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No one wants the words “post-traumatic stress disorder” and “children” to appear in the same sentence. But recent events like the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting are reminders that children as well as adults can be exposed to events that cause this debilitating but highly treatable mental illness. Previous posts in this series explained why I advocate for children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), explored 5 myths and misconceptions about PTSD in children, and defined both trauma and PTSD from a child’s point of view.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new study released today that looked at data from 14 communities.  Autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than girls – with 1 in 54 boys identified.

The report, Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, United States, 2008, provides autism prevalence estimates from 14 areas. It was published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“This information paints a picture of the magnitude of the condition across our country and helps us understand how communities identify children with autism,” said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “That is why HHS and our entire administration has been working hard to improve the lives of people living with autism spectrum disorders and their families by improving research, support, and services.” “One thing the data tells us with certainty – there are more children and families that need help,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “We must continue to track autism spectrum disorders because this is the information communities need to guide improvements in services to help children.”

The Gallatin Valley Resource Guide for Parents of Children with Disabilities is a reference source that has been created for parents and those who serve Children with developmental delays and disabilities age birth to 18 in Gallatin County, specifically Bozeman and Belgrade.  The guide contains over 250 resources for parents of Children with disabilities, 95 specific to Gallatin Valley and an additional 58 unique to Montana. This guide was created by me as a final project (May 2011) for a Master’s of Science degree in Health and Human Development at Montana State University.  The internet version of the guide will be maintained by the Bozeman chapter of the Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA). PLUK has been included as a resource.  It would be most appreciated if you could include a link to the guide on your webpage.  The Resource Guide can be downloaded at: http://www.bsd7.org/district/departments/special_education/documents/Gallatin%20Valley%20Resource%20Guide.pdf    Thank you for your assistance in providing this information to parents of Children with disabilities.

Schools are required to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities from birth through age 21. The Child Find mandate applies to all children who reside within a State, including children who attend private schools and public schools, highly mobile children, migrant children, homeless children, and children who are wards of the state.

Click here to register for this webinar What: Join Occupational Therapist and Inclusion Advocate Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/L for this enlightening webinar. Participants will learn about the seven senses as well as how the brain integrates and uses this sensory information in everyday activities. The webinar will provide participants with activities in each sensory area that can be used to help children explore and integrate sensory information in their daily lives. When: June 1, 2011 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mountain Cost: $30 per person (free for Lekotek affiliates) Special-FREE for all caregivers of children with disabilities (just email domahen@lekotek.org to resgister) Presenter Bio: Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who has worked for 10 years helping communities create and run amazing places where all children can play together. She was senior consultant on the national advisory team for the Center for Creative Play, Pittsburgh, PA. During that time she worked with numerous communities and children's museums helping them expand their understanding of Universal Design and the importance of Sensory Play in every childs' development. She continued this work as Therapy Director at Hattie Larlham, Mantua, OH, where she oversaw therapy and recreation programs for children of varying abilities. She now owns her own consulting business focusing on great play spaces in communities. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences on the topics play, sensory integration and Universal Design. Conferences include the Association of children's Museums, American Occupational Therapy Association, Parents As Teachers, and National Association of the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC).

What: Do you need to know more about how to promote successful outcomes for your students in the area of math skills? Come to the MASP Summer Institute to discover how to apply recent research findings in your classroom. Learn the essentials of math preparation that we now know underlie proficiency in mathematics, including the importance of effective instruction. Find out the implications for identifying mathematics disabilities and for planning intervention. This is an important conference because there is a great deal of new evidence about how to foster the acquisition of good math skills, information that is not widely known yet. This will be one of the first opportunities that most people in our audience will have to learn about current knowledge on how children learn mathematics and how that learning can go wrong. Presenter One of the world's leading authorities on how children develop understanding of mathematics, Michèle M.M. Mazzocco is a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is the principal investigator for the Math Skills Development Project at the Kennedy Krieger School. With Daniel B. Berch, she is the co-editor of Why Is Math So Hard for Some children?: The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, a respected book that provides, in the words of one fan, "an exceptional review of literature on LD in maths." Dr. Mazzocco initiated the Math Skills Development Project in 1997, through which she has followed a group of students from kindergarten through 9th grade (so far!). This project involves an extensive study of normally developing children, children who have learning disability not associated with a genetic condition, and children who have genetic conditions that are known to contribute to math disability. The focus of the research is to seek an understanding of how cognitive, behavioral, and genetic factors contribute toward successful mathematics achievement. Dates and Times: June 12, 13, and 14, 2011 Registration opens at 5 o'clock on Sunday evening, June 12, 2011. The conference begins at 6:30 on Sunday evening and concludes for the evening at 9:30. On the following days, June 13 and 14, the conference continues from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The doors open at 8 o'clock each morning. Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Billings Treasure State Salon A & B 2465 Grant Road, Billings, Montana, USA 59102 (near Costco and Best Buy) Tel: 406-655-8800 Fax: 406-655-8802

In a report published in 2011, scientists pooled data from eight randomized studies of 24,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 7 years. They found that those who received the FluMist vaccine, a nasal spray made with live but weakened flu virus, had a significantly lower risk of acute ear infections compared with children who received a placebo. Among children who ultimately got the flu, those who had been vaccinated had a 40 percent reduction in ear infections compared with children who were given a placebo.