At the core of our guidebook are a set of effective strategies that teachers can use regularly in classrooms that include students with learning difficulties. These strategies have been shown to be especially effective with these students because they provide scaffolding to help with language and with understanding concepts, and the interrelationships among concepts.

Miss Montana Alexis Wineman of Cut Bank has been extremely busy the last few days - namely, appearing in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas on Saturday and being seen by millions of people across the world. Although she didn't walk away with the crown, Alexis did win big by earning the "People's Choice" award via online voting. Alexis visited MTN affiliate KRTV in Great Falls on her way back home to Cut Bank from Las Vegas on Tuesday, sharing some of the highlights of her journey and even providing a small sample of her pageant talent: stand-up comedy.

A new survey tool that school districts and parent-teacher organizations can use to measure the quality of parent-school relationships has been created by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and released by SurveyMonkey, a Palo Alto, Calif., company, for widespread use by schools, districts, and parent groups. The 71-item "question bank" covers seven areas of family engagement—from how much help students receive at home to how confident parents are in supporting their child's schooling. Districts can adapt the survey to suit their individual needs, and parents responding to it can do so online or on paper.

For parents living with children diagnosed with autism, advocating for their child presents a new reality in parenthood, often unexpected and with more questions than answers. Once they have passed through the various stages of denial and sadness, questioned the experts, and finally accepted the reality of the challenges their child will face, they have to get busy. Time is of the essence, and advocacy for a child living with autism within the public school system requires that parents have a very specific set of skills.

Wineman, an 18-year-old from Cut Bank, Mont., made history this weekend as the first person with autism to compete in the 92-year-old beauty pageant. Though she did not become Miss America, Wineman was chosen as “America’s Choice” after beating out the other 52 contestants in an online vote that took place in the weeks leading up to the event.

Seven-year-old Cayden is unable to walk or talk on his own, but his nine-year-old brother Conner had an idea that would allow them to participate in sports together. A year and a half ago, they began competing in triathlons together. Conner swims while pulling Cayden in a raft, bikes with his little brother towed behind him in a trailer, and pushes that trailer when they run. Over the past 18 months, the pair from White House, Tennessee, traveled up and down the East coast to compete in races. Seeing the brothers working together has inspired onlookers, while bringing Conner and Cayden closer than ever. Their amazing determination and spirit is why the Long brothers are the 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKids of the Year.

Children of any age with neurologic conditions are more likely to become very sick if they get the flu. Complications may vary and can include pneumonia and even death.Neurologic conditions can include:Disorders of the brain and spinal cordCerebral palsyEpilepsy (seizure disorders)StrokeIntellectual disabilityModerate to severe developmental delayMuscular dystrophySpinal cord injurySome children with neurologic conditions may have trouble with muscle function, lung function or difficulty coughing, swallowing, or clearing fluids from their airways. These problems can make flu symptoms worse.

LINCOLN CITY - They may look strange, but they have a true purpose. What appear to be devices out of a science fiction movie are actually specially designed wheelchairs to help the disabled navigate outdoor recreation areas in Lincoln City.

Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in ensureing that families have access to hearing screening when a baby is born. Approximately 95% of babies now receive a hearing screen shortly after birth. Now, greater emphasis must be placed on training early childhood education and health care providers.

With educators and policymakers acutely aware of the role that home and community factors can play in students' safety and perception of safety at school—and its attendant impact on behavior and even academic performance—many are turning to parents and community members for help and support.

Over the last two decades, many in the public have viewed the lack of discipline as one of the key problems facing public schools. How can educators find a balance between establishing order and creating a welcoming learning environment for students? To share their insights into this thorny issue, Education Week Commentary asked six thought leaders the question: What is the most effective approach for maintaining discipline and a positive climate in the public schools?

Students' ability to learn depends not just on the quality of their textbooks and teachers, but also on the comfort and safety they feel at school and the strength of their relationships with adults and peers there.

This is Part Three of a series of posts that will concentrate on the inherent benefits of play for children with special needs. In this post we focus on how toys and the experience of play help with emotional development. Part Two of the series was related to physical development and the growth of fine motor skills. Part One was devoted to toys and the development of gross motor skills.

The fight for equality continues to rage on, but no more so than in the frontiers of virtual worlds. These are priceless environments where a man who can’t hear can be a rock star, a woman who can’t see can fly a spaceship and a child who can’t move a muscle can be a world class athlete. Yes, these things called “video games” can bring an immense amount of joy to those who may otherwise be completely locked out of some of life’s most precious moments. Part of keeping vigil over the entertainment industry is warning gamers with disabilities against buying certain games because the designers have overlooked an aspect of accessibility, as well as pointing out the flaws in technology that may prevent certain segments of the disability community from taking part in a new era of fun. But once a year I have the honor of helping identify new and innovative features that hoist one video game above the rest.

There are girls who spend their lives living out an episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras.” And then there’s Alexis Wineman, a Miss America contestant who entered the pageant world on a whim and now is the first-ever Miss America competitor who lives with autism.

We spoke to Uta Frith, author of Autism: A Very Short Introduction and asked her about diagnosis, the perceived links between autism and genius, and how autism is portrayed in culture. Autism was not identified before the 1940s. Weren’t there any autistic people before this? Autism was not a new phenomenon starting in the middle of the 20th century, but it needed people like Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger to point out the striking constellation of poor social communication and stereotypic behaviours for others to see it too. Clinicians used the terms ‘infantile’ or ‘early childhood autism’ and located it among the neglected population of children who were born ‘mentally deficient’. Gradually clinicians became aware that most of this neglected population showed similar problems in varying degrees, and that specialist services were needed to educate children who could not communicate appropriately. They embraced the idea of the autism spectrum. So, just as there has been an increase in the autism spectrum diagnosis, there has been a corresponding decrease in the diagnosis of mental retardation.

Bullying is a major issue. This is especially true among the disabled. A recent study focused on bullying within the school aged autistic population, and I discussed that at the Autism Science Foundation blog. Another study has just come out recently in School Psychology Quarterly, National prevalence rates of bully victimization among students with disabilities in the United States.

While they seem like the least likely candidates, the elderly are killing themselves with greater regularity than any other age group in Montana. That’s also true across the country, eroding the myth that teens run the highest risk of suicide.

Among this year’s contestants vying for the crown of Miss America, one sets a particular benchmark not visible in evening wear or bathing suits. Alexis Wineman — the 18-year-old wearing the Miss Montana sash — has a form of autism, the first such contender in the pageant. Though she entered the pageant world on a bit of a whim, she's now one of the 53 contestants looking for the grandest sash in the land.

The dream Alexis Wineman barely dared to dream has become a reality.Tomorrow night, the 18-year-old Miss Montana will become the first woman with autism to ever compete in the Miss America pageant."I never liked pageants," she tells E! News. "I thought I was lower, didn't compare to them, that I shouldn't be dreaming about stuff like that. It couldn't become a reality. Now, here I am at Miss America talking to E! News."