http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jun03/150018.asp

By SARAH CARR
scarr@journalsentinel.com

Last Updated: June 21, 2003

Colton could not make it through a school day.

The boy wanted to be social and make friends. But the size, rules and demands of life at his public school in Sheboygan were too much for him. The slightest problem could set him off: an argument with a classmate, too many distractions, too little attention.

Most days ended in a meltdown.

Colton has Asperger's Syndrome, which is related to autism. Two years ago, when Colton was 9, his mother realized that traditional schools were not working for him.

"The bottom line is that he struggled all through school," she said. "It had gotten to the point where he did not have successes anymore."

A search for alternatives led Lynne Van Epern to the St. Francis Children's Center in Glendale.

The non-profit center has worked with children for 30 years and serves those with or without special needs from birth through third grade. The goal is to help many students with special needs move into a regular educational setting.

The Center for Autism Resources and Education is located in one wing of St. Francis, and it was here that Colton, with his aloof air, arrived in December 2001.

"Colton came to us in a bad situation," said Jamie Schlueter, his teacher at St. Francis. "He was not really able to trust most adults."

Rules were very important to the young boy. If a teacher told him lunch would be ready in 2 minutes and failed to live up that promise exactly, Colton would get angry and lash out physically or verbally.

But the new environment gradually began to help. At St. Francis, he could escape his peers to decompress in special rooms like the one that has mats on the floor and walls and a swing in the center. The student-teacher ratio in the autism center - 2 to 1 - was lower than his school in Sheboygan. The schedule was designed for Colton's needs.

"Every single kid has a different program there," said his mother. "Even though they are all autistic, every single one looks and acts different from the next."

One recent morning, a week before the end of the school year, Colton is building what he calls an Egyptian pyramid out of toy blocks. The work is exacting. And when it is time to break for lunch, he asks his teacher to take a photograph and leave his work untouched.

Colton is well-mannered and responds easily to questions about the pyramid. He rarely has meltdowns anymore, Schlueter said. In the fall, he will spend part of school time at home and part as a fifth-grader at a public school in Sheboygan.

Teachers and family members think he is ready.

"He so wants to be a part of this world," said Van Epern. "Sometimes children who are autistic want to be in their own world, but he wants to socialize and be with kids. He just doesn't always have the appropriate social skills."

Now he is on his way.

"Before we found St. Francis it was like we were taking this square peg and trying to fit it in a round hole," said Van Epern. "What's cool about their program is that it's a perfect fit. It's exactly what you need."

"Faces of Hope" tells the stories of Milwaukee-area people who need a hand and the agencies that help. Ideas? Call: (414) 224-2318; e-mail: hope@journalsentinel.com
 

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