The Montana Center for Inclusive Education and Institute for Neurodiversity at Montana State University Billings (MSUB), in collaboration with the OPI Montana Autism Education Project, is pleased to host the first annual Mountain West Neurodiversity Conference at MSUB, September 19-20, 2025, with a pre-conference intensive behavior workshop for educators on September 18, 2025.
This is a free conference designed for educators, related service providers, families, and advocates. The conference will feature leading experts in the field alongside autistic and neurodiverse individuals, sharing their lived experiences, evidence-based approaches, and tools to support meaningful inclusion across educational and community settings. Vendor registration for MWNC is available here.
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Montana Autism Education Project
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project offers free autism trainings, technical assistance, and student consultations to Montana public schools.
Statewide Coordinator of the MAEP: Katie Mattingley
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Recognition, Response & Risk Management: High Risk Contacts with Autistic Individuals is designed for law enforcement, first responders, and school administrators. This training is sponsored by the Montana Office of Public Instruction Montana Autism Education Project and is free of charge to attendees.
A lesson plan and session handout will be provided in digital format.
LOCATIONS
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Monday 9/29/25 @ Flathead High School | Flex Room, 644 4th Ave W. Kalispell
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Tuesday 9/30/25 @ Missoula Schools | Admin Building B - Professional Learning Lab, 909 South Ave W., Missoula
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Wednesday 10/1/25 @ Helena Schools | Lincoln Center, 1325 Poplar St., Helena
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Thursday 10/2/25 @ Belgrade Schools | Learning Center, 106 North Broadway St., Belgrade
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Friday 10/3/25 @ Billings Schools | Lincoln Center, 415 N. 30th St., Billings
This 4-hour training (8:30am - 12:30pm) will focus on identification of individuals at varied independence levels.
- recognition & disclosure of autism spectrum disorder (ASD);
- communication tips;
- sensory and scene management tips;
- search and rescue of missing & vulnerable children and adults;
- development of vulnerable/voluntary informational data bases;
- suspicious persons contacts;
- persons in crisis emergencies with aggression;
- use of force/custody;
- interview of an autistic victim, witness, or suspect;
- threat assessment;
- partnership opportunities with autism support organizations & related training policies.
The OPI Special Education Team and Dawson Community College are excited to celebrate the growing success of the Para Pathways Project and access to the online learning modules! The agency has contracted with LRP Publications for Montana’s use of their LRPDirectStep online professional learning modules. Access to these modules is available to all Montana public school district employees for FREE!
Licensed educators can receive OPI Professional Learning Units for modules designed for teachers and administrators, to receive PLUs, please complete this form.
Special Education Paraprofessionals:
LEVEL 1: If you are currently working in a special education role for all or part of your day and interested in professional growth, you qualify for the incentive pay ($20/module) for the Special Education Technician set of modules. Completion of the identified 40 modules is also one of the pre-requisites to entering Dawson Community College’s (DCC) Special Education Technician Level 2 courses.
LEVEL 2: Take and pass 4 courses (13 credits) at Dawson Community College. Qualified paras are eligible for tuition payment via OPI, provided they meet the qualifications and have worked for at least 1,000 hours in a Montana public school with students with disabilities for a portion of their day.
Find more information on our website. For any questions regarding the Special Education Technician program, please contact DCCParaPathways@dawson.edu or Anne.Carpenter2@mt.gov.
Presented by the Rural School Outreach Program
July 15, 2025 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM | Ag Extension Conference Room, 1499 N Central Ave, Sidney
This training was created in collaboration with Sidney High School special education staff, based on key areas where additional support is needed.
Topics will include:
- Finding and using community partner info and local resources
- Navigating limited resource availability in rural areas
- Supporting students with college and scholarship applications, FAFSA, and financial aid
- Expanding work-based learning and training opportunities
- Boosting student engagement in transition planning
- Building strong school-family partnerships to support transition goals
August 5, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM | MSU-Billings, Center for Inclusive Education
August 6, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM | MSU-Billings, Center for Inclusive Education
Presented by Dr. Randy Russell
Those of you who know Dr. Randy Russell know that he is a dynamic, energetic and practical speaker who loves to coach teachers! He is coming back this summer for a two day workshop. The first day of the workshop will be on managing student behavior, and the second day of the workshop will be about how teachers can engage in self-care.
