Spring Into IEPs with MPACT's April Webinar Series | |
April Showers Sprout IEP Season | |
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MPACT provides tools that help parents understand the impact of their child's disability, navigate the process of requesting an educational evaluation, identify how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act affects educational and related services, in a free and appropriate public education within the least restrictive environment. Parents learn techniques to become the best advocate for their child.
MPACT staff also prepare parents for educational meetings by assisting them with strategies to collect and organize their child’s records, pinpoint their child’s strengths and weaknesses, and demonstrate using their rights and responsibilities as part of their child’s team. We attend educational meetings with parents to provide support, explain processes, and model effective communication. Remember, the earlier a parent calls MPACT, the better prepared they can be for their child's meeting.
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The Individualized Education Program or Individualized Education Plan is a very important part of IDEA. Because the IEP is individualized, it is designed for one particular child.
It is an education plan or program for the child’s success in learning and for their future. Parents are expected to partner with the school in developing, reviewing, and revising the IEP for their child. The IEP lays out how the child will get FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) in the most inclusive setting.
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educacion publica apropiada y gratuita fape (FAPE in Spanish) | |
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View the IEP Components Fact Sheet HERE
View the IEP Components Fact Sheet in Spanish (Ver la hoja de datos de los componentes del IEP en español aquí) HERE
View the Virtual IEP meeting tips Fact Sheet HERE
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This guide was developed to provide information concerning your rights and responsibilities as the parent of a child with a disability as defined in the Missouri State Plan for Special Education. For more information on these rights, ask your school district for a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice for Children and Parents or access them HERE | |
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Resources from MPACT about Autism:
MPACT provides tools that help parents understand what autism is and is not, identify the early signs of ASD, navigate the process of requesting an educational evaluation, understand how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act impacts educational and related services, and assure access to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment in becoming the best advocate for their child.
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Missouri Eligibility Criteria for Autism Fact Sheet Click HERE
Early Signs of Autism Fact Sheet
Click HERE
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Video: Missouri Eligibility Criteria for Autism | |
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The Office of Autism Services (OAS) was established in 2008 (633.225 RSMo) to provide leadership in program development for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. OAS is committed to supporting the independence and self-sufficiency of individuals with autism by leading collaborative efforts to improve system supports for individuals with autism and their families.
Do you need help locating area ASD resources? Click HERE to view the Missouri Department of Mental Health's autism resource sheet.
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Autism Navigator, as mentioned in the Center for Parent Information and Resources Article dated April 4, 2019, is a unique collection of web-based tools and courses that integrate the most current research in autism with an interactive web platform and lots of video footage showing effective evidence-based practices. It’s intended for professionals as well as families.
Families can start with the short video About Autism in Toddlers (you have to register first, but it’s free) to learn more about diagnostic features of autism,
the importance of early detection and intervention, and current information on causes. Close-captioning is available in English and Spanish.
Enter the Autism Navigator collection HERE.
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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Autism page has information including eligibility criteria, instructional/intervention strategies, and state and parent resources. Click HERE to view.
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CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is the only collaborative network to track the number and characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in multiple communities in the United States. CDC encourages partners to use information from ADDM in their local communities and across the country to move forward initiatives, policies, and research that help children and families living with ASD.
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Military Family Support for Children with Autism | |
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Military sources indicate that more than 20,000 military dependents, the majority of them children, have some form of autism. Their families face all the emotions and challenges that accompany having a child diagnosed with autism, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for children with autism. This Guide and Operation Autism, its companion website, are designed for these families.
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First Steps Focused-Developmental Screenings | |
Developmental Screening
A developmental screening is a formal process using a tool to see if a child is meeting developmental milestones. It is completed by a healthcare provider, parent educator, or early childhood professional in collaboration with parents/legal guardians. Developmental screenings provide an opportunity for parents to understand their child’s development and learning, which can significantly reduce the possibility that the child will have an undetected developmental delay. For more information on developmental screenings from a parent/caregiver perspective, click HERE. For more information about how there is a direct link between developmental screenings and preparing a child for school readiness, click HERE.
Check out the video "Milestones Matter."
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About PANS and PANDAS in Young Children | |
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OCD is a disorder that usually develops gradually. But sometimes OCD symptoms come on suddenly after a child has had an infection. This happens when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy brain cells. It’s called PANDAS or PANS, depending on whether the triggering infection was strep (usually) or something else, like Lyme disease or the flu. Want to know more? Visit Child Mind's March 7th e-newsletter, which includes (but isn't limited to) these two resources:
Complete Guide to PANS and PANDAS
(Also available in Spanish: Guía completa sobre el PANS y PANDAS)
Step-by-step information from diagnosis to treatment for kids with sudden onset OCD and other confusing symptoms.
What Does OCD Look Like in the Classroom?
(Also available in Spanish: Cómo luce el TOC en el salón de clases)
Signs that a child may be struggling with OCD, even if they are hiding their anxiety.
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Recursos en Español Para Sus Familias | |
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Tools that Challenge the
School to Prison Pipeline
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April 2023 is Second Chance Month
Second Chance Month aims to inform and highlight the many opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for our returning community members.
During the month of April 2023, the National Reentry Resource Center, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Second Chance Act training and technical assistance providers, will host live webinars across a range of reentry topics including behavioral health, education, family engagement, housing, youth reentry, and more. Click HERE to register for the webinars.
Other Resources:
Second Chance Month Flyer
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
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Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) | |
Spring and Summer Camp Opportunities* | |
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Check out these various virtual and in-person camps, specially designed for children, youth, and adults with varying abilities offered in Missouri:
Alphapointe Youth Services Programs- Alphapointe offers Art, adventure, and technology camps, day camps, and a college preparatory program.
Camp Barnabas- Camp Barnabas is a unique ministry providing Christian camping experiences to individuals with special needs and chronic illnesses and their families.
Camp Hickory Hill- Camp Hickory Hill sustains a community, culture, and medically sound program of support for persons with diabetes, especially children, using our camp environment to foster education, self-reliance, confidence, an active lifestyle, and skill in the successful management of diabetes.
Wonderland Camp- Wonderland Camp offers programs for campers ages 6 to 106! People with all types of abilities and challenges are welcomed, and staff helps adapt all our activities and events to meet campers’ needs.
Camp Rainbow- The Camp Rainbow Foundation provides free camp experiences and programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer and blood-related diseases.
Camp Quality USA- Camp Quality serves children with cancer and their families by providing year-round programs, experiences, and companionship at no cost.
Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis- Annually, the Recreation Council publishes a complete guide of a summer day, overnight, specialized, and inclusive programs showing you dates, cost, and detailed description of the program.
Train Your Brain Summer Day Camp at Washington University-
Designed with fun in mind, Train Your Brain Summer Camp will support your child in using the critical skills needed for successfully planning a project and carrying out the plan.
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*Disclaimer: These spring and summer camp programs listed here are not endorsed by MPACT nor exhaustive of available camp opportunities. These links are provided for informational purposes only. | |
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The 19th Annual Missouri Youth Leadership Forum
(MO-YLF) will be held July 18-22, 2023
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The Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is a unique career leadership-training program for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 – 21. Youth delegates are selected from their local communities to cultivate leadership, citizenship, social, and career development skills at this summer program.
For information and application for the Virtual Leadership Forum, click HERE.
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Upcoming MPACT Webinars
Click on the links below to register
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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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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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