Students who would previously have been bused out of the county can now learn in McDonald County, thanks to the new Autism Center located at Anderson Elementary School.
"We serve the entire county," said Peter Alumbaugh, instructor for the center. "The purpose is to keep these students in our district by giving them a program that promotes independence and success as well as giving them the tools they need for functional communication. This is the first time they will have the ability to learn in McDonald County. Previously they would have had to go to Neosho or Joplin."
The center serves kindergarten through fifth grade. It is made up of two classrooms -- one for learning academics, the other for life skills practice, as well as physical and occupational therapy. In the learning center, blue drapes partially block out the brightness of the fluorescent lights, which can be overstimulating to children with autism. The room has three small instruction rooms, which will be used for one-on-one instruction. Anderson Elementary School Principal Julie Holloway said the instruction is specific to each child, and each child is assessed to determine what goals he or she need to work toward.
Alumbaugh said the life skills center will have a sink, refrigerator and microwave that will allow students to practice everyday kitchen skills. He said they will learn to sweep a floor and lessons like what to put in the refrigerator versus on the counter.
"We're teaching students things they can transfer from school to home," he said.
Students will also have yoga instruction daily, he noted.
"Yoga is a really wonderful practice for students with autism and students with behavioral goals, because it promotes deep breathing and (relaxation)."
One thing Alumbaugh said he is excited about is the chance for students to learn to ride a bike. Parents have told him they wish their children could ride a bike, he said. The life skills center will have exercise bikes for students to practice pedaling and Strider bikes to practice their balance, he said. Once they can do both, they can ride a bike.
The life skills center also has a restaurant-style trash can so that students can practice throwing their trash away and putting their tray on top like they would in a restaurant. Alumbaugh said this will build their confidence when going to a restaurant.
"Little things like that are the details we've put into this program," he said.
A cafeteria table in the life skills center will serve as an art table, but it will also give students a chance to practice sitting on the round stools like those attached to the tables that are found in school cafeterias.
Alumbaugh said the Autism Center has had a lot of support from the community through donations.
"This is so exciting," Holloway said, "because we'll be able to meet the needs of children in the community locally."
Alumbaugh added, "It's really exciting. I've worked with people with autism for the last three years now, and there's nothing more rewarding."
General News on 08/25/2016