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Getting schooled |
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The number of children diagnosed with autism increased 10-fold since the 1980s, according to a recently released government study on the brain disorder. |
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In Chester County, the report did not surprise educators, who have been
facing the challenge of meeting the growing numbers of children
diagnosed with the disorder that affects the ability to communicate and
interact. Two private school directors said they routinely turn families away, and public school officials said that they have been expanding programs as much as they can in school buildings strained for space. School districts have also increased training opportunities for their special and regular education teachers who educate children with autism, a disorder that can range in its effects from mild to severe. Five years ago Devereux Cares opened in East Caln specifically to meet the needs of the growing population of children with autism, but Director Todd Harris said that the call for services is greater than the state-approved private school can accommodate. "At this point I’m receiving referrals up to two to three times a week," Harris said. "There’s a very large need for education services designed specifically for kids with autism." Judy D’Angelo, executive director of The Timothy School, an approved autism school in Berwyn, said that the numbers seem to increase annually, but the school cannot expand its services because of budget shortfalls at the state level. "We do turn a lot of children away," D’Angelo said. School districts, which try to place children with more severe forms of autism in a private or specialized school setting, also try to educate children with less severe disabilities who can benefit from the social interaction with their peers. Officials face the challenge of finding space for autism classes in their buildings, with many schools already cramped for space in the face of rising student populations and more diverse class offerings overall. "Some of the buildings are just so overcrowded," said Cindy Schneider of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, which offers autism classes to school districts within their buildings. "It’s difficult for them to come up with space for us." The Intermediate Unit started offering classes specifically for children with autism two years ago, when it first offered two classes in the Avon Grove School District. This year the IU is running five classes in three districts’ schools. "Obviously we’re going to have to open more classes as they age-up," Schneider said. Sharyn Ball, the Intermediate Unit’s early intervention supervisor for children ages 3 to 5, said that her program also struggles to find space for classes. "Right now I’m trying to add another classroom for children with autism," she said. Currently, early intervention provides three classrooms geared solely to children with autism. It operates an additional 15 classes, which also include children with autism. Some have not been identified yet, Ball said, while others’ needs can be met in less intensive settings. Educators and parents both said that an education program suitable to a child’s particular needs is important. Liz Hansler, of East Goshen, said that she and her husband waited a year before Devereux Cares could take their son, Thomas, 9. Since Thomas entered the school last year he has made significant progress, she said. "Up until now, Thomas has not been able to communicate with us at all," said Hansler. He would cry and the family would have to guess what he needed. Now he can go to the refrigerator, take out a yogurt and give it to his mother to indicate he is hungry. Thomas used to scream or cry when the family would go out into the community, but that has decreased markedly, she said. A parent and member of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Society of Autism said that the organization wants to see improved educational services, increased public awareness and more research on the disorder. Pat Lyons, whose 7-year-old son, Luke, has a related form of autism, pervasive developmental delay, said that autism has not gotten the attention from researchers that other health concerns have. "If you look at the research dollars spent (on autism) it’s not even on the radar," said Lyons, secretary for the society’s board. "There’s very little known about the disease." Autism tends to run in families and experts suspect a genetic factor. But researchers are also considering possible environmental influences. Some parents suspect the mercury in the measles-mumps and rubella immunization plays an important role. Questions remain as to whether more children are developing autism, reflecting a possible epidemic, or if improved and broader definitions of the disorder account for the increases. The study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that 3.4 in every 1,000 children ages 3 to 10 were diagnosed with autism in 1996, according to published reports. Between four and five of every 10,000 were thought to have the disorder in the late 1980s. Conducted in metropolitan Atlanta by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study marked the largest on the problem to date. More studies will be conducted throughout the country, including studies in the Philadelphia area that will involve Chester County. The studies will establish a baseline rate of autism and related disorders for children ages 3 to 9 that can be used to track the numbers over time, said Jennifer Pinto-Martin, a lead investigator for the Philadelphia area studies and an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. "The main focus is to really tackle this issue of increased prevalence and to understand whether in fact there are more kids developing this disorder or whether we are doing a better job at identifying them," she said. "If it’s just a diagnostic shift ... it’s important to know that because it will help us to plan for services for these children." On the other hand, if the numbers indicate an epidemic, it becomes especially important to find the cause, she said. It might mean looking again at the MMR vaccination, although previous research indicated it is not a factor, she said. Pinto-Martin also said that an additional study will compare children ages 3 to 5 who have the disorder against those who do not to determine potential causes. The CDC-funded studies, which could begin as soon as this summer, will also take place in five other places: Baltimore, Colorado, California, North Carolina and Atlanta. Pinto-Martin, who is the director of the CDC’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology in Philadelphia, said that they have also developed a screening questionnaire for parents to fill out at 12-month, well-baby visits as part of a planned pilot program with Philadelphia pediatricians in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia network. Pediatricians would know to refer parents for further testing if parents give any of several red flag answers, including that their baby does not respond to its name. Lyons, whose son was diagnosed at 2 when the triplet failed to keep pace with his sisters, said that despite the autism society’s concerns, he is pleased about the research. "I think a lot of good efforts have started and are under way," Lyons said. Despite the challenges in the public schools, Schneider said that the education community is on the right track. "There are a lot of things moving in the right direction," said Schneider, a member of the Intermediate Unit’s Autism Select Team. The team was created three years ago to train special and regular education teachers strategies to work with children who have autism and related disorders. Team members also consult with teachers and administrators who oversee education plans for individual children. "Last year we consulted on approximately 200 students," Schneider said. "Every individual in the spectrum is so different." Margie Sunukjian, director of pupil services at the Downingtown Area School District, said the district has brought in trainers to teach educators a variety of teaching methods geared to children with autism. "Then we can accommodate more and more children in our own school," said Sunukjian. |
| ©Daily Local News 2003 |
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