Autism Outreach: Alabama High School Develops Unique Program For Students

An amazing high school in Alabama is paving the way for other schools to successfully integrate their autistic students into classroom activities -- and beyond. One of the school's former autistic students scored a touchdown during their football state-championship in 2010, and a current 17-year-old student, one of the teens profiled in AL.com's recent blog post on the school, apparently loves playing volleyball in P.E. class.

These "typical" high school experiences are made possible through Spanish Fort High School's unique program, "Project Outreach", which allows students at the school to join the club and participate in extra-curricular activities with their autistic peers. Project Outreach is currently the largest club at the school with 112 members.

According to AL.com, the daily classes for teens with autism (which the school calls "Project REACH") teach them practical job skills, such stocking grocery shelves and delivering mail, and students use iPads (and other technology) to communicate with their teachers, families, and other students in incredible ways.

And these Alabama teachers are not the only ones utilizing iPads as groundbreaking tools for autistic teens to express themselves: Earlier this week, Huffington Post Los Angeles published the story of Jacob Artson, a California autistic teen previously dismissed as nonverbal who has started communicating with his family -- and inspiring the country -- through learning to type.

A few other schools have made headlines recently for their strides in Autism awareness and developing educational centers for autistic young adults. An autism treatment center is opening in Portage, Michigan and will serve around 500 children in the city, and a club founded by a 15-year-old in Wilmington, Massachusetts is raising thousands of dollars for autistic teens and children in her community.

Comments

[sibyl9]

02:25 PM on 01/19/2012

I hear so many great things about the Ipad being used with this population. And practical skills, well, that's a no brainer. I hope for continued success with this program. These kids are so awesome.

[Twinkles04]

12:54 PM on 01/19/2012

The key statement made by Scott Parks in the video is: ". . . A lot of times, children with other developmental disabilities, teachers are equipped to handle them whether it's Down's Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy, but they don't have the skills to work with children with autism, cause it's entirely different. . . ." If educators would acknowledge that autistic children ARE different and need to be worked with differently than children/people with other disabilities, life would be so much better for everyone. Keep up the good work, Scott Parks, Kristen Box, and Spanish Fort High School!!

[momofthreeandthree]

02:49 PM on 01/18/2012

What a fantastic story! And for those students on the autism spectrum who wish to continue their education after high school, the University of Arkansas has just started a new Autism Support Program. Check out the website:
http://coehp.uark.edu/10656.php

[gws5597]

08:47 PM on 01/17/2012

"Amazing" and "Alabama" are not words one normally hears in the same sentence.

[white dude lulz]

01:48 AM on 01/18/2012

Haters gone hate!

[hopein2012]

01:07 AM on 01/17/2012

My niece is autistic and she has opened my eyes to children with special needs. I love hearing good news stories like this. Thanks!

[Suntio]

01:57 PM on 01/16/2012

Thank you, corporations + enablers (GOP and ourselves) for poisoning us and our children to make a buck. When will we wake up and see what they are doing to us, and what we are doing to ourselves? We have to stop consuming so much. How much stuff do we really need? We need to push the corporations to make goods in a sustainable manner. So what if that will raise the price on goods? Maybe then we will consume less and conserve what we already have.

[bellaboo2]

06:17 PM on 01/18/2012

Try staying on the topic.

[murfiani39]

06:55 PM on 01/15/2012

Way to go Alabama HS. These are amazing teachers and an amaing school. Instead of bashing teachers we nned more stories about the great things teachers are doing. Autism is a very serious concern. There is a link between environment and the garbage in our foods. We need alot more research and alot more publications on what works. We need our communities to get involved. We need more special ed teachers like the ones in this article. Thank you to all teachers, resourceroom teachers, spec ed teachers, speech lang , occupational therapists, and administrators who believe in these workers , Thank you.

[EvolveorPerish]

06:36 PM on 01/15/2012

Kudos to Spanish Fort High School for doing something outside of the box for these kids, especially in light of decreasing budgets for our schools.

Getting the other students involved in community building is one thing we need to see more of.

Great job!

[ForVivi]

05:47 PM on 01/15/2012

I love reading what you are doing at Spanish Fort High School. The information age is nothing without inspiration to use the means for worthwhile ends. I commend you, encourage you and send you a big hug for your efforts.

