Post by wvhsparent on Aug 1, 2008 18:56:58 GMT -5
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-autism-teachers-both-01aug01,0,224516.story
Teachers get lesson in how to work with students with autism
Creativity, problem-solving skills in high demand
By Mary Ann Fergus
Chicago Tribune reporter
11:47 PM CDT, July 31, 2008
Sam Felde, a slight, red-haired 8-year-old with autism, became frustrated as he sorted plastic silverware into cups as part of a teacher training session.
Annoyed, Sam cried, kicked and flailed his arms.
But before the boy's tantrum spiraled out of control, instructor Adam Knoerr deftly calmed him down as a handful of teachers watched and took notes. Most important, Knoerr made sure that Sam, still crying, checked off his schedule to show he was finished with his lesson before taking a break.
"You can end on a good note rather than allowing them to escalate to a point of no return," explained Knoerr, an autism expert with the Mt. Prospect-based Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization.
Knoerr and others led an intense training program recently that let teachers test newly learned skills and strategies on children of various ages with autism. The weeklong session at an Arlington Heights elementary school emphasized the importance of problem-solving skills, creativity and designing a structured schedule and environment.
Such strategies are in high demand. As the number of children diagnosed with the neurological disorder continues to rise—one in 150 children in the U.S. is now diagnosed with autism—teachers will be challenged more often, experts say. Children with autism don't always respond to normal teaching methods and verbal cues. They might throw tantrums, repeat words or phrases, become obsessed with a particular object and have difficulty interacting with other students.
"We love these kids. That's why we do this work," said Kathy Gould, director of the Illinois Autism Training and Technical Assistance Project. "But they're tough and they can be really tough until we figure out what works."
Each summer, Gould's group offers statewide training sessions such as the one in Arlington Heights. The training is intended to help teachers improve their skills, but it also helps them prevent the frustrations often encountered in teaching children with autism, she said.
Last fall, a Schaumburg junior high school teacher was accused of shoving one boy with autism into a metal cabinet and tying another to a chair with a jump rope. Patrick E. McCarthy, 31, a teacher at Frost Junior High School, was indicted on three counts of aggravated battery and one count of unlawful restraint. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Teachers have become more aware and educated about autism in the last decade, but most schools still don't go beyond offering their staff minimal training in the disorder, said Highland Park lawyer Mary "Micki" Moran, who says she has handled more than 1,200 cases on behalf of parents wanting better educational services for children with autism.
"I will tell you that becomes a very big contention in all the cases I do," Moran said. "These kids require [teachers with] very sophisticated training and constant updating of their skills. If you get a half-day seminar on autism, or even a three-day seminar on autism, you haven't even begun to [learn how to] educate these kids."
Illinois public schools now serve about 12,000 students identified as having autism spectrum disorder, compared with about 2,300 in 1997, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Meanwhile, the annual budget for Gould's organization has hovered at about $830,000 for the last three years, and much of that comes from federal funds.
In the last decade, only about 10 percent of the state's schools have had access to the summer training sessions.
Teachers in Illinois are not required to have special expertise or certification to teach students with autism.
Florida, by contrast, is among several states that mandate specific training for teachers who work with children with the disorder.
Illinois doesn't require such training for special-education teachers because the state believes they should be able to teach and support children with different types of disabilities.
"We have to find that fine balance between providing specific training and tacitly supporting segregating students," said Barbara Sims, who oversees several training projects for the state board.Sarah Mendoza, a special-education teacher in Wheeling-based Community Consolidated School District 21, played the role of lead teacher with Sam during the training session. She conceded she was anxious, but remained calm during his outburst and brought him back to his desk for another lesson.
Children with autism often are visual learners, and Mendoza and her colleagues soon developed a better way for Sam to see his progress as he sorted the silverware. He later happily put knives, forks and spoons into three separate bowls.
"It was good to see that really, he's got the skills, he's got the ability," Mendoza said. "It's how we tap into it that matters."
Michelle Felde, Sam's mother, is a special-education teacher. She credits much of her son's progress to teachers at Patton Elementary in Arlington Heights School District 25 who have participated in the state training sessions.
Sam, she said, has become more skilled at doing tasks assigned to him.