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Presented by: Stephanie Lester
August 6, 2025 | 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM | Havre Best Western Inn & Suites
Part 1: Developing Children’s Number Sense
Part 2: Math EVERY Day for EVERY Child!
Presented by: Joe Moriarty
August 7, 2025 | 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM | Shelby Comfort Inn
The goal for the 9 essential skills for the love and Logic classroom is to provide low stress strategies for highly successful educators that make positive and lasting effects in their school and communities. Through the program, educators will become further equipped with practical techniques that:
- are simple and easy to learn
- teach responsibility and good character
- change lives and lower stress levels
- have immediate, positive effects on students and schools
Join your fellow colleagues at beautiful Fairmont Hot Springs for the 2025 Special Education Boot Camp on August 11-13, 2025.
August 11th - AM | Skills for Handling Challenging Conversations with Colleagues and Parents | Marc Purchin
August 11th - PM | Artificial Intelligence for Educators: Work Smarter NOT Harder! | Stephanie Lester
August 12 - ALL DAY| Explicit Instruction | Genevieve Thomas
August 12 - AM | Making IEP Teams and other Student-Centered Meetings More Productive | Marc Purchin
August 12 - PM | Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence for Special Service Providers | Stephanie Lester
August 13 - ALL DAY | IEP requirements, Infinite Campus, and SPED Law
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Presented by Alissa Kline
August 18, 2025 | 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM | East Helena High School, Room 223
Visual Phonics is a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading and writing. Hand gestures and symbols are used to represent the sounds of English. This approach can be used with beginning readers, struggling readers, Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing readers, and English Language Learners to support decoding and spelling skills which lead to increased reading comprehension and written communication.
Presented by Jessica Minehan
October 16, 2025 | 8:30 AM-4:00 PM | Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, Lone Peak High School in Big Sky, MT
With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. Anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. Several strategies will be shared and time will be spent developing FAIR plans.
Join us in beautiful Big Sky for this FREE workshop.
 Hands & Voices hosted ASTra webinar - Powering Early Intervention So Families Can Thrive
Registration is now open. See detailed information below. We hope you can join us!
July 15th @ 10:00 am MT
Early Intervention (EI) for families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing often occurs at a time when families are adjusting to many new experiences. Some families may be navigating parenthood for the first time, unfamiliar with the Deaf or Hard of Hearing experience, and processing unexpected results from hearing screening and diagnostic tests. In the midst of these challenges, early intervention services are introduced, which can feel overwhelming. It is essential for professionals and family support providers to clearly communicate the value of EI and guide families in understanding its benefits. This session will examine common reasons why some families may choose to decline EI, present evidence-based recommendations and guiding principles, and highlight the critical role early intervention plays in supporting a child’s development.
For presenter bios and to register: https://handsandvoices.org/astra/webinars/
Dr. John Ravenscroft, CVI Scotland
When: Thursday, October 16th. 9;30-4:30 with a lunch break - food trucks will be on site.
Where: Butte Civic Center, Butte Montana
Cost: This event is free for a three state region: Montana, Wyoming, Idaho
Registration: Please register using the link Please know there are only 600 seats and this event will fill quickly. Register as soon as possible to save your seats.
This day course will:
1. Examine the intricate relationship between visual impairment and cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and delve into the visual challenges that children with CVI.
2. Explore the co-occurring disabilities that many children with CVI experience.
3. Highlight the problem of definitions, assessment, collaborative working with other professionals and will cover intervention strategies that are used.
4. We will look at the importance of understanding brain structures, so that we can focus on higher and lower processing of vision.
Attendees:
- Part C - FSS, Admin
- Part B - Gen ED, SPED, OT, PT, SLP, Para-Educators, Administrators
- Medical - Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Pediatricians, Family Practice
- Families - Guardians and family members
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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.
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