Classroom aids for autism

A cluster of preschoolers sat on miniature chairs yesterday at the UW's Experimental Education Unit (EEU). After a snack of cookies and juice, the children dispersed to play with oversized Legos. One of the three autistic boys in the class jumped on a little trampoline in the courtyard.

Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism) incorporates 16 autistic children into classes at the College of Education's EEU. The autistic children in the EEU's extended-day preschool program are immersed with other children -- both with and without disabilities.

Frequently, a class of 16 children will have one teacher, two graduate-student assistant teachers, two aides and a speech therapist.

The teachers use even snack time as a learning device to help autistic children with food sensitivities and to emphasize social interaction by assigning children roles in passing out snacks.

Yesterday, three-year-old Timmy Yeh chewed on some graham crackers and sipped milk during snack time. His teacher, Crista Scott, is helping Yeh learn to eat at school by bringing in foods he enjoys at home.

Ilene Schwartz, director of Project DATA, highlighted the components of effective autism programs at a luncheon yesterday titled, "Autism Treated with Integration and Innovation in Model Classrooms," held at the Waterfront Activities Center.

The College of Education hosted the luncheon to highlight its discoveries about teaching children with autism.

"Autism rates have increased dramatically," said Schwartz.

Consistency at school and at home is Schwartz's number-one recommendation for helping children with autism. Keeping routines and guidelines as similar as possible helps autistic children -- who frequently lack flexibility -- stay on track.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as many as one in 500 children may have autism.

"When I was in college, although that was many years ago, we talked about three to five in 10,000. So it's a huge increase," said Schwartz.

Autism is a neurobehavioral disorder that typically begins to affect children between 18 and 36 months of age. The disorder causes difficulties with social skills and communication as well as behavioral restrictions. Children with autism may have a hard time making friends, enjoying being hugged, developing their ability to speak and tolerating changes. People with autism may also have cognitive delays.

"We do know that autism has a strong genetic component," said Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW autism research team. "We are trying to discover the genes that would make a child more susceptible to having autism and the environmental factors that might contribute as well."

Studies have yet to conclusively determine the causes of autism. The disease is four times more likely to occur in boys than in girls, according to the National Institute on Mental Health. There does seem to be a genetic predisposition to the disease if other members of a family are diagnosed autistic.

Researchers refer to autism as a "spectrum disorder," meaning that each person with autism will exhibit a range of symptoms with varying severity. Textures of clothing may frustrate some while others may find everyday sounds painful to bear. Autistic people might dislike being touched or be unable to carry on a conversation.

"There's no one typical child with autism," said Schwartz. "You can't say, 'Here, take a pill and it will get better.' Everything about autism is based on impressions."

Schools are the primary treatment location for children with autism. Children who are identified and treated at an earlier age may do better than those who go without treatment.

Project DATA offers classroom time and instruction to 16 autistic toddlers and preschoolers. The program also provides technical and social support for their families. Classroom instruction focuses on social interaction, communication skills and play that address the specific needs of autistic children, along with the typical preschool curriculum.

"One of the things we try really hard to teach kids with autism is the importance of that interaction," said Schwartz. "The social part becomes a domain we have to teach just like math or social studies."

He said children with autism may get more visual support during lessons with pictures and may receive some individualized instruction. Other children fill the classroom with noise, energy and play. The classrooms frequently have a mix of autistic kids along with disabled children and some non-disabled children, according to Christopher Matsumoto, assistant principal of the EEU.

"We really try to use very similar techniques with all the kids in the classrooms," he said.

The idea behind Project DATA is to develop a teaching model for other school districts to implement, according to Bonnie McBride, a research scientist with the Professional Development in Autism Center. By bringing school districts and the public to the EEU to view Project DATA's techniques, McBride and Schwartz hope that schools across the country can improve their abilities to teach autistic children.

"We try to create a classroom where everyone is an equal member of that classroom," said Jennifer Annable, principal of the EEU.

During gym, non-disabled and autistic children tossed beanbags and rolled on mats. One autistic four-year-old, Aden Barker, slowly traversed the gym floor on a blue plastic scooter -- with the help of an aide -- to develop motor skills and learn direction.