11-17-2004, 09:23 AM
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/educati...66_0_2_0_C
Connecting with classmates
Garden Park students overcome the challenges of autism in mainstream classes
By KEVIN GARCIA
The Brownsville Herald
Nov. 17, 2004 — For 10-year-old Carl Settle the world is becoming a very interesting place.
When he was younger, Carl was unable to communicate with the world, and barely acknowledged the existence of other people because he suffered from severe autism.
“When he was around 1½ he wasn’t developing speech very well,” said his mother Cathy Settle. “They said there was a delay, but I could see a lot of other children babbling and trying to speak. He was doing a lot of screaming and yelling.”
Over the next few years the Settles tried several private schools. Each time they were told he was going through a phase, but within a week at each location, they were asked to take him elsewhere.
That changed when Carl started attending public school at age 4.
“The public schools were the ones that really diagnosed Carl,” Settle said. “I wasn’t real familiar with it, but he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, which falls under autism.”
She was both disheartened and relieved at the news.
“Deep down you knew something was not right,” Settle said. “You’re still sad, still devastated, but you have to move on.”
Carl spent the next six years working closely with special education, or lifeskills classes. Over time he picked up visual communication, then words and spelling, and he has now moved into mainstream classes.
Today at Garden Park Elementary School, Carl is adapting well to mainstream classes and can carry on conversations with others, even if he does most of the talking.
His favorite subject is animals, specifically those at Gladys Porter Zoo.
“I like the bongo,” he said, referring to the African deer relative. “It’s a big antelope. Tell me what it has on its head. It has horns. Does it have big horns? They have big horns.”
Garden Park lifeskills teacher Pam Downing has students with a variety of challenges, from autism, to physical disabilities to Down Syndrome. She and three paraprofessionals work closely with students to make sure that the needs of each child is met.
For autistic children that means introducing them to the world.
“Every one of these children is very capable and that gives parents hope,” she said. “For a parent to know what the child wants is very important.”
Another student, 10-year-old Jaime Betancourt, has been working with Downing for four years and now uses a simple vocabulary. Jaime excels at the computer, often using the keyboard to say what his mouth cannot.
“Sometimes he doesn’t have the (verbal) words for what he wants, so he types it,” Downing said. “When he came to us he couldn’t do any communication.”
Jaime’s mother Dinorah Betancourt is grateful for the help. The first time Jaime used pictures to ask for something he wanted, she was amazed.
“That was like another world,” Betancourt said. “He understood right away that this was the way to communicate.”
Although she hadn’t heard of autism before her son’s diagnosis, Betancourt has taken advantage of the opportunity to learn everything she can about the disorder. She even started a support group so other parents could share their experiences.
Dr. Roger Burns, school psychologist with the Brownsville Independent School District, explained that autism and less severe pervasive developmental disorders can be frustrating for parents, but the symptoms can be dealt with.
“Often they don’t respond to affection or recognition from people,” Burns said.
He said common stereotypes are that autistic children do not interact at all, or that an autistic person is automatically a savant, are not accurate. Each case is unique, and with time and education, many cases can improve.
“It’s a matter of severity,” he said, adding that less severe autistic individuals can learn to live productive lives where others will not see them as different.
In some cases, students could be classified with a less severe autistic-like disorder, such as aspergers.
“These are kids that have an interest in unusual or specific things that are way above and beyond, and might not be of interest to somebody else,” he explained.
With time students can become more and more acclimated to the world.
“Down the road we are looking at self-sufficiency but the intermediate step is that they do things that other people do and they are accepted,” Burns said. “I feel real positive about the kind of improvement that I’ve been seeing in these kids over the years.”
Settle said it’s important for parents not to give up or make the child someone else’s responsibility.
“The worse thing that you can do is feel sorry for them,” she explained. “They need you to feel strong. They can’t communicate and they can’t do so many things and they are so fearful. You have to be tough in order to bring your child to reality.”
For Carl, reality is getting closer and closer. Someday his mother hopes he will be self-sufficient.
