Article re Direct Instruction for autism

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DIRECT INSTRUCTION HELPS AUTISTIC CHILD COMMUNICATE

WITH PARENTS and PERFORM ON GRADE-LEVEL

Guilford County Schools Reach Exceptional Children Through Direct Instruction

Programs

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Direct Instruction, a reading program from publisher

SRA/McGraw-Hill that is used in the Guilford County Schools, is helping an

autistic student learn to read and better communicate with his parents.

Porter Juneau's son Riley attends Global Studies Magnet Elementary

School within the district. Severe speech apraxia, compounded by autism, made

verbal expression a challenge for him. Juneau explained that the Direct

Instruction program Reading Mastery has given Riley another way to communicate.

" This curriculum has opened the door for Riley to read and write. Using a

keyboard appears to be the first truly comfortable way he has found to express

himself. Reading the words Riley types with his keyboard tells us so much more

than hearing them ever could, " Juneau said. " Through the gift of his literacy,

we have been able to learn so much about him - like just how bright he really

is. "

An Educational Transformation

This transformation is truly exceptional. When Riley was first diagnosed with a

rare condition affecting his eye movements, autism, and speech apraxia, Juneau

and her husband worried how he would get by in school. " I remember how torn we

felt when the time neared to decide on Riley's Kindergarten placement, " Juneau

explained. " Would he be able to follow the curriculum? How would he handle the

structure? Would he be overwhelmed? Never in a million years did we imagine

that, within weeks of beginning Kindergarten and his Reading Mastery program,

Riley would be writing his name perfectly, sounding out beginner books, and

asking us how to spell everything. Not only was he getting it, he was loving

it, " she said.

Juneau added, " Riley's reading development ushered in a confidence we had never

before seen in him. Almost two years later, Riley is a thriving first-grader who

is right on par with the other kids in his inclusive classroom. With its

structure, clarity, and flexible pacing, the Reading Mastery program has been an

ideal match for Riley's learning style. "

" Reading Mastery has done more than just help our son become a confident and

enthusiastic reader. It has enabled Riley to spend most of his school day in an

inclusive regular education classroom, among his peers who love and embrace

him, " she said.

Program-wide Success

Reading Mastery is just one of the Direct Instruction programs used by the

district's Exceptional Children department, lead by Betty Anne Chandler.

Chandler praises Adina Mandikos and Rona s, program administrators for

Exceptional Children Instructional Support, for leading the way in using Direct

Instruction programs in the special education classrooms.

Deborah Blackwell, a resource teacher at Gillespie Park Elementary School uses

the Direct Instruction program Corrective Reading.

" I cannot speak highly enough of Corrective Reading. After two months, we had

teachers saying they not only see progress in reading, but also in writing.

Students themselves are praising their new ability to read, " Blackwell said.

Blackwell added, the special education students have always enjoyed the resource

program, but now students are running to get to class. " We can't find the words

to express our gratitude, " Blackwell continued. " Out of my 17 years teaching, I

have not found another program for reading that can make such a difference. "

About Direct Instruction

Direct Instruction is a scripted teaching method based on more than 30 years of

research and pioneered by Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s. Now it is used in

classrooms of all types throughout the world, with students ranging from those

with learning difficulties to very bright students.

According to the publisher, Direct Instruction's programs are based on two

beliefs: All children can learn regardless of their learning histories, and all

teachers can be successful when given effective materials and presentation

techniques. These programs have been proven to work even when other programs

fail. They provide a structured learning process that helps students learn " how

to learn " while they build specific skills in reading, math, spelling, and

language arts. Today, more than 1 million students in a third of the country's

schools use a Direct Instruction program.