Schools adapt to increase in autistic needs-Portsmouth

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http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03052006/news/90998.htm Schools adapt to increase in autistic needs By Aronson earonson@... PORTSMOUTH - While educators say there has been a slight increase of students with autism in recent years, they say it’s the way city schools teach these children that’s really changed. Twenty years ago, a student with autism, like many students with special needs, would have been in a separate classroom taught by a special education teacher. Autistic students would have had little interaction with peers in regular classrooms. Today, autistic students join peers in regular grade classrooms, a practice known as inclusion. While they may have a paraprofessional to assist them in class or provide additional tutoring, they are no longer separated into a world unto themselves. While inclusion has been shown to benefit autistic students’ academic and social development, it’s proven financially and logistically challenging for city schools. "Inclusion can be expensive," said Beth Setear, special education coordinator for the

elementary schools and the Portsmouth Early Education Program. Setear said self-contained classrooms for special needs students were less expensive because the schools only had to have a few special education teachers, rather than paraprofessionals, for each classroom. Separate programs also meant classroom teachers were not required to know how to teach autistic children. Now, the teachers have to cater lessons to children with a variety of disabilities. "Every child certainly does require a very individualized program," Setear said. Children on the autism spectrum can range from mild to severe cases. Autistic children have developmental delays that affect intelligence, language and social skills - these are the children often described as in their own world. On the low end of the spectrum is Asperger’s syndrome, where children have normal to high intelligence, but have trouble interacting socially. "You can have a child who can be

extraordinarily high functioning in the classroom, can have friends, and just may be off slightly," said Robin Burdick, principal of Little Harbour School. Burdick said she noticed an increase of students "on the spectrum" about three or four years ago. "It wasn’t just one child, now we have four or five," Burdick said, adding there are also students who are not formally diagnosed, but display behavior akin to autism or Asperger’s. The two other city elementary school principals have told the School Board they are also dealing with more students on the spectrum. According to data from the special education services department, there are nine students in Portsmouth with autism. This does not include students with Asperger’s or other disorders on the low-end of the autistic spectrum. There are various theories as to why Portsmouth has more autistic students. Setear said better diagnosis and awareness of the disorder might be one reason. Some

members of the School Board have noted that Portsmouth’s quality special education services attracts parents of special needs children to move here. There’s also a theory that links mercury in childhood vaccinations to autism. Setear and Burdick, however, said they’re not really concerned with why autism seems to be on the rise. "I think from the school district’s perspective, it doesn’t much matter how you came to it," Setear said. "It’s the intervention and (school) programming that’s much more important." That is why elementary schools are looking to hire a special education coordinator next year to help students on the autism spectrum. The $60,000-a-year position will have to be included by the School Board in next year’s budget. "We have staff that are very knowledgeable about other disabilities. We now have to develop an expertise in autism," Burdick said. Setear said the autism specialist would collaborate with elementary school teachers,

track student development, and work with paraprofessionals who assist students in the classroom. "It takes more time for a person to case manage someone with developmental disabilities than someone with speech or language disabilities," Setear said, noting that speech and language delays are still the most common learning disability in schools. Hiring additional staff and expanding programs for autistic children may prove challenging for the school as federal special education subsidies decline. Special Education Director ette Hoeflich told the board recently that special education reimbursements have dropped tremendously, while the number of special education students have not. According to Hoeflich, Medicaid reimbursements for special education students was about $168,000 last school year. That is down from a high of $401,000 in 1998. Setear said special education costs that used to be paid for by federal subsidies are now left to the school

district to cover. Despite the financial situation, Setear said she thinks the school system is an excellent provider of services for people with autism. She said the challenge is to carry those services into adulthood. While those on the low end of the spectrum can become functioning adults with jobs and families, Setear said people with severe autism can never be independent. She said she would like to see more community resources for autistic adults, such as group homes or day programs.

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