Panel discussions help teachers prepare specialized help for students with autism
April 27, 2009
Two upcoming professional development events will connect education professionals with the parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, as well as autism experts from Lesley University and the Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE).
Dubbed “Focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders,” the speaker series is part fundraiser, raising money for the non-profit AANE through a suggested $10 donation. There is no other fee to attend the talks, which are open to the public.
A Tuesday, May 5 discussion will feature a panel of parents who have served on teams to develop legally mandated Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for children with autism spectrum disorders. A Tuesday, June 2 talk will feature Jean Stern, director of Children’s Services for AANE and Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, core faculty in Lesley’s Graduate Special Education program and Coordinator of the Severe Special Education program. Both discussions run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Amphitheater at University Hall, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass.
Keefe developed the speaker series to bring awareness to the need for increased training for educators working with children with an autism spectrum disorder. The talks will also help educators develop legally mandated IEPs for students in their classrooms with an autism spectrum disorder, which is most commonly autism, Asperger’s syndrome or a pervasive development disorder. In Massachusetts, the incidence of autism spectrum disorders in children is estimated to be 1 in 122, according to a December 2005 report by Advocates for Autism in Massachusetts.
“Children with an ASD present such a unique set of characteristics that they need a specialized IEP,” Keefe said. There’s no one set of methodologies or supports that will help. You can’t just apply a blanket recommendation for a student with an autism spectrum disorder.”
Through an Advanced Professional Certificate offered by the Graduate Special Education program in Lesley University’s School of Education, Keefe promotes a practice-based approach for working with students that emphasizes exploring a number of available methodologies to formulate a unique approach to working with each student diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
“The trend has been out-placements, self contained classrooms, or more recently, over-reliance on a specific teaching methodology or teaching assistants and paraprofessionals to support students with ASD in inclusion settings,” Keefe said. “Educators, in particular general educators, were never expected to know very much about autism spectrum disorders. We have not had specialized training in this area to respond to the need fast enough. With the incidence of ASD so high, if students are to really succeed in the public school environment, we’ve got to be able to build the capacity of all educators, including general educators, to support them.”
Dr. Joe Petner, principal of Cambridge’s Haggerty School from 1989 to 2008 and now an adjunct professor in the PhD program at Lesley, said his teachers faced numerous challenges when working with students with autism spectrum disorders. Petner led Haggerty to embrace a fully inclusive school environment in 1991, six years before the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandated that type of integration.
“My school became the autism capitol of Cambridge because families knew we were interested in these issues,” Petner said. “So I was drawn to Elizabeth’s work at Lesley. It’s sorely needed if we’re going to be successful where we are. There’s an urgency to this that makes it compelling.”
For more information on the May 5 and June 2 discussions, as well as future events and Lesley’s Advanced Professional Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders, contact Keefe at estringe@lesley.edu.