[Cindbird]

05:05 PM on 01/15/2012

It's long overdue. My son went to a different Alabama high school and was mostly in inclusion classes. It does make a huge difference for the autistic child. They learn better communication skills and learn how the give and take of normal communication works. And it helps strengthen the strengths they already have. My son's school did not have a program just for autistics, but was lucky enough to have a great Special Ed. Case Manager who took the time to get to know HIM and what he needed. She was one of the reasons he graduated last May. Programs like the one in Spanish Fort (a very small town by the way) will help ALL students involved. The "normal" students learn that someone with a disability is just like them and the autistic students get a better education and a better chance for a future.

[3520]

04:02 PM on 01/15/2012

how about some details on the program?

[cadawa]

03:59 PM on 01/15/2012

The fact that there are enough of them in a single school to form clubs is truly frightening.
Autism is a condition that was unknown when I was growning up and almost no one had allergies.
I've been reading Paul Hawkins excellent book "The Ecology of Commerce". It's an eye opener.
Most of the chemicals that are dumped into our bodies, food supply, air and water affect humans at the cellular level and embryo development. They can affect behavior, development and cause catastropic illness. The problem with manufactured compounds is the human body (and other forms of life) have no mechanism to deal with these chemicals and there are no natural processes that break them down into simpler, harmless forms. They persists, sometimes for thousands of years.
It's foolish in the extreme to think we can continue this linear model of manufacturing exotic materials and continue as a life form.
We are not only allowing businesses to harm us but to destroy everything that supports human life.

[Myrika]

04:46 PM on 01/15/2012

Another sad thing to hear is that even with 1 out of every 150 kids having Autism, Autism research receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood illnesses,

[Sock Monkey]

06:45 PM on 01/15/2012

Numbers now are pushing closer to 1/100.

If you look at the rate of increase over the last 20 years it's insane.

NOTHING even comes close, and it's not just here in the US but around the world.

[cadawa]

04:18 PM on 01/16/2012

I think there is a reason for that. The results would require a paradigm shift in business practices. It's long overdue but that doesn't keep powerful interests from dragging their feet.

[June25]

04:50 PM on 01/15/2012

We were there we just didn't quite fit in.

[LaurieAnn]

03:44 PM on 01/15/2012

Glad to hear about any helpful program anywhere.  My teen with autism (verbal but low adaptive skills and learning disabilities) begins high school next year and I admit I am concerned.  Our local school districts are so short funded that it's difficult to get them to do anything creative; even something that is cheap and creative because it takes time.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

05:45 PM on 01/15/2012

Never let the school underestimate what your child can achieve nor neglect their contractual obligations to provide an appropriate program for your child. I was told that my non-verbal 3 year old son couldn't learn and that, if I took them to court, he'd be 25 before it was tried. Of course that 3 year old is now 22 and a young man who has never met anyone who was not a friend.He reads, writes, plays piano,banjo and worked coding Dr's mail last year. My school district has openly stated they will not do anything for children with autism because it will encourage families with autistic children to move here. I learned the law, learned the language and informed them that an IEP is a contract. They still pulled their tricks but my son got the programming he needed. They couldn't refuse to do their jobs because they knew I had the proper documentation and wouldn't hesitate to go to a lawyer ( I never had to but I had a good disability firm on hand). With NJ being the state with the highest incidence of autism (1/60 boys), it is short sighted to not plan for educating these children, housing and employing the adults. Keep on advocating for your child...don't let them snow you with the "we can't afford it". If they have sports teams or other extra curriculars, they can fund your child's daily educational plan.

[LaurieAnn]

09:21 PM on 01/15/2012

I am so glad to hear that your son has done well. I do advocate and have done since prior to kindergarten; it's just that after so many years of pushing for services and help with social skills for my son I do get tired. Next hurdle is H.S. The problem with my son is that our school district is very uninterested with working with learning disabilities. My son has been in a regular education class all the way through and I have been trying to get him assistance not just for the autism which he does have-but for the l.d's as well. He needs a special class with fewer students in which he can learn how to write but our district refused to back up and teach him beginning writing when he's on grade level everywhere else. Our school district actually overestimates my son.

[hopein2012]

01:11 AM on 01/17/2012

Love your post. Sounds just like my niece. My sister is getting her involved in all sorts of activities and she is doing great.

[no exit]

03:32 PM on 01/15/2012

Sure sounds like those Alabama teachers are worth way more than a million dollars a year. They're worth a billion times more than any Wall streeter there is -

No, I'm not a teacher.

[hopein2012]

01:11 AM on 01/17/2012

Amen!

[It Must Get Better]

03:27 PM on 01/15/2012

Nice story.