Community Health Mid America April 2012 : Page 36

Lesson Plan A Better As teachers discover more about students with autism, they develop methods to help children learn in their own ways, at their own pace BY MINA BLOOM When Judy Blake would drop off her preschool-age son, Ryan, at school each morning, she would kiss him on the cheek and wish him well. Within an hour, though, Blake would be back at school to pick up the boy. They would eat lunch in the car while driving several miles to a private school for afternoon classes. “I was going through a tank of gas every few days. None of these schools is around the corner—that would’ve been too easy,” says the Houston resident. But she made the daily trek to try to provide the best instruction for both her sons, who, at a young age, were diagnosed with autism, among many other behavioral disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipo-lar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 36 APRIL 2012 CO M M U N I T Y H E A L T H

A Better Lesson Plan

Mina Bloom

As teachers discover more about students with autism, they develop methods to help children learn in their own ways, at their own pace When Judy Blake would drop off her preschool-age son, Ryan, at school each morning, she would kiss him on the cheek and wish him well. Within an hour, though, Blake would be back at school to pick up the boy. They would eat lunch in the car while driving several miles to a private school for afternoon classes. “I was going through a tank of gas every few days. None of these schools is around the corner—that would’ve been too easy,” says the Houston resident. But she made the daily trek to try to provide the best instruction for both her sons, who, at a young age, were diagnosed with autism, among many other behavioral disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Blake’s eldest son, Jason, attended more than four institutions from preschool through third grade, an unfortunate school-hopping she says was caused by bullying, sub-par special education teachers, and a lack of progress in Jason’s academic and social development. This family’s experience is far from unique. According to Autism Speaks, one of the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organizations, one in 110 children and one in 70 boys is affected by autism spectrum disorder. It is considered the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. So more families than ever before are struggling to cope with how best to educate their kids. Understand the learner While we know all children learn differently, children with ASD face additional obstacles because of the way they relate to the world. According Dr. Michelle Rowe, executive director for The Kinney Center For Autism Education and Support in Philadelphia, teachers not only educate their students, but they also help them develop social skills. “A big part of what teachers do is deal with behaviors. Autism adds a lot of challenging behaviors,” she says. “Teachers are usually either really good at that, or not so good at it. There isn’t much middle ground.” For 19 years, Shannon Dipple has taught kids from second to eighth grades, everywhere from Ohio to Kuwait. Throughout her career, she has taught many children diagnosed with ASD. Dipple now teaches second grade at a school in suburban Ohio, and runs Primary-Education-Oasis.com, a resource for educators. “My role is to be the ‘information gatherer,’ and implement interventions to rule out other things; progress both academics and behavior; and then pull it all together with the school psychologist, special education coordinator, aide and principal,” says Dipple. Among Dipple’s students with ASD is Sam, who has mild autism and ADHD. Sam is very bright, but much of his kindergarten and first-grade years were spent acting out, screaming in the hallways, and ultimately having to be removed from the classroom, says Dipple. When Sam’s mother finally understood how much help Sam required, she worked with Dipple to create an individualized education plan, a curriculm of sorts uniquely crafted to address Sam’s needs. “Things are much better for Sam this year due to having the right medication and services, but the challenges as a teacher are tremendous,” Dipple says. Sam is responsible for daily morning tasks, such as giving Dipple a headcount for lunch, changing the classroom calendar and sharpening pencils. These tasks ground him for the day, and a silent timer on his desk helps him gauge how much time is left. Other normalizing routines include having a usual spot for “read aloud” and group time, and wearing a weighted vest—which helps some children with sensory disorders—for 20 to 30 minutes. If Dipple can’t get Sam to calm down, he takes a break with his occupational therapist in the school’s Sensory Room. Beyond behavior challenges, Sam suffers socially. While classmates play together, Sam can often be found alone. Often during class time, he asks inappropriate questions, and doesn’t wait his turn to speak or listen to his peers. Dipple says teaching Sam these social skills within the classroom setting is enormously difficult. “Right now, the biggest struggle is working with him on how to interact appropriately with his peers,” she says. “Whatever pops into his head he has to