O.B. schools improve program for autistic students
State grant provides district with better tools for in-house education
BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent

OLD BRIDGE - Traveling to and from Neptune Township takes about 40 minutes for a township child, a relatively long trip for school every day.

Such arrangements are not easy for parents either, who find it difficult to attend school meetings and to coordinate the schedules of their other children. But for many of the township's children with autism and other disabilities, traveling out of town has been the only way to get the kinds of services necessary to meet their special needs.

"No one is happy about sending a child out of district," said Barbara Cuthbert, director of special services for Old Bridge Public Schools. "But our school system is committed to providing the best education possible for each child, and we just couldn't provide them with the services they needed here."

All that is changing since Cuthbert applied for a grant from the state Department of Education's Governor's Initiative on Autism. The township was awarded $502,475 last April to buy equipment and pay for additional personnel and training to help the school system improve special education programs and face the challenges of bringing children back into the district.

Autism is a developmental disorder that impairs verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and social interactions. It often causes repetitive behaviors, and is considered a spectrum disorder that ranges from mild to severe.

According to Cuthbert, the number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has tripled over the past few years.

Attempts to mainstream students into classes such as gym, music and art have often failed because there wasn't enough assistance, and the staff wasn't educated about autism. While most people would recognize some of the dramatic behavioral outbursts associated with the disorder, such as head banging or a temper tantrum, autism symptoms can also be subtle.

"Children with autism may not make direct eye contact, they may startle at loud noise or be slow to respond when someone asks them a question. It's important that all staff recognize these behaviors and know how to respond to them," said Melanie Minch-Klass, Old Bridge's supervisor of special education. "Hundreds of people are being trained through this program, not just the special education teachers but the general education staff, everyone from the principal to the lunch moms."

Debbie Goncalves, a special education kindergarten teacher at Schirra Elementary School, said the grant provided her with more training and more tools for working with her students.

"People don't know what it's like to live with autism 24/7," Goncalves said. "We had a film that showed parents of autistic children being interviewed, and it really made an impression on the other teachers."

The parent of one of the children being sent to Neptune, in Monmouth County, moved her child back into the district after observing Goncalves' class.

"I saw them a few months apart and there was just this incredible improvement in their verbal skills, and I like the idea of them being included part of the day with the mainstream students, because that provides them with good role models," the parent said.

Goncalves feels the training for parents, which emphasizes behavioral management techniques, is especially important.

"We can all use the same approach when dealing with problem behavior," Goncalves said.

The mother of another child in the special education class agreed that the new training is helping.

"Even though [my daughter] doesn't have autism, she has similar behavior problems, and the program is really helping her."

Minch-Klass said the school district hopes to eventually extend the training to the general community, particularly police and rescue squad personnel.

One parent wishes people in the community would be more understanding.

"Sometimes it's hard because you will be at a supermarket and your child will start acting out, so you have to deal with their behavior, but then you just feel all these eyes on you," the parent said. "Everyone is watching, and you have to deal with that too. It would be great if they just understood autism."

Younger children are not the only ones benefiting from the program. Roberta Mongioi and Karen Lewicki are special education teachers certified to be job coaches. They run the Transitions program, which helps kids with special needs get ready to enter the job market.

"We begin working with kids when they are ages 14 and 15, on prevocational skills like doing mailings, shredding paper, copying. We have them work in the wood shop or the auto shop," Mongioi said.

When the students are 17, Mongioi and Lewicki begin taking them out to work sites in the community.

"They have jobs at places like Friendly's, T.J. Maxx, Kohl's. Lots of business are very welcoming to our students," Mongioi said. "The van we purchased through the grant has made all the difference in us being able to schedule the kids."

She feels the program really has a positive impact on students.

"The other day I brought a student to the Dollar Store for work. I explained what he needed to do, and he just rose above my expectations," Mongioi said. "I told him what a wonderful job he did, and he was so proud and so was I. This program makes them feel like they can have a future and be a functioning member of society."