November 2021 OPI Montana Autism Education Project Compass Update

Autism 101 (virtual training)

November 9^th   2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

December 7^th    2:00 – 4:00 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. That is addressed in the OPI Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder training below.)

You can register for the Autism 101 trainings here.

PECS Trainings (virtual)

PECS Level 1 and 2:

Individuals who are non-verbal or have limited speech need a communication system they can use right now.  PECS provides an immediately useful method for requesting things, actions and people, in a way that requires and promotes social interaction. Using the principles of applied behavior analysis, PECS starts by teaching spontaneous requesting and as quickly as possible, moves on to responding to questions as well as commenting about things in the environment.

You can find more information, training dates and register for the virtual PECS Level 1 and 2 trainings here.

Transitioning from PECS to Speech-Generating Devices

November 9^th   8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time

You can find more information and register for the virtual PECS to SGDs training here.

Aversive Treatment Procedures - A Review of the OPI Rule (virtual training)

November 16^th    2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

December 2^nd    2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

This training will review the requirements for the use of aversive treatment procedures (physical restraint and isolation time-out) in public schools.

You can find more information and register for the Aversive Treatment Procedures training here.

OPI’s Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (virtual training)

November 18^th    2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

December 16^th    2:40 – 4:00 p.m.

This training will include:

1. Why and how the OPI created a new educational autism in 2019;
2. What 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 trainings here.

Social Thinking Trainings (virtual)

The OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering various trainings from Social Thinking. These trainings will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the dates shown on the registration form.

The training dates and the link to register through the OPI Montana Autism Education Project can be found here.

ADOS Booster Training (virtual training)

December 10^th.   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.  

If you have any questions about the above trainings, please email Doug Doty at ddoty@mt.gov

You can always find our upcoming trainings on the OPI Montana Autism Education Project blog under the, “Training” tag.

For more information, contact: 

Doug Doty, Statewide Coordinator, OPI Montana Autism Education Project

Direct replies to this email will not be forwarded or received by Doug.

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The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.