Japanese officials visit autistic program
Utah State University’s program for autistic children has been receiving international attention, thanks to their success in preparing preschoolers to attend regular classrooms in public schools.
Last month, Japanese officials traveled to Utah State University to observe the techniques used to help autistic students. In 2005, a Russian delegation also came to tour the Autism Support Services: Education, Research and Training (ASSERT) classroom. Thomas Higbee, director of ASSERT, said the international attention the program is receiving is proof of the importance of educating and training children with autism and those who associate with them.
ASSERT is a program offered to children between the ages of 3 and 5 who are diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disease. The preschoolers attend the half-day program until they begin kindergarten in a public school.
“We have an emphasis on communication. We teach them how to play and, additionally, work on problem behavior,” Higbee said. “Our goal for every kid is for them to be as independent as possible when they go to kindergarten.”
When the children begin the program, Higbee said they do a detailed assessment of each child to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Instruction is catered to each student individually depending on their needs are, he said.
“We give the kids whatever they need. If they can sit in a seat for half an hour of instruction, we do that. If they need to play, we’ll do that, too,” he said.
Sam Bryner, a 4-year-old boy with autism, started the ASSERT program when he was nearly 3 years old. Higbee said when he began, he had very few language functioning skills. Now, Byrner has developed the communication and social skills that will allow him to begin attending kindergarten in a regular classroom this fall.
Higbee said another child that participated in the ASSERT program was integrated into kindergarten successfully and is now in first grade. The child still receives some speech and language training, but has adapted well to a regular classroom setting, he said.
“Not all the kids make dramatic change, but all the kids make progress. Progress for one may be to sit in a chair or to dress themselves,” Higbee said.
The three primary purposes of the program, he said, are to educate, conduct research and train those who will work with autistic children.
A number of structured and naturalistic methods are used to educate the autistic preschoolers. These approaches include discrete-trial learning, incidental training, structured peer-play interactions and observational learning strategies, he said.
Researchers at ASSERT are currently studying the outcomes of video-based instruction, activity schedules to encourage independence, error-correction procedures and video modeling as instructional techniques, Higbee said.
The program offers training to future special education teachers and he said professionals from other fields such as speech pathology and psychology can receive instruction. Higbee also said they work with parents and teachers currently working in public schools. He has presented at conferences all over the country as well.
Collette Harrison, a junior majoring in special education, said she has been working with the ASSERT program for a year and a half.
“When I get up in the morning, I don’t feel like I come to work. It is my favorite part of the day,” Harrison said. “I love early intervention. I love the change it has in these kids. I love ASSERT and I’ve seen it work.”
Harrison said she is currently working with two children who have low verbal functioning skills. She is teaching them to make requests verbally. She is also helping them with their social and conversation skills.
Despite the international interest in the program, funding is a problem for the program. Higbee recently learned that ASSERT is not on the Utah Legislature’s top 25 budget priority list. In attempt to continue receiving financial support, Higbee said he plans to apply for grants. Without funding, the program would have to be downsized significantly, Higbee said, with class sizes decreasing and as a result, fewer undergraduate and graduate students able to receive training. The three-year-old program was formed by Higbee, the department of special education and rehabilitation, and the Center for Persons with Disabilities.
-ariek@cc.usu.edu