All trainings provided by the MAEP are free to Montana Public School Educators and Service Providers.

May 2026 Training Series

In May 2026 (dates and locations to be determined) EdCOR Colorado will be offering training on the following topics for one day of each:Functional Behavior Assessments to Behavior Support Plans, Classroom Management for Elementary (general education and special education), and Classroom Management for Middle/High School (general education and special education). 

If you are interested in having one of these trainings hosted in your community please click on the button below. 

It's No Use If You Can't Reach It! Attaching AT to Environmental Supports | Virtual | October 30, 2025

Participants will explore different mounting solutions that allow students to access assistive technologies in multiple positions across environments. Focus will be on mounting options for speech generating devices, tablets, phones, and low-tech options to allow for inclusion and participation. In addition to paraprofessionals and teachers, this session is an excellent fit for therapists working in the public-school setting.

STAR Autism Support Two Day Comprehensive Workshop | Missoula | November 3-5, 2025

This workshop provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of the evidence-based practices included in the STAR Program and entry level knowledge to implement all three levels of STAR with basic fidelity. Using video examples, modeling, discussion, and hands-on practice, this workshop focuses on teaching new behaviors and building independence across school, home, and community settings through the use of basic behavioral strategies, Discrete Trial Training (DT), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Functional Routines (FR), and other evidence-based practices. Participants will learn how to assess students, select and teach lessons across all curricular areas, collect data, and set up their classrooms for success for using the program. This workshop also includes a deep dive into the tools and resources available through the STAR Media Center.

What You Will Gain:

• Hands-on training in Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training, and Functional Routines
• Practical strategies to address behavior and write FBAs
• Structured lesson plans, scope and sequence with classroom videos, demonstrations and interactive practice.

Data Collection for Progress Monitoring | Virtual | November 10, 2025

Data collection and progress monitoring are key skills in treatment efficacy. Knowing where you started, where you are, and where you are going is the best way to support learning. These smarter, not harder, strategies will have you collecting data with ease and, better yet, will provide you with student learning outcomes.

How to Say No and Live to Tell About It | Virtual | November 12, 2025

We have taught our learners to request and now they request all the time- even when what they want is not available! Parents and professionals sometimes struggle with indicating “no” and may even avoid doing so to prevent a meltdown. You may have been tempted to delete buttons from Speech Generating Device or pictures from communication books, but these actions are not ethical. During this live webinar we focus on how to teach our learners to calmly respond to “no.” Participants will leave with planning and implementation worksheets to create ethical, practical, and effective strategies for saying “no,” “not now", and “wait” independent of the learner’s expressive modality.

What you will learn

• State the critical communication skill that must be in place prior to teaching the skills discussed
• List three different strategies for visually representing “no” / “not now”
• Contrast how two of these strategies could be used with a learner who can read/write and those who cannot
• Describe the rationale for teaching a learner to tolerate a delay or denial of access to preferred items/activities

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition, Refresher Training | Virtual | November 17, 2025

This training is for professionals working in MT public schools who have completed the intitial 2 day training and who are regularly administering the ADOS2 as part of a school based comprehensive assessment for autism. ADOS2 administrators should complete a refresher training annually to ensure fidelity in administration and coding. If you have not administered an ADOS2 in the last year, it is recommended that you complete the initial training again.

Executive Function: Impulse Control, Working Memory, Emotional Control | Virtual | December 1, 2025

Come take a deeper dive into strategies for supporting learners in these domains in our three part executive functioning series.

Effective Strategies for Classroom Support Staff | Virtual | December 5, 2025

Support staff have a significant impact on the success of the students they work with. One of the challenges educational teams and particularly educational assistants (i.e., teaching assistants, paraprofessionals) face as they support their students in working towards independence is determining how best to provide assistance during a lesson. This includes how and when to decrease or eliminate this help in order to empower their students’ skill development and autonomy.

In this workshop, we introduce essential strategies educational assistants can use to effectively support their students, from before a lesson begins, up until success. Through lecture, video example, discussion, and activities, participants will learn practical questions to ask to better understand how to help every student learn, and ideas for how to improve direct teaching interactions with their learners.

What you will learn

• How to identify practical information to gather about the learner
• How to implement strategies to set up the school day for success
• How to identify strategies for introducing non-preferred tasks
• How to identify ways to achieve greater independence for the learner

Implementing AAC Everywhere | Virtual | December 10, 2025

A student's AAC should go everywhere the student goes, but practically speaking, this can be difficult. This session will explore how AAC can be used to support students with a variety of needs across environments throughout the school day. We will discuss how universal design encourages accessible communication for all students. Examples will be provided for how educators can support multiple modes of communication across settings.

What you will learn

Participants will be able to identify three low- or no-tech communication options for use in school environments, learn three ways to support AAC use outside the classroom, and compare resources for creating communication supports.

THE MAEP IS HIRING

The Montana Autism Education Project (MAEP) is seeking part-time consultants to join our statewide team.

Position Overview: MAEP consultants provide on-site and virtual coaching, professional development, and technical assistance to school districts across Montana. Consultants help school teams implement evidence-based strategies that support communication, social interaction, behavior, and adaptive skill development for students receiving IEP services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide Individual and Classroom Consultation: Collaborate with school teams to assess needs, review educational and behavioral supports, and recommend evidence-based strategies and interventions.
• Develop and Deliver Professional Development: Design and facilitate training and coaching sessions for school teams focused on effective instructional and behavioral practices.
• Research and Curate Resources and Field Tools: Identify, develop, and share evidence-based materials, toolkits, and resources to support educators in implementing effective and sustainable classroom practices.
• Maintain Consistent Communication and Collaboration: Engage in regular communication with MAEP team members, OPI staff, and district personnel to coordinate services, share updates, and contribute to statewide MAEP initiatives.

Ideal Candidate:

• Graduate degree in special education, speech-language pathology, psychology, applied behavior analysis, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience supporting students with autism and related disabilities in school settings.
• Knowledge of evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices and ability to coach others in their implementation.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a statewide team.
• Ability to travel regionally within Montana 
• Availability during school hours for onsite consultation, meetings, and trainings

Position Details:

• Part time position through the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI)
• Flexible schedule with remote work options (10-15 hours per week)
• Travel reimbursement provided

Please email katie.mattingley@mt.gov if interested. 

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.