“I think he will be,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I think he’ll do it.”
Connecting with classmates
Garden Park students overcome the challenges of autism in mainstream classes
By KEVIN GARCIA
The Brownsville Herald
Nov. 17, 2004 — For 10-year-old Carl Settle the world is becoming a very interesting place.
When he was younger, Carl was unable to communicate with the world, and barely acknowledged the existence of other people because he suffered from severe autism.
“When he was around 1½ he wasn’t developing speech very well,” said his mother Cathy Settle. “They said there was a delay, but I could see a lot of other children babbling and trying to speak. He was doing a lot of screaming and yelling.”
Over the next few years the Settles tried several private schools. Each time they were told he was going through a phase, but within a week at each location, they were asked to take him elsewhere.
That changed when Carl started attending public school at age 4.
“The public schools were the ones that really diagnosed Carl,” Settle said. “I wasn’t real familiar with it, but he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, which falls under autism.”
She was both disheartened and relieved at the news.
“Deep down you knew something was not right,” Settle said. “You’re still sad, still devastated, but you have to move on.”
Carl spent the next six years working closely with special education, or lifeskills classes. Over time he picked up visual communication, then words and spelling, and he has now moved into mainstream classes.
Today at Garden Park Elementary School, Carl is adapting well to mainstream classes and can carry on conversations with others, even if he does most of the talking.
His favorite subject is animals, specifically those at Gladys Porter Zoo.
“I like the bongo,” he said, referring to the African deer relative. “It’s a big antelope. Tell me what it has on its head. It has horns. Does it have big horns? They have big horns.”
Garden Park lifeskills teacher Pam Downing has students with a variety of challenges, from autism, to physical disabilities to Down Syndrome. She and three paraprofessionals work closely with students to make sure that the needs of each child is met.
For autistic children that means introducing them to the world.
“Every one of these children is very capable and that gives parents hope,” she said. “For a parent to know what the child wants is very important.”
Another student, 10-year-old Jaime Betancourt, has been working with Downing for four years and now uses a simple vocabulary. Jaime excels at the computer, often using the keyboard to say what his mouth cannot.
“Sometimes he doesn’t have the (verbal) words for what he wants, so he types it,” Downing said. “When he came to us he couldn’t do any communication.”
Jaime’s mother Dinorah Betancourt is grateful for the help. The first time Jaime used pictures to ask for something he wanted, she was amazed.
“That was like another world,” Betancourt said. “He understood right away that this was the way to communicate.”
Although she hadn’t heard of autism before her son’s diagnosis, Betancourt has taken advantage of the opportunity to learn everything she can about the disorder. She even started a support group so other parents could share their experiences.
Dr. Roger Burns, school psychologist with the Brownsville Independent School District, explained that autism and less severe pervasive developmental disorders can be frustrating for parents, but the symptoms can be dealt with.
“Often they don’t respond to affection or recognition from people,” Burns said.
He said common stereotypes are that autistic children do not interact at all, or that an autistic person is automatically a savant, are not accurate. Each case is unique, and with time and education, many cases can improve.
“It’s a matter of severity,” he said, adding that less severe autistic individuals can learn to live productive lives where others will not see them as different.
In some cases, students could be classified with a less severe autistic-like disorder, such as aspergers.
“These are kids that have an interest in unusual or specific things that are way above and beyond, and might not be of interest to somebody else,” he explained.
With time students can become more and more acclimated to the world.
“Down the road we are looking at self-sufficiency but the intermediate step is that they do things that other people do and they are accepted,” Burns said. “I feel real positive about the kind of improvement that I’ve been seeing in these kids over the years.”
Settle said it’s important for parents not to give up or make the child someone else’s responsibility.
“The worse thing that you can do is feel sorry for them,” she explained. “They need you to feel strong. They can’t communicate and they can’t do so many things and they are so fearful. You have to be tough in order to bring your child to reality.”
For Carl, reality is getting closer and closer. Someday his mother hopes he will be self-sufficient.
“I think he will be,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I think he’ll do it.”