Virtual Training – October 15th 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. // October 22nd 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Self-advocacy skills are important for the children in your classroom and their having those skills will make the classroom experience more enjoyable and productive for everyone. This webinar will provide you with a plan to teach practical self-advocacy skills your students can start practicing in your classroom and at home.
Register for the training here.
Virtual Training - October 21st 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
This training will include:
1. An infomercial for the services/resources provided by the OPI Montana Autism Education Project;
2. A quick history of autism diagnoses;
3. “Causes” of and “Cures” for autism;
4. A review of Child Count data on Montana students with autism.
(Please note – this training will NOT include a review of the OPI criteria for autism or the identification on students with autism. A second training for that has been scheduled on October 26th.)
You can register for the Autism 101 training here.
Virtual Training – October 26th 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
This training will include:
1. Why and how the OPI created a new educational autism criteria in 2019;
2. What is and who are/are not required to identify a student as having autism spectrum disorder in the education setting;
3. A review of the OPI autism criteria;
4. Time for questions and answers.
You can register for the Autism Criteria training here.
Virtual Training – November 5th 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Young children with language delays are at risk for persistent developmental and behavioral difficulties. This presentation will focus on the assessment of social-emotional development in children with language delays and autism spectrum disorder as well as the emerging evidence supporting effectiveness of interventions.
Register for the training here.
Virtual Training – December 10th. 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
This is a one-day review of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale complete with scoring practice and practical question review. This training is available only for Montana public school educators who have previously completed a two-day ADOS administration training.
You can register for the ADOS Booster training here.
Suggested by one of our Autism Consultants.
Solve serious behavior challenges in K–8 classrooms with the updated second edition of this bestselling book, your practical, user-friendly guide to the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model. Developed by highly respected experts on positive behavior support, this research-proven model gives your school team a step-by-step blueprint for reducing problems unresolved by typical behavior management strategies. You'll get explicit guidance and strategies for implementing all five steps of PTR: 1) teaming and goal-setting, 2) collecting data, 3) conducting a PTR Functional Behavioral Assessment, 4) developing a PTR behavior intervention plan, and 5) monitoring progress and making data-based decisions. Enhanced with new research on PTR and fresh content on timely topics like multi-tiered systems of support, this guidebook will help you resolve even the toughest behavior challenges—and improve social and academic outcomes for your whole class.
BENEFITS OF PTR:
WHAT'S NEW
New and enhanced material on:
Plus: new case examples that illustrate components of PTR, two in-depth case studies, and new and revised forms (also available online for easy download)
See more here.
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project has a limited number of scholarships for Montana public school educators to attend online trainings from Social Thinking. These trainings will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. OPI renewal units (4) will be provided after verification from Social Thinking that you have completed the training.
The link to register through the OPI Montana Autism Education Project can be found here.
A description of the trainings can be found here. The OPI scholarships are only available if you register through the above OPI link.
If you have any questions, please email Doug Doty at ddoty@mt.gov
This comprehensive two-day workshop provides participants with detailed examples and practice activities on how to implement the evidence-based practices identified in the National Standards Report (2009). The STAR Program is used to provide examples.
Big news! MonTECH’s Montana AAC Town Halls begin this Wednesday, September 8th, 4:00-5:00 pm! As you know, MonTECH is Montana’s assistive tech program. But we have a secondary mission: to support the capacity of our community to serve those with complex communication needs.
Monthly AAC Town Halls are an amazing opportunity for Montana’s professionals to share information and learn from each other. Network with practitioners encountering the same obstacles of practicing in a rural state with limited resources, serving a population requiring a special skill set. Without knowledgeable SLPs, OTs, educators, and care providers, Montanans who could benefit from AAC are voiceless!
Town Halls will feature talking points based on your interests, and time to share and discuss specific needs you encounter in your work. The focus of each meeting alternates between adult and pediatric practice. Meetings are practitioner-focused for therapists and educators, but families, caregivers, direct support staff, and case managers are also welcome.
Learn more about Montana AAC Town Hall and see the schedule for future meetings: http://montech.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/event/montana-aac-town-hall/ [montech.ruralinstitute.umt.edu]
Sincerely,
Shawna Hanson
Outreach Coordinator
MonTECH [montech.ruralinstitute.umt.edu]
Montana Family to Family Health Information Center [umt.edu]
The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
University of Montana
One of the main challenges facing teachers is that many don’t have experience with neurodiverse students or the training necessary to create a safe classroom space.
“While teachers are not mental health clinicians, they have been tasked with both identifying kids who have not yet been identified as needing more support, and with managing these unique brains regardless of how much outside-of-school support they are (or aren’t) getting,” writes registered psychotherapist Christina Crowe, founder of Dig a Little Deeper Psychotherapy and Counselling.
Read more here at Planbook.
