Several years ago when Sarah Handy began teaching students with autism at Mortensen Elementary in Littleton, she found her students were rarely allowed to mix with other pupils in the Jefferson County school.
That has changed.
Now most of the 18 students with autism are integrated, and the work of the staff has caught the eye of the Colorado Department of Education.
Mortensen last week was named to be a model site for the Denver metro area in how to teach students with autism — providing the school with a $1,000 grant, training for teachers and an on-site coach.
The school has good inclusion practices, an anti-bullying program and an effective “Response to Intervention” model to give early assistance to children having difficulty learning.
“The goal is to provide the highest quality programming for these students, getting them as close to meeting regular standards as possible,” said principal Karla Hankins.
Model sites in eight Colorado regions will showcase the best teaching practices and allow observation by officials from other schools and districts.
The program is being funded through a five-year federal grant, which also provides model sites for programs that serve children with other significant support needs.
“Begging for help”
Educators in Colorado and throughout the country are searching for the best ways to teach the growing number of students with autism — a neurological disorder.
“School districts across the state have been proactive in how to approach this epidemic,” said Ed Steinberg, Colorado’s special education director. “Colorado is seen on the federal level as already having some good programs in place.”
The number of Colorado students identified with autism grew to 3,196 in 2009 from 595 in 2001, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
“Schools are begging for help,” said Brooke Young, autism specialist with the state Department of Education. “Teachers are saying, ‘How do I support students across the board no matter where they fall on the spectrum?’ “
Outside groups are also offering help to teachers with students with disabilities.
The Autism Society of Colorado is working with the Department of Education to assist with teacher training.
And the Mile High Down Syndrome Association will offer training to teachers in Jeffco and Denver on best practices for teaching kids with Down syndrome.
“The idea is that within every school district in the state there would be at least one Down syndrome specialist,” said Mac Macsovits, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association. “A classroom teacher could call this specialist and say, ‘I have a kiddo at this grade, in this class who has Down syndrome. Can you help?’ “
Inclusion is priority
At Mortensen Elementary, which specializes in autism, the goal has always been inclusion first, said Hankins, the principal.
Of the 18 students in the program, only four or five are in the self-contained classroom most of the day.
“Here, we have the expectation that these children, even though they have significant needs, will be in the mainstream classroom as much as possible,” she said. “They are going to be able to be more successful in life if they have not been isolated in their elementary years.”
The ratio for students in the autism program is one adult for every two students, including paraprofessionals, teachers and therapists.
“It doesn’t sound that great, but when you have a kindergartner in your classroom that is throwing a fit . . . well the general tendency for a teacher is, ‘That kid needs to get out of the classroom,’ ” she said.
Throughout the project, the school will be analyzed on whether it is hitting specific quality indicators, and academic experts will help provide the latest evidence-based interventions.
Sites of teacher training
The model schools also will work with colleges to become field placement schools for teacher candidates, Steinberg said.
“It’s a big step for this district to recognize the need,” said Handy, the special-education teacher at Mortensen whose 15-year-old son has autism.
“In my first two years we were that secluded classroom with no integration,” she said. “Within the last few years, Mortensen has recognized the needs for those students extend outside of those classrooms.”
Dottie Jennings, another Mortensen special-education teacher, said the training will help all teachers and all kids.
“This is for everyone,” she said. “It will teach how do you do group activities, how to include everyone. We’ll be learning all of these good teaching practices. And the kids will be learning compassion, tolerance and how to be good citizens.”
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
