Teachers open minds to autism

[Guest guest]

Posted by: " gammicca@... " gammicca@... gammicca

Mon Dec 31, 2007 2:52 pm (PST)

Teachers open minds to autism

EMU to add master's degree

December 27, 2007

BY ROBIN ERB

FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

No one knows for sure how the brain of an autistic child works, but

Ellen Mayle -- the mother of two 12-year-old autistic sons -- thinks

she's got a pretty good idea.

Imagine, she tells her sons' frustrated teachers and principals, that

you're sitting in class and your mouth has been duct-taped shut so

you can't communicate. There's sawdust in your pants so you can't sit

still. And the lights are flipping on and off, scattering your

thoughts.

Hers is a bit of the understanding that Eastern Michigan University

is trying to spread to Michigan's teachers.

Known nationally for its education degrees, EMU might soon begin

offering a master of arts degree in autism spectrum disorders. It

will be one of a growing number of programs that teach educators how

to communicate better with autistic students. EMU and several other

universities have offered 18 hours in online courses for students

working toward an endorsement -- essentially certifying that they had

special training -- in autism. Oakland University also has a master's

program in autism.

EMU's new program will demand at least 39 credit hours geared toward

teaching autistic students, and a graduate's thesis must focus on

autism.

In a state with a critical shortfall of special-education teachers,

that's welcome news, said Mayle, who, like other parents, laments

that she's had to fight understaffed and overloaded education systems

at times to get services for autistic children.

" If parents don't advocate, those kids just get thrown away, " said

Mayle of Fowlerville.

Part of the problem is a lack of awareness of how wide-ranging autism

spectrum disorder is, said Sally Burton-Hoyle, assistant professor of

special education at EMU.

Formerly the executive director of the Autism Society of Michigan,

Burton-Hoyle was hired by EMU in 2006 to develop its autism program.

According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention earlier this year, 1 in 150 children have some variation

of the disorder -- from those who are low-functioning and can't

communicate verbally to those with a high IQ whose autism makes them

socially awkward.

Higher education is grappling with how best to train teachers not

only to understand but to educate those students, said Pratt,

board chairman of the Autism Society of America.

Certainly, there's a lack of resources and funding in schools. But

basic awareness is a first step, and that doesn't cost much, Burton-

Hoyle said.

For teachers, it means understanding that autistic children often

need tangible learning cues -- a masking-tape strip on the floor to

show them where to line up, or color-coded bins to organize their

day, for example. It's realizing that some students can be

overwhelmed by a simple distraction -- the hiss of a fluorescent

light, the smell from a cafeteria.

When Anne 's autistic son, , started at a new school

a few years ago, he felt comfort in carrying a Disney videotape

around with him.

couldn't explain the relief the video gave to him; no one

could. But the Brighton mother knew this: carrying the tape muted the

anxiety that could send him into a raging tantrum.

But staff took the tape away, and 's calm dissolved.

" Why take the tape? " asked staff. She was told her son

didn't need it.

" They didn't understand, " she said. " He did need it. "

A review committee of the President's Council, State Universities of

Michigan has signed off on the degree. Should EMU's regents give

approval at their January meeting, the university will begin offering

the degree immediately.

Contact ROBIN ERB at or rerb@....