Students aiding autistic classmate :-)

May 9, 2003

Hi all --

This story is about a little boy and his school in a nearby county . . .

sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

-BJ in polis, MD

<<<<

GAZETTE

Students aiding autistic classmate

by Singer-Bart

Staff Writer May 7, 2003

Max Wingo, 9, moved to Damascus during the summer and entered second grade

at Damascus Elementary School in September.This is Wingo's first experience

in

a normal classroom -- he is autistic.

" I never worked with a person like Max, " said classmate Kimmy Hahr. " [On the

first day of school] he came over and hugged me. "

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects the functioning of

the brain, according to the Autism Society of America. Children with autism

do not see, hear or feel things in the same way as other children. They have

difficulty communicating verbally and non-verbally and difficulty with

social interactions, according to the Autism Society.

The cause of autism is unknown. It affects an estimated 2 to 6 out of every

1,000 individuals, only a few of whom exhibit the exceptional qualities

portrayed in the movie " Rainman. "

" Having autism is like living in a foreign country where you don't know the

language, " according to a pamphlet for children written by the Montgomery

County Chapter of the Autism Society of America.

Lindo Wingo looked at the program at Damascus Elementary School before

moving to the area and was pleased the school includes special needs children

in

regular classes.

" I could envision Max there, " she said. " A big concern of mine is some

parents might not want any child there with disabilities. They've been doing

it at Damascus so long, it's a well known fact. "

In the second week of school, students formed Max's Special Friends Club to

help Wingo become a Damascus Dragon. The club is a way to introduce the

school and expected behavior to Wingo and to introduce him to his

classmates.

" The social acceptance is the biggest piece to all of this, " said teacher

Vogel. " Teaching kids this young to accept somebody different will have

perspective to add to the school and the community. ... Students are genuine

in their affection [for Wingo]. "

Eleven of the 24 children in the class joined Max's Special Friends Club.

They take turns helping Wingo with his morning work, helping him order

lunch, eating lunch with him, playing with him on the playground and helping

him

write a note to his parents telling them about his school day.

Next week Wingo and the children in Max's Special Friends Club will receive

an award from the Montgomery County Chapter PTA Special Needs Committee for

being outstanding students for their efforts on behalf of a student with

special needs. Wingo, Max's mother, nominated them for the award.

" Kids at this age aren't afraid of kids that are different, " said Principal

Tom Kranz. " They're just another child. They adapt and go on. "

Damascus has a lot of students with special needs. The school tries to

include them in the regular classrooms as much as possible for the benefit

of all students.

" The reality is they're going to be in the real world with regular people, "

Kranz said. " One of the things that continues to amaze me is the amount of

growth we see them make. ... That's a nice surprise. "

Like many autistic children, Wingo does not speak.

" Early in the year we talked about Max, how he shows his frustrations since

he doesn't speak, " Vogel said. " We understand that and learned to ignore

it. "

Wingo has largely stopped pulling his classmates hair when he is frustrated

and spends more time laughing and smiling, Vogel said. His special friends

know the slide is his favorite piece of playground equipment.

" I feel comfortable with him, " said classmate Lucas Bonvilloin. " He makes me

feel that I have a really good friend in school. "

Wingo sits at a desk grouped with three others, like the others in the

class. An aide, Phifer, stands at his side throughout the day. She was

his

aide last year at Germantown Elementary School.

He wears a device around his waist that talks for him. Phifer is teaching

him to push the buttons to say walk, food, drink and bathroom.

The special friends place their hands over his to help him write or they

help him use a stamp pad to mark pictures on a page.

" We ask him how he felt today, he points to a picture, " Hahr said. " And we

ask him where did we go today music or art and ask him what letter he

worked on. "

Special education teacher Beth Watters modifies the second grade curriculum

for Wingo.

" His progress has been tremendous, " Watters said. " He is working at

identifying symbols. He looks and makes a choice when things are important

to him. "

Doerrler sits next to Wingo. He can be disruptive when he makes noises

or moves around, but his aide takes care of the problem, she said.

" I like working with him, " Doerrler said. " He learns how to do things. "

" Sometimes it's a little hard having him in class when we're doing work or

reading and he yells, " said Cheyenne Gardner. " I've never had anyone in my

class like this before. It's really fun playing with him on the slide. "

Max's Special Friends Club meets weekly for lunch with Wingo's mother to

plan activities, assign daily tasks, talk about problems and celebrate their

successes.

One success this year has been in hearing Wingo make his first sound, " moo. "

" You ask, 'What does a cow say,' and he moos, " Doerrler said.

Phifer is trying to work with Wingo to turn moo into a more useful sound,

such as the word " move " to express his annoyance when he wants people to get

out of his way.

" The kids in Max's Special Friends Club are role models for the other

children in the community and their parents should be very proud of them, "

Phifer wrote to the nominating committee. " The children in Max's Special

Friends Club care about Max and want to be around him and like him. "

Wingo is happy in his new school, his mother said. He is learning

appropriate behavior from watching his new friends, she said.

" I think he's come a long way with being able to stand in line and sit

longer, " she said.

One of his special friends invited him to his birthday party the first

time Wingo was ever invited to a party. Knowing his limits, the Wingos

brought

him for five minutes.

" I tried to explain to the parents how much it meant to us, " Wingo said.

At home Wingo is demonstrating more self-control and is able to sit and do a

little homework.

" With Max there's such small steps, " Wingo said. " They're huge to us. "

Watters expects to continue the Special Friends Club as long as Wingo is a

student in the school.

>>>>>>>

May 9, 2003

What a great story!!

Sue

May 9, 2003

wow <tear in eye> is this place for real?

BJ, which county, I'm moving ...

(SAHM in GA)

MSN elizabethloht@...

n 33, mo, no formal dx

Phoebe, 12 weeks