Free autism screenings available

By KIM BARTO - Bulletin Staff Writer

Both the Henry County and Martinsville school divisions can arrange free autism screenings for young children if parents have concerns.

The schools offer therapy services starting as young as 2, with preschool at age 3.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impairing a person’s ability to communicate and interact with other people.

Parents should watch for signs such as a child who does not babble or make sounds by 12 months, has no words by age 2 and does not interact, reach up to be held or respond to his or her name.

“If you catch them early, it makes a difference,” said Jeanne Westphalen, educational diagnostician and special education instructional coordinator for Martinsville Schools. “When they get several years of intensive preschool, it’s so much better.”

For children younger than 3, the Piedmont Regional Infant-Parent Program through Piedmont Community Services offers early intervention for children with developmental delays from birth.

“The question is, what do we need to do about that 2-year-old population, because they’re coming to us earlier and earlier,” said Rebecca Wells, special education director for Henry County Schools.

One challenge for educators is that the symptoms and needs of every child with autism are different.

With some students, especially those with high-functioning Asperger syndrome, “you wouldn’t pick them out as autistic,” Westphalen said. “You can have somebody who is very interactive, but stands a little too close to you and wants to talk to you about baseball over and over but is otherwise functioning.”

Some students have additional disorders on top of autism, such as bipolar or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

“There’s not really a typical autistic child. Each has different cognitive levels,” Wells said. “It makes designing a one-size-fits-all program impossible.”

Teachers of autistic students have to be “very compassionate,” with “a good understanding of how kids learn differently,” she said.

“Teachers need to have patience beyond Job,” said Paulette Simington, special education director for Martinsville Schools. Because children with autism have a hard time communicating, “it takes a lot of hard work to figure out what they need.”

Teachers use a variety of techniques to teach children social skills and self-sufficiency. The goal in both school divisions is to get students to the point where they can be mainstreamed instead of staying in special education classes.

Children who do not talk can be taught to use the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), pointing to pictures to express what they want.

“Once you get them to recognize PECS symbols ... it can be so helpful if you start it early,” Wells said.

And better ability to communicate can improve behavior.

“A lot of these behavior problems stem from frustration,” Westphalen said. “Imagine what it’s like if nobody ever knows what you want. You’re going to see tantrums.”

Students with autism tend to be visual learners, so using a picture schedule in class helps make transitions easier. Many children on the spectrum “hate transitions,” Westphalen said.

One technique for learning self-care is discrete trial instruction, which is “breaking a huge task into teeny-tiny steps,” Westphalen said.

For example, to teach a child to put on a sock by herself, the teacher first guides the child to pick up the sock and then practices that step over and over. Then the child is taught to bring the sock close to her foot, and so on, repeating each step until it becomes ingrained.

Discrete trial instruction falls under the umbrella of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, which uses positive reinforcement and lots of repetition to build social skills.

“ABA is the single intervention for which we have clear, evidence-based research that it works” for children with autism, said Dr. Susan Anderson, a developmental pediatrician at the University of Virginia.

However, the therapy is time-consuming and requires one-on-one attention from someone trained in the technique.

“It’s hard on parents ... because the things we know right now that work cost a lot,” Westphalen said. “With ABA, you’re looking at one-on-one, but think of the funding required to provide a teacher for each one of those 14 kids.”

For the greatest chance of success with autistic children, “Most doctors would recommend 24/7 intervention, because repetition is what it takes to reprogram their brains,” said Sharon Bushnell, case manager for the Piedmont Regional Infant/Parent Program at PCS.

“School systems are doing the best they can with the resources they have available, but resources are limited across the board,” Bushnell said. “U.Va. would recommend far more than what we can do, which is very frustrating.”

Schools are required to provide post-secondary services for special-needs students until age 21.

“We do transition with our students when they leave high school,” Wells said. “We will work to match up their needs with their interests.”

This means helping former students find employment, if possible, in an area that interests them and plays to their strengths.

“If they’re into something, that’s where they go,” Simington said. “If they have issues getting along with people, they will be more successful in a job where they don’t have to interact with a lot of people.”

Source: http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/...e.cfm?ID=17686

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