Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.

BILLINGS - The victim of the crash on King Avenue West and South 29th Street Monday night is identified as Merry Jane Trewhella. She worked in the Education Department at MSU-Billings as a lecturer through 2008. MSU-B Director of University and Government Relations, Dan Carter, says Trewhella was a staunch supporter of students with special needs and special education. MSU-Billings issued the following statement: "She was a genuine person who always put students needs first. She will be missed by all who knew her."

Reynaldo Thompson stood before a large crowd of public officials, mental-health workers and mental-health clients under the vaulted, heavy-beamed ceiling of Bozeman’s newest mental-health facility Tuesday afternoon and thanked those in attendance.

The crowd -- which included a state senator and representative, city and county commissioners, a District Court judge, attorneys, public-safety officials and mental-health workers -- had gathered to celebrate the opening of the Hope House and the Dorothy Eck House.“I am totally blessed today,” Thompson, a client of Gallatin Mental Health Center, said.

“I came from a place where I thought Warm Springs would be my home,” he said, referring to the state psychiatric hospital. “But now I’ll be living independently.”

Catholic schools are offering programs for children with disabilities more and more, with schools serving students diagnosed with everything from Asperger’s syndrome to intellectual disability. Though traditionally out of reach for faith-based schools given the high cost of providing special education services, determined parents are fund-raising and getting grants to develop programs at Catholic schools across the country. In fact, the number of Catholic elementary schools with a resource teacher to assist students with special needs grew from 28 to 42 percent between the 2001-2002 school year and 2008-2009.

President Barack Obama’s heath care reform proposal released Monday includes many of the provisions disability advocates have been pushing for. The $950 billion proposal comes ahead of a bipartisan health care summit planned for Thursday and retains many elements advocates consider favorable for people with disabilities. Notably, the plan would prevent coverage denials based on a preexisting condition and allocate additional federal funds to expand Medicaid.

Zipping along in his wheelchair, Scott Dorfman often must rely on others to open doors for him. But a new device developed by a group of high school students is changing that. The tool called the Operational Portable Entry Device, or O.P.EN., has a mechanical arm with a clamp at one end. It is designed for a wheelchair user like Dorfman, 28, who has cerebral palsy, to open doors without having to lean out of the chair. The device is adjustable and works on a variety of door handles.

For the melanoma patients who signed on to try a drug known as PLX4032, the clinical trial was a last resort. Their bodies were riddled with tumors, leaving them almost certainly just months to live.

But a few weeks after taking their first dose, nearly all of them began to recover.

Welcome to our Autism micro-site, where we have compiled a comprehensive guide to all the resources available from AOTA on Autism. This site is currently a work-in-progress.

When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, their children learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behavior. Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. There are countless ways to be involved in your child’s education at all ages. This section of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse website highlights some of them.

For preschoolers in the United States, the pressure is on to learn math early and learn it well. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has put pressure on schools to make sure that all students are meeting state standards for achievement, and this has resulted in more rigorous math curricula and testing, starting in early elementary school. With increased public attention on the value of high-quality early childhood education, the pressure to perform has trickled down to our youngest students, and preschools are taking a closer look at their math programs and making adjustments that will prepare “little learners” for the challenges of elementary school.  And parents are always searching for better ways to boost their youngsters’ mastery of early math.

The transition to kindergarten is most successful when it is carefully planned out over the entire pre-kindergarten year. Starting as early as the first day of preschool, it’s important to make sure that children are developing the academic skills that help form a foundation of strong pre-reading and pre-writing, as well as the social and emotional skills they’ll need in kindergarten.

The governor\'s office is proposing $40.5 million in budget cuts.  $17 million would come from the Department of Public Health and Human Services.  The biggest cut would be $6 million in planned provider rate increases for doctors, child care and foster care providers, disability services and children\'s mental health services.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics enter it's last week, some athletes are just getting ready for their turn at the winter games. The Special Olympics in Montana kick off in Whitefish next Sunday.

The first sign may be that your bright child is having trouble reading, or organizing school assignments, or concentrating on homework. Your child may be frustrated with school, and you may find yourself frustrated with what looks like a lack of effort. And a teacher may also notice that something is amiss.

Bold steps are needed to increase housing options for a burgeoning population of adults with autism, researchers say in a report out this week. Currently, nearly 80 percent of those with autism ages 19 to 30 live with their parents, as few other choices exist outside of institutionalization. Meanwhile, about 500,000 children with the disorder are expected to reach adulthood in the next 15 years.

As the U.S. Census gears up for its 2010 count, advocates are working to ensure that people with disabilities have the knowledge and resources to take part. Traditionally, Americans with disabilities are an underrepresented group in the national count that’s conducted once every ten years. Reasons vary, but with high unemployment among this group and many living in institutions or restricted transportation-wise, just knowing about the census can be a hurdle.

Grandparents are often the first to suspect that a child may have autism and they play a major role in caring for children once they are diagnosed, according to preliminary findings from what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind survey of grandparents of those on the autism spectrum.

Symptoms of autism such as poor eye contact and limited communication skills are not noticeable during a baby’s first months of life, but appear gradually as children approach their first birthday, according to new research.

Tumblon gives you customized developmental information about your children and lets you record milestones, write stories, upload photos, and keep family and friends updated on your children's growth.