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One solution for the problems faced by our community is the formation of new Autism Schools. Rather than attempting to cure or modify the behaviors of the autistic children, the special schools attempt to use the differences of each individual to help each child progress. Additionally, the creation of a school especially for students with Autism will ensure that each educator has relevant experience, the students will feel supported by their peers, and the parents will, likewise, have the support of other parents of the children labeled Autistic, Indigo, Star, and Crystal. Yet regardless of labels, we must help our children realize their intelligence by building a bridge-- by creating schools geared toward nurturing the uniqueness of each child. The problem with public schools is that they often do not have the specialized staff members necessary on hand. Often, therapists, pathologists, and psychologists are not part of regular school staff; instead these professionals travel from school to school within a district. By having schools especially for this student population, these schools could cost-effectively employ part- or full-time professionals in these fields.
Schools similar to the one I propose do already exist in a few places around the world. In a Canada, Peter Tongue is creating a school with a vision very similar to mine. (http://www.legacyoftherose.org/) In New York, parents can enroll their children in a school that charges over $72,000 in tuition annually. (http://www.rebeccaschool.org/index.php) In Pennsylvannia, NHS has opened nine such schools. (http://www.nhsonline.org/services/education/autism-schools.html) Here in Los Angeles, there is a school for our students. They have about 30 students, and each applicant has to have been identified gifted. (http://www.bridges.edu/index.html) However, I believe that children with Autism are all gifted, and they need more than this one small school. With about 700,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District alone, and about 1 in 166 children now facing Autism, over 4,000 students in Los Angeles need such a school!
Currently, the majority of human services agencies designed to serve children with autism and autism spectrum disorders seek to modify student behavior in order to help them succeed in regular public school. However, those in the public schools often lack the time, money, and trained faculty members to adequately address the special needs of this population. We must create the Building Bridges school to help fill the void in the current school system in Los Angeles! We must work to create an environment that will nurture the students through intuition, creativity, physicality, and spirituality. Please join the cause.
Contact me via my Facebook group if you are interested in sharing your ideas, or donating your time, money, or space. This group is open to everyone with an open mind.
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Aug 22, 2009 8:20 PM - Remove
References for Parents
UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/
David G. Amaral, Ph.D ,Principal Investigator, APP
The Autism Phenome Project or "APP"
Five Visual videos very simple and friendly to educate parents about the first study
•Introduction
•Behavior assessment
•MRI
•ERP
•Conclusion
http://media.mindinstitute.org/video/app/VirtVisit/APP_VirtVisit.html
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 703-0280