Learning with autismDistrict 88 program is strongly based on research

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- At one of the "work stations" in Sue Kimmel's classroom, paraprofessional Tricia Rewitzer builds a small structure with blocks, then asks a child to build an identical structure.

When her young student seriously complies, Rewitzer checks off the completed task in that day's report sheet; then she promptly moves on to the next task. That task could be recognizing letters, reciting a phone number, or pointing out the animal named in a photo. As Rewitzer moves on through the predictable succession, the checkmarks multiple, marking the small, yet significant triumphs.

Not far away, another child strings Fruit Loops to make an edible bracelet: a green one, two blue ones, then a green one. Kimmel asks the child to continue her work by repeating the pattern; after a couple of false starts, the student completes her project.

In the room's "play" corner, yet another youngster, having correctly matched the picture on a particular toy box, gets out the "accessories" needed to "wash," "dry" and "curl" paraprofessional Peggy Pekrul's hair. The child does so solemnly, imitating, and, it is hoped, eventually generalizing about, a real-life situation.

A third paraprofessional, Judy Ganske, is involved in "sensory" activities with yet another child.

The activities follow a familiar, predictable pattern. Much later, when the children have mastered the many specific tasks and skills, they will try to apply their knowledge to other, less familiar or more ambiguous settings.

Because Kimmel's students, aged 2 to 6, have all been diagnosed with autism, instruction in her classroom relies heavily on a routine schedule. Activities begin and end with rituals. For example, when children complete activities, they drop small tickets into envelopes. The children have more adult direction and fewer open-ended choices. Because some of them are non-verbal, visual cues, such as a picture-based schedule, are also widely used.

Although very different from each other, Kimmel's students share some characteristics. They experience socialization and communication difficulties and may seem locked into repetitive, rigid behaviors.

While autistic people have social, communication, motor and sensory difficulties that affect their behavior in predictable ways, autism is a "spectrum disorder," stresses Deb Peters, Autism Resource Specialist for the River Bend Educational District, who helped set up the program. Some people with autism are high-functioning, with speech and intelligence intact, while others are developmentally delayed, non-verbal, or have serious language problems.

Each of Kimmel's students follows their own educational plan. The children move through the day at their own pace; one-on-one interaction with the teacher is emphasized.

Students do a lot of "independent" work on "foundation" skills -- imitation, paying attention, following directions. Social skills are practiced during play routines.

The ultimate goal is to prepare to successfully learn and get integrated, to the best possible degree, into "regular" classrooms, says Kimmel. When ready, the kids join peers in other programs.

District 88's autism program, with its eight participants, is in its first year. The school board approved the program last March, after reviewing research showing that early intervention dramatically improves autistic people's chances for integration and success both in school and later life. After one to two years of early intervention, 50 percent of autistic children can be mainstreamed, says Peters.

On a pragmatic note, early intervention has been estimated to bring large cost savings to schools and the public, shows research examined by Peters. One study, based on conclusive data from Pennsylvania, shows that intensive intervention programming can result in cost-benefit savings of $60,000 to $70,000 per child to age 22.

District 88's program, developed by a task force that included Peters, Kimmel and several others, is strongly "research-based," says Kimmel. It is also partially modeled after a successful program in Lakeville.

Apart from "work stations," the daily routine includes a visit to the "motor room" where children take turns at physical activities; daily work with an occupational therapist and a speech therapist tailored to each child; and lunch time. Even lunch time is significant, as children use picture cards to communicate, or develop non-existing or emergent vocabulary.

The children are in the program five hours a day, five days a week.

While evaluation may be premature, when comparing the present with early tape recordings of the students, the team that works with the children has observed significant development in skills. This observation is corroborated by outside researchers, who are currently working with one of the children in a research project, Peters notes.