TEACHERS GET CHANCE TO STUDY AUTISM

A course for teachers who deal with children with autism will be offered in Cape Girardeau this fall through a statewide program called Project Access.

Edna Herron, associate director of Project Access, explained that the program is housed at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield and is contracted with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide the courses statewide.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided money to furnish teachers with training to teach children with autism.

Herron explained that the state education department funds similar projects for training in rare disabilities.

Project Access will offer courses at 11 different places, including Cape Girardeau and Steele.

The course starts Sept. 8 at the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical School and offers one hour of college credit.

In the past, Herron said, the information has been made available to teachers in a one- or two-day workshop. This fall the course will be taught one night a month.

"This is purely an introductory course talking about autism, identifying the special characteristics, the communication issues, the social behavioral issues," Herron said.

"Then we will also look at teaching these students functional living skills, be it functional academic skills or the ability to get around in the community, to be employable independent adults in the long run," she said. "It doesn't do much good to read the encyclopedia if the person can't get to work or blow his nose or zip his fly."

Autism affects about one or two children of every 1,000 births.

Herron said: "Autism is a disorder of social communication. It shows itself in unusual communication and in unusual responses to sensory stimuli, and also in the way that they relate to people and events.

"It is neurologically based, but we do not have clear evidence what the mechanism is or what causes it. We know it is not caused by parents."

She said, "We know the most effective treatment is a good, structured educational program."

Karen Moore, who will teach the course, is educational director at Cottonwood. She has experience teaching students with autism and has done training of other teachers. She has been doing work for Project Access for about five years.

Call Moore in Cape Girardeau at 290-5888 for more information.