The 2nd Annual Integrated School Mental Health Initiative (ISMHI) conference will be held in Helena at the Best Western Great Northern Hotel, March 3-4, 2011. This conference is a collaboration between The Office of Public Instruction, The Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Community of Practice (stakeholders statewide).

What: All children need to actively engage in play and social activities to develop skills and communication. Many children with developmental delays are only physically present during these early childhood events. Physical presence isn't enough to ensure active participation and learning, and it can have a negative impact on the relationships between child and caregiver.

Click here to learn more about this event The annual Festival of Trees offers a memorable weekend of decorated Christmas tree viewing. There is an auction party with a delightful selection of trees to purchase. Santa's Workshop, a holiday boutique and craft fair. All proceeds benefit The Family Tree Center, Billings Council to Prevent Child Abuse.

A group of moms of children with special needs of all types that meets monthly in Great Falls to share friendship, support, encouragement and ideas in dealing with their special needs families. For more information, to receive our emails or find out about the next gathering, please contact Jana at 727-2704.

Learn how play deprivation is a kind of emotional and multisensory starvation and no group is more vulnerable than children who have disabilities.

The OPI-Division of Special Education will be offering a series of 5 webinars on secondary transition.  Providing great secondary transition services to high school youth can be challenging.  This webinar series, presented by Montana teachers and providers, will give multiple strategies on implementing secondary transition in a rural district or a large district that has provided great results for the Montana school districts that have used them.  A flyer with descriptions of each of the webinars can be found at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/Link/10NovWebinarBestPractices.pdf The webinars are free and no registration is required. The webinars will start at 3:30 p.m. and last about an hour each.  One renewal unit will be offered for each live webinar.  The webinars can be attended individually or the whole series.  The webinars will be posted on the OPI Web site after the live webinar.  Please forward this information to high school teachers and other personnel that you think may be interested. Questions regarding this series can be sent to Nikki Sandve at nsandve@mt.gov or call (406) 444-0299.

What: People diagnosed with mental health problems have significantly shorter life spans and are more likely   to have serious but preventable health conditions—including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—compared to people who do not have mental health problems. Traditionally, the mental health field has focused primarily on a person’s psychiatric stabilization rather than taking a broader, holistic approach that looks at the wellness of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Recent preventive and holistic approaches along with complementary and alternative  medicines (CAMs) have shown success in improving the overall health of individuals with mental health problems which contributes to their ability to live a more full and satisfying life in the community. The SAMHSA 10x10 Wellness Campaign invites you to a free training teleconference titled “Prevention and Holistic Approaches to Wellness: A Fresh Perspective on Mental Health Recovery.” This teleconference will educate diverse stakeholders about both peer-delivered and community mental health provider-delivered alternatives to wellness that focus on building resiliency and supporting individuals to establish healthier lifestyles. It also will address how to create educational campaigns and outreach to disseminate information about complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science.   When: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain

Although many iPhone developers spend their time working on apps that entertain and amuse, there are many apps that have a job to do. For the disabled, iPhone apps can be a way to connect with others and their world in a new way. Check out these Top 15 iPhone Apps for the Disabled which have helped people from all walks of life overcome their daily limitations.

The holiday season is bearing down on us again. It may be the season to be jolly, but it can be crazy, too, and challenging when it comes to gifting ideas, holiday activities, and what will "work" for a child with a disability. So here are a gift-wrapped package of resources that we hope will help make this holiday season enjoyable for all who participate.

It's that time again, the National Youth Leadership Network is currently accepting applications for our Governing Board and Committees. Now is the perfect time for youth to get involved with NYLN! We have a ton of really cool projects lined up. We are focusing on more grassroots level activism, youth-led media projects, and building interdependent support systems. We are looking for young folks who want to take an active role in the organization. We especially want to prioritize youth of color leadership, so please support youth of color in applying. Governing board and committee positions are open to youth with any disability between the ages of 15 through 28. You can find a recruitment flyer and the application at http://www.nyln.org under "Apply Now!" The application is due November 10, 2010. To get in touch with NYLN, please email me at stacey@nyln.org.

