Sound too good to be true? Have you seen some of these words, phrases and promises in advertisements on TV, online or in newspapers and magazines? Have you thought about whether your child might benefit from one or more of these approaches? Have you wondered about whether these therapies are “really” legit or whether they are profit-making companies that are preying on the vulnerabilities of parents who will do pretty much anything to help their child?

Parenting or teaching a child with autism spectrum disorder is both challenging and rewarding. The adults in the lives of children with autism have to organize their home or classroom environment to make it a pleasant place where these kids can thrive. Caregivers have to understand the characteristics of kids on the spectrum and know what the children are trying to communicate by their unexpected or different behaviors.  Knowing all this is a tall order and there is no better place to start than with a good book.

The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Toolkit was developed to raise awareness, promote surveillance and screening, and ensure that all affected children receive appropriate and timely interventions.

In her last post, Parent Contributor Ellyn Levy discussed the experience of getting an initial Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for her teenage daughter. Now, Ellyn’s daughter is a successful college graduate, and Ellyn is back to share the lessons she has learned in advocating for her daughter throughout her learning disability (LD) journey.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Senate has passed a bill requiring schools to place video cameras in special education classrooms to help protect students from abusive teachers.Sen. Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, says his panel heard heartbreaking testimony from parents of special needs children who were beaten in their class.

This research protocol seeks to learn more about bipolar disorder in children and adolescents ages 6-17. Researchers will describe the moods and behaviors of children with bipolar disorder and use specialized testing and brain imaging to learn about specific brain changes associated with the disorder. This protocol studies children who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and those who have a sibling or parent with bipolar disorder and are thus considered "at risk" for developing the disorder.

IMFAR is the top science conference for autism. It is big and it is where a lot of new work is presented. The meeting will be held in May and the abstracts will be available May 1st. But the program, meaning the titles of the talks, are available now. I’ve just done a little browsing and found some talks which are likely to spark conversations.

An autism diagnosis is relatively rare in girls; Asperger's is even rarer. Boys outnumber girls with autism by 4 to 1; in "high functioning autism" and Asperger's, the gender ratio is estimated to be 10 to 1.1

For years autism was seen as primarily a male disorder, certainly not the only developmental disorder to affect more boys than girls. But some researchers are asking whether girls with ASD are going undiagnosed, especially those at the high-functioning end of the spectrum like June's daughter? Do girls simply do a better job masking their symptoms? Are their symptoms being missed by diagnostic tools that may be better suited to boys? As researcher John N. Constantino M.D. put it, are doctors looking at girls through "boy-colored glasses"?

Bookshare has announced that it is launching two new additions to its product line, the Bookshare Web Reader and Bookshelf, as part of its continuing effort to help kids with print disabilities connect with books. The company made the announcement at the 2013 Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference this week. Bookshare Web Reader allows readers to directly open books with a browser without requiring them to download the book or utilize separate software, while Bookshelf allows readers (or their teachers) to organize selections by any system they choose.

We as parents spend a lot of time advocating for our children when they are young. However, there comes a time when our children become older and they have to learn how to advocate for themselves; knowing when the time is right will depend on your child. If your child is still attending elementary school, they are most likely NOT mature enough to participate. For those of you who have children in middle school, now is the time to think about the prospect of someday having your child attend their own IEP meeting.

Welcome to the American Academy of Pediatrics' home for the latest information and resources on autism for health care professionals and families. Many new autism resources are now available and are being featured in April--Autism Awareness Month.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. One of Cut Bank’s own has been very busy doing her part, and then some, to help people understand autism. She wants to try and take away the scary persona surrounding it and let people know you can live and function when you have autism. She is living proof of that.Alexis Wineman, Miss Montana, was diagnosed with autism when she was 11 years old. When her parents, Kimberley Butterworth and Mike Wineman, were told their daughter was autistic, they had to do a lot of their own research to find out about the disease, what it meant for Alexis and what it would mean for their entire family.

States that run afoul of federal rules for special education funding will be punished—though not forever—under a technical, but important tweak to state maintenance of effort under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The change, which was crafted with the help of the U.S. Department of Education, was included in the giant spending bill for the rest of this fiscal year (better known in Inside the Beltway as a continuing resolution, or CR) that Congress passed this month.

BILLINGS - 12-year-old Derek Jorgensen and his big brother Damon, 14, have been diagnosed with Autism. Despite having the same disability, their abilities are different. Derek is non-verbal and Damon is very social. "There's not any two that are alike," said Derek and Damon's mother Jill

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. Yet, for as far as we've come in learning about this unique disorder -- much more is still a mystery to us. That's why the puzzle piece is such an appropriate image for Autism awareness, since just like no two puzzle pieces are the same, no two people with Autism are the same.

Volunteers are spending part of Tuesday staffing a booth at Great Falls College-MSU to raise awareness about autism in our community. The volunteers are available for students and others who have questions about autism.

HELENA - Diana Tavary is an advocate for those living with autism through Disability Rights Montana. Her daughter McKenzie has autism, and is able to have her voice heard through the use of an iPad.

Researchers at Essex University have developed a free mobile app that turns an iPhone or iPod into a hearing aid. The BioAid app is said to replicate the complexities of the human ear, unlike standard hearing aids that amplify all sounds.

Yes, both Hoyts — father and son — are about to be honored in April with a life-sized bronze statue at the starting line of the Boston Marathon. The statue captures them doing what they’ve done together nearly 1,100 times since the early 1980s: run in marathons, 5Ks, Ironman events and other triathlons as “Team Hoyt.”

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.3 million in initial one-year funding to the latest two recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. With these awards, announced on World Autism Awareness Day, these and nine other ACE centers around the country are now being funded for up to five years. The program was created in 2007 to launch an intense and coordinated research effort aimed at identifying the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and finding new treatments.