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Collaboration |
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Developing partnerships between families and professionals are key to successful outcomes. |
Hernando County |
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Working Together
The district was committed to involving school staff and parents in the planning process. "Hernando was willing to provide the resources, support, and time needed to develop expertise in teaching kids with autism," said Meme Eno-Hieneman, CARD graduate assistant. The first component requested was assistance in establishing school based training teams to provide ongoing support with their primary focus on effective ways to teach students with autism. Each team includes a school administrator, a parent, a basic education teacher, an exceptional student education teacher, and other school support personnel. "The good thing was they included parents from the beginning. If school and home are not working together, the child loses. Ultimately everyone loses," said Renee Whaley, a parent advocate who participated in the development process. Team members kept an open mind on determining training topics since there is no one specific way to teach individuals with autism. "We cannot write a prescription for an 'autism cure'," said Renee. "The best thing we can do today is to learn as much information as we can and incorporate a positive attitude that emphasizes an individual approach." There were several meetings over a three month period which resulted in a training plan for 1996-1997. Throughout the school year district training will be focused on elements of effective teaching practices including:
"This will be a successful effort because everyone involved is committed to optimizing the potential and opportunities for individuals with autism," said Meme. |
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Because
of Hernando County's geographic location, the school
district contacted CARD-USF and CARD- University of Florida,
Gainesville to create a successful system development plan
to teach students with autism.