Peers offer headstart to autistic classmates

By Laura Pappano, 3/30/2003

ost parents view kindergarten and first grade as time to finally focus on academics, including numbers and letters. But much learning at that age is also social - something that can derail students with autism and other developmental disabilities.

That's why teachers at the May Center for Early Childhood Education are helping those children get ahead academically so when they hit public school classrooms, they can work on what's really hard: learning how to listen and play with peers.

''They learn their numbers, letters, how to write their names, some beginning reading so when they get into kindergarten all they have to learn is how to be in a larger group setting and how to interact with peers,'' said Tania Treml, director of the Arlington center, one of four May Institute schools in Massachusetts.

The plan for prepping autistic children for school includes having a classroom in which half of the class has no developmental delays at all. These children set the social example for children who struggle.

Last week, Stephen Riley, 6, of Nashua, N.H., who suffers from mild autism and will attend public first grade in the fall, sat with teacher Kristen Hildreth and worked on following directions. She asked him to use a green magic marker to put X's, circles, and lines, on, around, or under objects.

''Put an X on the truck and circle the pizza,'' she directed. While Stephen had no difficulty doing the task, he struggled to remain focused. ''Ready for the next one?'' Hildreth asked. ''Do you have your listening ears on?''

Nearby, Stephen's 4-year-old brother, Michael, who has no learning disabilities, made a tower of Lego blocks fly in sweeping plane-like motions. Soon, he made his way over to Stephen, bringing calm and helping his brother refocus.

Jen Gower, head teacher in the room, said children learn from one another. In visiting students who have gone on to mainstream public school classrooms, she said, many are able to function alongside other students.

Susan Riley, Stephen's and Michael's mom, has seen Stephen go from speaking in single words when he came to the May Center at age 4, to speaking in sentences and being able to interact with other children, especially his three siblings.

''He played football in the front yard with his brothers this weekend,'' she said. ''There are times you would never guess he is on the autism spectrum.''

LAURA PAPPANO

This story ran on page A25 of the Boston Globe on 3/30/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.