Bradley sits on the carpet lining up the
small toy cars in a precise line in the play
area of his preschool classroom. He
seemingly ignores other students who are
near him but when one child moves a car or
gets in his path he screams and jumps up and
down until it is put back into place. He
appears to ignore his teacher calling him to
come over to the group. When escorted over
he needs much coaxing to leave his toys and
join the others. When the teacher turns on
music, he covers his ears, cries and leaves
the area. He drags the teacher over to the
cupboard and puts her hand on the handle,
never saying a word. She asks him what he
wants and when she does not understand his
intent Bradley cries and drops to the floor.
What it is
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a
neurological disorder that affects a
person’s ability to communicate, to reason,
to interact socially with others and
modulate sensory information. It affects
each individual in varying degrees making it
a spectrum disorder. Other disabilities may
accompany ASD. The Autism Society of America
lists common behaviors of students with ASD
; little or no eye contact, severe language
deficits, sustained odd play, insistence on
sameness, non-responsive to verbal cues,
uneven development in gross, fine and
academic skills, physical over or under
activity, aloof manner; difficulty mixing
with others and language may be echolalic
(repeats words), over or under sensitivity
to pain and have difficulty expressing
needs.
Student
Eligibility
To
identify a student with Autism Spectrum
Disorder, a multidisciplinary team must
evaluate the student. This team includes a
psychologist, social worker, speech and
language pathologist and the parents.
Through testing, observation, interviews and
parent contribution the multidisciplinary
team determines if the child meets the
eligibility requirements outlined for Autism
Spectrum Disorder. The three main categories
are impairment in reciprocal social
interactions, communication and restricted,
repetitive or stereotypic behaviors.
Services
Available
An
Individual Educational Plan (IEP) which
outlines educational needs, annual goals and
supplementary aids and services, is
developed to meet the individual needs of
each student. For students impacted most
severely by ASD and need intense
intervention strategies, the MISD provides
AI classrooms for students ages 3-26 years.
The MISD programs provide communication and
social interaction instruction as well as
development of academic, adaptive and
community skills.
Some students with ASD are supported in
general education classrooms, resource rooms
or special education classes in their local
school districts. MISD teacher consultants
specializing in strategies for students with
ASD assist local district staffs in
classroom strategies and provide additional
training and autism awareness to teachers,
paraprofessionals and general education
students.
Program
Location
The
Autism Program office is at Bozymowski
Center for Education in Sterling Heights.
At
the elementary level the AI classrooms are
in local school buildings around Macomb
County. At middle and high school, the
classrooms are in local school buildings and
center programs. Placement is based on
educational needs and district of residence.
Where can I
get more information?
Additional information about testing
procedures, available services, program
design,-in fact, anything you may be curious
about, is available from your local school
district Department of Special Education.
Further information on Autism Spectrum
Disorder is available at Autism Society of
America ,
www.autismsociety.org or The Macomb/St.Clair
County Chapter of the Autism Society of
America
www.macombasa.org .
