Teachers open minds to autism

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Copyright ©2007 the Detroit Free Press.

Teachers open minds to autism EMU to add master's degree in brain

disorder

December 27, 2007

BY ROBIN ERB

FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

No one knows for sure how the brain of an autistic child works, but

Ellen Mayle -- the mother of two 12-year-old autistic sons -- thinks

she's got a pretty good idea.

Imagine, she tells her sons' frustrated teachers and principals, that

you're sitting in class and your mouth has been duct-taped shut so you

can't communicate. There's sawdust in your pants so you can't sit still.

And the lights are flipping on and off, scattering your thoughts.

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77.6;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=566103276> Hers is a bit of the

understanding that Eastern Michigan University is trying to spread to

Michigan's teachers.

Known nationally for its education degrees, EMU might soon begin

offering a master of arts degree in autism spectrum disorders. It will

be one of a growing number of programs that teach educators how to

communicate better with autistic students. EMU and several other

universities have offered 18 hours in online courses for students

working toward an endorsement -- essentially certifying that they had

special training -- in autism. Oakland University also has a master's

program in autism.

EMU's new program will demand at least 39 credit hours geared toward

teaching autistic students, and a graduate's thesis must focus on

autism.

In a state with a critical shortfall of special-education teachers,

that's welcome news, said Mayle, who, like other parents, laments that

she's had to fight understaffed and overloaded education systems at

times to get services for autistic children.

" If parents don't advocate, those kids just get thrown away, " said Mayle

of Fowlerville.

Part of the problem is a lack of awareness of how wide-ranging autism

spectrum disorder is, said Sally Burton-Hoyle, assistant professor of

special education at EMU.

Formerly the executive director of the Autism Society of Michigan,

Burton-Hoyle was hired by EMU in 2006 to develop its autism program.

According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention earlier this year, 1 in 150 children have some variation of

the disorder -- from those who are low-functioning and can't communicate

verbally to those with a high IQ whose autism makes them socially

awkward.

Higher education is grappling with how best to train teachers not only

to understand but to educate those students, said Pratt, board

chairman of the Autism Society of America.

Certainly, there's a lack of resources and funding in schools. But basic

awareness is a first step, and that doesn't cost much, Burton-Hoyle

said.

For teachers, it means understanding that autistic children often need

tangible learning cues -- a masking-tape strip on the floor to show them

where to line up, or color-coded bins to organize their day, for

example. It's realizing that some students can be overwhelmed by a

simple distraction -- the hiss of a fluorescent light, the smell from a

cafeteria.

When Anne 's autistic son, , started at a new school a

few years ago, he felt comfort in carrying a Disney videotape around

with him.

couldn't explain the relief the video gave to him; no one could.

But the Brighton mother knew this: carrying the tape muted the anxiety

that could send him into a raging tantrum.

But staff took the tape away, and 's calm dissolved.

" Why take the tape? " asked staff. She was told her son didn't

need it.

" They didn't understand, " she said. " He did need it. "

A review committee of the President's Council, State Universities of

Michigan has signed off on the degree. Should EMU's regents give

approval at their January meeting, the university will begin offering

the degree immediately.

Contact ROBIN ERB at or rerb@...

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