Along the Great Plains of North America, stretching from Canada into Mexico, Plains Indian sign language was once the lingua franca, the common language among tribes speaking at least 40 different languages. As a common language, hand talk was used to negotiate tribal alliances and form trading partnerships. Within tribal groups, elders used it for storytelling and rituals, as an alternative to the spoken language. Now Plains Indian sign language is recognized as an endangered language, like many spoken tribal languages.

On November 9th MDSC will be hosting a Special Presentation of Mel Brooks’ The Producers at Missoula Children’s Theater. The director of the play is a New York Broadway producer; how exciting to have him in Missoula and for our performance! The evening will begin at 6pm with hors d’oeuvres and a hosted beer and wine bar. There is a wonderful silent and live auction ~ Mayor John Engen is our auctioneer.   MDSC just celebrated our 20th Anniversary of supporting adults with severe developmental disabilities. Services include residential, vocational, daily living skills training, medical, community integration, recreation, and transportation. Tickets are $50.00 for one or $90.00 for a pair. Your support is greatly appreciated.

What: ALL MEMBERS - Please join us during our regular monthly business meeting in honoring the following Businesses and Service Providers ~Our Partners~ Who Bring Change to the Lives of our Children: Eagle Mount Galavan/Streamline Home Page Café MacKenzie River Pizza Plus Guest Speaker – Mary Jo O’Donnell Where: Bozeman School Foundation The Willson School Boardroom When: Tuesday, November 9th at 6:00 PM

Regional Transition meeting scheduled for Friday November 5th from 8:30am - 12:00pm.  The meeting will be held in the Developmental Disablities Conference room at 2121 Rosebud in Billings.

MCPS Special Education Department invites you to a Brown Bag Breakfast Meeting The meeting will focus on the following: Community/School collaboration Update on Federal/State/Local policies/procedures Formulation of a Special Education Advisory Board When: November 10, 20107:30 AM - 8: 15 AM Where: MCPS Administration Building, 2I5 S, 6th St. W. Rm 24, Missoula, MT If you plan on attending: Please RSVP by 11/5 to Rebecca Myers at ramyers@mcps.k12.mt.us or 406-728-2400 x 1087 Coffee and tea will be provided. Feel free to bring a bagged breakfast and be prepared for a great  conversation on what we can do collectively to provide 21st Century Education Initiatives to our students!

Regional Transition meeting scheduled for Wednesday November 10th at 10:00 am.  The meeting will be held in the MILP conference room, 3475 Monroe in Butte.

What: As a part of the Mayo Clinic’s outreach to rural communities, we are fortunate to have Dr. Tanya Brown come to Missoula to share information about non– verbal learning disabilities. The purpose of these sessions is to understand the history, identify core features and review case illustrations of non-verbal learning disabilities for parents, educators and medical staff. Monday’s lecture will focus on core features and strategies to support students in home and school . Tuesday’s lecture will provide more of the medical background behind diagnosis, review case illustrations and relevant treatment recommendations and accommodations.

AMCHP ANNUAL CONFERENCE TRAINING INSTITUTE: Saturday, Feb. 12, and Sunday, Feb. 13, join us for the AMCHP Annual Conference Training Institute and a full schedule of intensive, highly-interactive skills-building sessions

Click here to download the flyer (PDF) What: Autism/Asperger’s Parent Support Group When: Sunday, December 12, 3:00 pm Where: Lewis & Clark Library Helena, MT Contact Nanette at 449-6607 or e-mail 5holmes@q.com for more information! Meet other parents who are facing the challengesthat come with raising a child on the Autism Spectrum!

Click here to download the flyer (PDF) What: Autism/Asperger’s Parent Support Group When: Sunday, November 14, 3:00 pm Where: Lewis & Clark Library Helena, MT Contact Nanette at 449-6607 or e-mail 5holmes@q.com for more information! Meet other parents who are facing the challengesthat come with raising a child on the Autism Spectrum!