically, April 2 is Autism Acceptance Day! No, this is not a typo. We are shifting from autism awareness to autism acceptance. We need a positive change!

Legendary Women, Inc. was able to speak with two outspoken bloggers and activists about the way people were discussing the measles outbreak, the misinformation of the anti-vaccine movement, and the demonization of the autistic community in the middle. In part one, we spoke with Squidalicious writer and The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism co-founder, Shannon de Roches Rosa. In a few days, we’ll be posting part two of this piece with Sara Kurchak.

March is National Disability Awareness Month, a month dedicated to promoting awareness of the strengths and achievements of Americans with disabilities. Today, many people with disabilities are living and working in the community and pursuing higher education. Yet, even now folks with significant disabilities often face additional barriers when trying to find jobs.

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the availability of free, video-on-demand children’s television programming for thousands of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing.

The main body of this report documents gross disparities in the use of out-of-school suspension experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. The egregious disparities revealed in the pages that follow transform concerns about educational policy that allows frequent disciplinary removal into a profound matter of civil rights and social justice. This implicates the potentially unlawful denial of educational opportunity and resultant disparate impact on students in numerous districts across the country.

At age two, Thomas Ledbetter was diagnosed with Autism and was not expected to be able to speak; however, thanks to a great support system and an incredible amount of work on his part, he managed to overcome many of the obstacles in his life. Thomas experienced bullying throughout elementary and middle school and decided to channel these negative experiences and feelings into positive graphic design.

Is the biggest learning disability an emotional one? 

Mott Hall Bridges Academy principal Nadia Lopez captured the attention of the nation after being spotlighted on Humans of New York. Since then, she has helped raise more than $1 million for her students and recently met with President Barack Obama and Secretary Duncan in Washington, D.C.

More than 15% of children in the United States have special health care needs.1 However, less is known about the prevalence of these needs among military-connected children. For this conference, “special health care needs” was defined as having or being at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition that requires health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required generally.

It’s not a secret that college can cost a small fortune. What you may not know is that specific scholarships are available for students with learning and attention issues. There are also general grants, loans and scholarships. Explore some of the opportunities below. College financial aid offices are a great place to learn more.

For First Time in Nation's History, Federal Government Recognizes Added Costs Associated to Living With a Disability WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - December 17, 2014) - Last night, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 by a vote of 76 to 16. First introduced in 2006, and subsequent sessions of Congress, the ABLE Act will allow people with disabilities (with an age of onset up to 26 years old) and their families the opportunity to create a tax-exempt savings account that can be used for maintaining health, independence and quality of life.

HELENA — The federal government has awarded Montana $1 million to design new models of paying for and delivering health care, with an eye toward improving quality and lowering costs.Montana is one of 28 states receiving more than $665 million in Affordable Care Act grants to design and test these models, federal health officials announced Tuesday.