say, and this is a life skill he needs to learn.” Growing awareness in schools As the general public and experts understand more about autism, support of autistic students has improved, even if only in incremental upgrades, says Rowe. Part of The Kinney Center’s mission is to provide education and research opportunities for teachers and professionals, to improve opportunities, outcomes, quality of life and best practices for people with autism spectrum disorders. Rowe says as more classroom desks are filled by children with ASD, teachers have more knowledge and confidence to educate them. “Years ago, (teachers) only saw one kid once in a while,” she says. “Now there’s a sense of, ‘We can manage these students,’ as opposed to, ‘We can send them elsewhere.’” Eric Peacock is founder and CEO of the newly launched social networking site MyAutismTeam.com, a website directory of professionals who provide services to people with ASD. Peacock echoes Rowe’s sentiment, and says a growing body of evidence creates more direction about how best to educate these children. “School systems have gotten better at handling autistic kids than they were 10 years ago, and certainly better than 20 years ago,” Peacock says. “Over time, as more school districts and government agencies are educated about what autism is, what the needs of the children are, and what therapies have been proven to help them, they start to figure out ways to support their needs.” Special kids, special teachers Special education teachers stand on the front lines every day, fighting to make sure these children, like all children, have the best possible chance to learn and develop into successful adults. While special education teachers once seemed like a luxury afforded to only the wealthiest school districts, the U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of special teachers is expected to increase 17% from 2008 to 2018, a faster rate than the average for all other jobs. As ASD continues to affect more children, schools recognize the significantly greater impact of an educator trained to address the needs of a specific type of student. When you talk to parents, it’s clear they see teachers as the lynchpins of success. “There’s no such thing as a good or bad school or district,” says Blake. “It’s the teachers who matter.” Judith Gallante-Hooper has worked as a special education teacher and supervisor of curriculum and instruction at Mundo Pato in Portland, Ore., for more than 25 years. She says the most vital approach for special education teachers is one in which they expect every child—regardless of challenges—to be independent and responsible for their academic and behavioral success. “I want to see students proud of themselves because they learned to do something, rather than have someone do it for them,” says Gallante-Hooper. Special education teachers, perhaps even more so than other teachers, must offer a truly individualized educational approach for each student. This bond is so crucial, families may uproot their lives in search of it. Rowe says parents will often move to another state after hearing about the work of fantastic special education teachers. Individualized education plans MyAutismTeam launched in June 2010 with only 30 parent users, and now boasts more than 18,000 parent users across the country. These parents trade ideas and opinions about autism, and one topic lighting up the message boards is individualized education plans. Many doctors and educators believe IEPs are invaluable for kids with disabilities. To set up an IEP, the teacher, a social worker and parents discuss an education plan that specifically addresses the child’s developmental needs. It’s a way to coordinate speech, cognitive and behavioral therapies, help from an aide, and other services the child needs. The initial meeting identifies needs, and implements researchbased interventions—actions educators can take to adjust behavior. Once the IEP is set, the teacher notes behavioral triggers and their frequency on a daily basis, Dipple says. If the IEP, or parts of it, seem ineffective, the plan is re-evaluated. Detailed IEPs are the most successful, Dipple says, and should offer specific details about the intervention, who will provide the intervention, and what behavior modifications are crucial for a child’s success in the classroom. Depending on the severity of a child’s disorder, they are either taught in the classroom with other students—called “inclusion”— or work one-on-one with therapists and a special education aide. Or, the child may do a bit of both. Kids might be mainstreamed in classes such as physical education and music, and get individual instruction from a special education teacher a few times a week. These plans vary on a case-by-case basis, allowing parents and educators to tailor education to the child. Dipple says many teachers think children with autism need interaction with their peers to learn acceptable behaviors. Teachers often want autistic children to work on the same tasks as their classmates, with slight modifications. “Instead of writing a journal entry, the child could use sentence frames or assistive technology or a keyboard to write,” she says. “Same subject, but adjusted for success.”

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