"His day is not full of tantrums and unexpected events," she said. "It's time consuming and a lot of work but then when you see them be successful, it's satisfying for the teacher and the student."
mfergus@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Teachers get lesson in how to work with students with autism
Creativity, problem-solving skills in high demand
By Mary Ann Fergus
Chicago Tribune reporter
11:47 PM CDT, July 31, 2008
Sam Felde, a slight, red-haired 8-year-old with autism, became frustrated as he sorted plastic silverware into cups as part of a teacher training session.
Annoyed, Sam cried, kicked and flailed his arms.
But before the boy's tantrum spiraled out of control, instructor Adam Knoerr deftly calmed him down as a handful of teachers watched and took notes. Most important, Knoerr made sure that Sam, still crying, checked off his schedule to show he was finished with his lesson before taking a break.
"You can end on a good note rather than allowing them to escalate to a point of no return," explained Knoerr, an autism expert with the Mt. Prospect-based Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization.
Knoerr and others led an intense training program recently that let teachers test newly learned skills and strategies on children of various ages with autism. The weeklong session at an Arlington Heights elementary school emphasized the importance of problem-solving skills, creativity and designing a structured schedule and environment.
Such strategies are in high demand. As the number of children diagnosed with the neurological disorder continues to rise—one in 150 children in the U.S. is now diagnosed with autism—teachers will be challenged more often, experts say. Children with autism don't always respond to normal teaching methods and verbal cues. They might throw tantrums, repeat words or phrases, become obsessed with a particular object and have difficulty interacting with other students.
"We love these kids. That's why we do this work," said Kathy Gould, director of the Illinois Autism Training and Technical Assistance Project. "But they're tough and they can be really tough until we figure out what works."
Each summer, Gould's group offers statewide training sessions such as the one in Arlington Heights. The training is intended to help teachers improve their skills, but it also helps them prevent the frustrations often encountered in teaching children with autism, she said.
Last fall, a Schaumburg junior high school teacher was accused of shoving one boy with autism into a metal cabinet and tying another to a chair with a jump rope. Patrick E. McCarthy, 31, a teacher at Frost Junior High School, was indicted on three counts of aggravated battery and one count of unlawful restraint. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Teachers have become more aware and educated about autism in the last decade, but most schools still don't go beyond offering their staff minimal training in the disorder, said Highland Park lawyer Mary "Micki" Moran, who says she has handled more than 1,200 cases on behalf of parents wanting better educational services for children with autism.
"I will tell you that becomes a very big contention in all the cases I do," Moran said. "These kids require [teachers with] very sophisticated training and constant updating of their skills. If you get a half-day seminar on autism, or even a three-day seminar on autism, you haven't even begun to [learn how to] educate these kids."
Illinois public schools now serve about 12,000 students identified as having autism spectrum disorder, compared with about 2,300 in 1997, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Meanwhile, the annual budget for Gould's organization has hovered at about $830,000 for the last three years, and much of that comes from federal funds.
In the last decade, only about 10 percent of the state's schools have had access to the summer training sessions.
Teachers in Illinois are not required to have special expertise or certification to teach students with autism.
Florida, by contrast, is among several states that mandate specific training for teachers who work with children with the disorder.
Illinois doesn't require such training for special-education teachers because the state believes they should be able to teach and support children with different types of disabilities.
"We have to find that fine balance between providing specific training and tacitly supporting segregating students," said Barbara Sims, who oversees several training projects for the state board.Sarah Mendoza, a special-education teacher in Wheeling-based Community Consolidated School District 21, played the role of lead teacher with Sam during the training session. She conceded she was anxious, but remained calm during his outburst and brought him back to his desk for another lesson.
Children with autism often are visual learners, and Mendoza and her colleagues soon developed a better way for Sam to see his progress as he sorted the silverware. He later happily put knives, forks and spoons into three separate bowls.
"It was good to see that really, he's got the skills, he's got the ability," Mendoza said. "It's how we tap into it that matters."
Michelle Felde, Sam's mother, is a special-education teacher. She credits much of her son's progress to teachers at Patton Elementary in Arlington Heights School District 25 who have participated in the state training sessions.
Sam, she said, has become more skilled at doing tasks assigned to him.
"His day is not full of tantrums and unexpected events," she said. "It's time consuming and a lot of work but then when you see them be successful, it's satisfying for the teacher and the student."
mfergus@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune