By Ashley McCarty

The Adams County Ohio Valley School District is currently providing special education services to approximately 50 students that meet the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) criteria for Autism.
“There are similarities yet notable differences between a medical diagnosis of Autism and identification of Autism in the educational environment. The primary difference between the diagnoses is that identification in the school setting requires delays that adversely impact a child’s educational performance. In the past three years, the school district has had a substantial increase in the number of preschool and early elementary students receiving the medical diagnosis of Autism or that have Autism as a suspected educational disability,” said Director of Exceptional Education Tracy Spires.
The level of services provided to our Autistic students varies based upon individual student need.
“Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses a vast continuum of individuals with varying strengths as well as skills to be developed. For example, some Autistic students are considered non-verbal or low verbal, able to communicate little to those in his/her environment. Whereas, other Autistic students may be highly verbal requiring assistance in the social area with conversational turn-taking,” said Spires.
A foundation piece to providing any service to an Autistic student is to develop a trusting relationship with the parent(s), she said.
“Parents are the experts on their Autistic child and can provide an abundance of information about areas of strength and skills yet to be developed,” said Spires.
Services for Autistic students can include (based upon individual need): speech/language therapy for communication, occupational therapy for fine motor/sensory, physical therapy for gross motor, visual supports to help make the environment more predictable and social skills stories/development to help teach expected behavior that is situation specific, such as on the playground, in the cafeteria and in the hallway, among others.
“Autistic students learn from interacting with peer role models. Providing opportunities for Autistic students to engage with same age peers is vital in skill development of communication and social skills. Further, inclusion of Autistic students is beneficial for all students. This provides teachable moments for all of our students that everyone is unique. That we all have different strengths and areas which we work to improve. That it is okay to be different. That by everyone being unique, we can learn from each other,” said Spires.
The focus for this month should be on not only acceptance, but support, she said.
“In my profession, I have worked with many parents of Autistic students and have learned immensely from these parents. Parents who explain that a diagnosis of Autism for one family member affects the entire family. Parents that describe structuring their entire home to ensure safety of their Autistic child. Parents that worry about going to the local grocery store for fear his/her child may have a significant reaction to a sound or smell resulting in tears, screaming and yelling,” said Spires.
If you are a parent, Spires prompts you to remember back to sending your child to school for the first time — now, imagine that you have an Autistic child that is non-verbal.
“How would this change your thoughts and feelings? Knowing that your Autistic child would not be able to come home and tell you about his/her day at school. As described by a parent with an Autistic child, ‘Parents have to trust that the [school] staff know how to teach Autistic students and know different strategies to meet their needs. Parents also need insight on how to continue learning at home with the same skills that are being used in the classroom. Communication is so important between the teacher and parent,’” said Spires.
Preschool Director Amy Rau affords that the top two priorities of our district are inclusion and providing appropriate services to meet the needs of our students.
“Understanding the factors of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is critical for effective implementation of strategies. Every student is unique and strategies may vary,” she said.
The following strategies employed to help their students are:
— Teach time management
— Set realistic expectations
— Reinforce positive behaviors
— Give choices for non-preferred activities
— Use visuals and social stories
— Teach coping skills and calming strategies
— Practice transitions
— Be consistent each day
— Consider sensory needs
— Teach self-monitoring and emotion regulation
— Teach speech and language skills
— Know the student’s strengths and weaknesses
— Provide related services such as occupational therapy, speech/language therapy and physical therapy.
“Our district is prioritizing professional development in Autism for our staff. We want to provide an appropriate education for all of our students. Children on the autism spectrum are likeable, lovable, funny, smart, and will capture your heart,” said Rau.
In Adams County, a local support group for Autistic individuals and for parents of Autistic children, called Adams County Coffee, Tea, Autism and More formed last year to guide and support the community.
Adams County Coffee, Tea, Autism and More Facilitator Sherri Edington, English Language Arts Teacher for West Union Elementary School, is the grandmother of an autistic individual.
“Nathaniel is 23-years-old, and my experience with him has been pure joy and love. He is amazing. He’s very intelligent. He has this ability to remember things, and there would be no way I could do that. Who movie producers are, when movies were released, when they were released in theaters. I raised him partially, his mother lived with me when he was smaller,” said Edington.
Edington would like to see more acceptance of people with autism in the world.
“He would love to go to college, but we have reached out to different agencies to try to get some sort of support and we just hit these brick walls. He has potential and value to our society, but I think sometimes he’s held back because there’s nobody willing to go just a little bit further to be there,” said Edington.
She wants people to understand that he is human, and he has feelings.
“We need to understand people who have autism in a different way. I’m reading a lot now about neurodiversity. More than trying to change them, just accept them for who they are and all that they bring to the world. The acceptance to see the value of people who are on the spectrum and to see their contributions that they can make and be more inclusive and more accepting of them. We’re all different in our own ways, we all think differently, so we just need to reach out and understand and just to be more accepting,” said Edington.
For Autism Acceptance Month, Adams County Coffee, Tea, Autism and More is currently holding a First Annual Business Puzzle Piece Competition Fundraiser to support those in Adams County who are impacted by Autism and other special needs.
The fundraiser runs from April 1-30. Puzzle pieces can be purchased for $1.00 at Barry’s Chevrolet-Buick, Giovanni’s Pizza and Star Greenhouse.
The next virtual meeting for this group is Thursday, April 8, from 7-8 p.m. The Adams County Coffee, Tea, Autism and More Facebook group has a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of every month.
https://www.facebook.com/adamscountycoffeeteaautismandmore.