MPACT offices are closed December 24, 2024 through January 1, 2025 From Our Family to Yours Happy Holidays! | |
Preparing for the Holidays | |
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13 Holiday Survival Tips
The holiday season can be an extremely stressful time of year for children with Autism and other forms of learning disability. The disruption to their routine, unfamiliar sights and smells, the house full of noise and people – it can all prove too much. These tips for surviving the holiday season come from parents of children and adults with special needs.
15 Tips for Surviving—and Enjoying—the Holidays
Flashing lights. Crowded stores. Loud family gatherings. The holiday season should be joyful, but it can often be overwhelming to someone who is living with a brain injury. Here are tips to help you make the holiday season happier and more relaxed for all of your friends and family.
Playtime’s Guide to Activities Families Can Do Together
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project offers creative tip sheets for parents looking for fun activities to do with their children during the pandemic. Tip Sheets 1-4 are available in English. Tip Sheets 5 and 6 are available in both English and Spanish. There are also fun videos for children on the project’s YouTube channel. (Available in English and Spanish).
Holiday videos from PBSKIDS
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An Empty Seat at the Holiday Table | |
Military families deal with several bouts of separation from their service members—anything from deployments, ships out to sea, training operations, or career schools may be experienced in one year. Sometimes year after year. Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, and school events get missed. But the holidays, the gathering at the table for togetherness and hearty meals, may sting just a tad more. Learn how military families can fill the empty seat at the holiday table HERE. | |
Special Education Resources | |
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Special Education Laws and Regulations
To access the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Federal Regulations, Missouri State Plan for Special Education, Procedural Safeguards, Parent's Bill of Rights, and more.
MPACT Special Education Resources are available to help you learn more about the IEP components and evaluation process. Click HERE for access to the fact sheets or HERE for the IEP Components video.
DESE Parent Information on Special Education
This page is to help guide parents in understanding state and federal regulations and laws under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Special Education Compliance Section provides assistance and support to parents that have students with matters involving compliance of Individualized Education Programs.
DESE Individualized Education Program (IEP) Forms
New year means time to plan and prepare for your child's IEP.
We believe that a child's best advocate is their parent! This is why it is so important for parents to participate in their child's IEP meeting. Even IDEA includes the wording that schools "...shall take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of a child with a disability are present at each IEP meeting.
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Functional Behavior Assessments | |
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The Missouri Child Care Subsidy Program helps increase access to early learning by assisting eligible families with child care expenses. This support enables parents to work, attend school, or participate in job training programs.
Families may qualify if they:
- Have a child from birth to age 13, a child with special needs, or a child receiving protective services
- Require child care to work, search for work, attend school, or participate in job training
- Meet income guidelines (at or below 150% of the federal poverty level)
The program provides an opportunity for children to access quality care while parents focus on their goals. Families are encouraged to learn more and apply.
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Early Childhood Resources | |
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Appropriate Identification of Children with Disabilities for IDEA Services: A Report from Recent National Estimates
Appropriately identifying children with disabilities—in ways that are timely, comprehensive, and accurate—is critical for ensuring that learners receive the supports they need to meet early milestones and succeed in school. In turn, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) charges states and school districts with: (1) finding all children, birth through age 21, suspected of having a disability; (2) evaluating them to determine if they are eligible for IDEA services; and (3) measuring and addressing racial or ethnic disparities in who is identified. Full article HERE
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The first five years are crucial for language development, and children who are deaf or hard of hearing may experience delays. Early identification of language development helps families understand their child’s strengths and areas of concern. Missouri’s LEAD-K Act supports families by providing milestones for both American Sign Language (ASL) and English for children ages 0-5. Parents can choose to use ASL, English, or both, based on what works best for their child. | |
2025–26 FAFSA® Form Now Available | |
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The 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is now available for all students and contributors. Complete the form to apply for financial aid for college, career school, or graduate school.
Each state has its own deadline. In Missouri, apply by February 3, 2025, for priority consideration. Applications are accepted until April 1, 2025 (midnight Central Time). Check with your college or career school’s financial aid office for additional required forms.
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Got Transition® is the national resource center on health care transition (HCT). Its aim is to improve the transition from pediatric to adult health care through the use of evidence-driven strategies for clinicians and other health care professionals; public health programs; payers and plans; youth and young adults; and parents and caregivers. | |
Tools for Life Transition Events | |
MO Youth Leadership Forum | |
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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Whether you’re in distress or just want to talk about something on your mind, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org anytime you need help. If you are worried about someone else, reach out to 988 and a local, trained crisis specialist at one of Missouri’s 988 centers will help you navigate the situation.
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Impulse Control Solutions for School and Home
Children with ADHD have difficulty telling right and wrong, so parents must be specific, stating clear, consistent expectations and consequences. Telling your child to “be good” is too vague to address behavioral problems. Instead, be explicit: “When we go into the store, do not touch, just look with your eyes.” “At the playground, wait in line for the slide, and don’t push.” Other strategies to try:
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Be proactive in your approach to discipline. Respond to positive and negative behaviors equally. Recognize and remark on the behavior, then respond to positive actions with praise, attention, and rewards or immediately discipline negative actions.
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Hold your child accountable. Making your child understand what he did wrong is essential in molding a responsible adult. However, delayed punishment may prevent a child from understanding its relationship to the misbehavior. Punishment must come soon after the misbehavior.
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Let the punishment fit the crime. Hitting calls for an immediate time out. Dinnertime tantrums can mean dismissal from the table without dessert. Keep punishments brief and restrained, but let them communicate to your child that he’s responsible for controlling his behavior.
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Let minor misbehaviors slide. If your child spills the milk because he’s pouring it carelessly or hurriedly, talk to him about the importance of moving more slowly, help him clean the mess, and move on. Every misstep doesn’t warrant significant consequences. Click HERE to read the full report
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Upcoming MPACT Webinars
Click on the green links below to register
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In-Person MPACT Training-Coming 2025! | |
View all upcoming MPACT trainings HERE. | |
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All MPACT trainings are free of charge! If you would like to schedule any MPACT training in your area or for your organization
please click on the link HERE.
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Share Your Feedback with Missouri First Steps! | |
Make A Difference, Join MPACT Today! | |
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MPACT is funded in part or whole by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H328M090020-10. The contents of the website, however, and any documents cited herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S Department of Education.
Copyright © 2023 MPACT. All rights reserved
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