Educators Are Building Capacity in Their Work With Autistic Students

INDIANAPOLIS – Teachers, teaching assistants, autism consultants, school administrators, psychologists and other school-based personnel are spending their summer indoors working alongside Riley Hospital for Children autism professionals and learning how to work more effectively with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by shadowing and being coached while working directly with ASD students.


The HANDS in Autism program, the outreach and training component of the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center (CSATC) at Riley Hospital, is offering the final of three week-long training sessions for practicing education professionals to help them develop a broader range of skills and techniques for instructing autistic students. Participants are learning specific skills that can be used in the classroom and the process of determining which skills and materials are most appropriate for each student. Additionally, they are being taught the process of individualizing the environment, materials and instruction for each student's needs.


"The training sessions offer participants an opportunity to learn how to organize and manage their classrooms and learning environments, as well as develop appropriate programming based on evidence-based practices to individualize for students and help them to reach their full academic potential," said Naomi B. Swiezy, PhD, clinical director, Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center, and associate professor of clinical psychology in clinical psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine. "Participants are learning strategies through unique hands-on experiences inclusive of working directly with students at our training classroom. Through this experience, participants not only increase their knowledge base, but they also have the opportunity to practice the principles taught directly with students and with immediate feedback from HANDS trainers."


Educators from MSD of Wayne Township and MSD of Perry Township (Indianapolis), Indianapolis Public Schools, Brownsburg Community Schools, and other more remote districts from the northern and southern portions of the state, are participating in the summer training program subsidized by the Indiana Department of Education, Center for Exceptional Learners.


"Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities in the United States. Autism is very complex and encompasses a wide spectrum of behaviors and skills in the areas of socialization, communication and repetitive interests or activities," continued Dr. Swiezy.


In February 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report and concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 150 American children. Recent statistics also indicate that the autism rate in Indiana may be as much as 1 in every 101 children. Autism is also four times more common in boys than girls.


Beyond this unique summer training experience, the HANDS in Autism program has also been collaborating with IPS Rousseau McClellan School #91 since 2006 to develop a demonstration classroom site that can be a hub of observation and training for the IPS district. HANDS trainers coach and mentor the staff in the natural classroom setting multiple times a week in this partnership.


Added Dr. Swiezy, "This unique opportunity has enabled the school and district to build local capacity in their work with children with an ASD, develop a broader system for observation, training and educational opportunities for others within the district, as well as apply the skills to other children with a developmental disability. In addition, this project has also enabled the growth of a partnership between medical, educational, and home/community systems, a core mission of the HANDS program."



Tags : Health, Education

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