By GABRIEL GOODWIN
Sunday Times Newspapers
ALLEN PARK — Allen Park High School created a program three years ago to link autistic students with the skills necessary for a successful future.
APHS Social Worker Ann-Marie Crawford said the Link program focuses on what will help in the success of their students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The program pairs ASD students with upperclassmen to provide the “positive peer pressure” necessary for their success.
“The goal of the program is to allow the student an opportunity to learn from his peers about socialization,” Crawford said. “We noticed the ASD students responded more positively to his or her peers because those are the people they want to fit in with.”
Some of the ASD students get a “buddy” for the day, Crawford said, while others may have a “buddy” for just one class. She said it depends on the cognitive or social needs of the ASD student because of the range and severity of the disorder. Some of the ASD students may have outbursts during classes, problems focusing, or problems with understanding the material being taught, so the other students can help them with their specific need.
“Despite the time they spend with each other in school, the students become connected over the year and it becomes apparent the experience changes both of them,” Crawford said. “That’s the beautiful thing about this program. All these students form real connections and the ASD students begins to feel a part of the school.”
Crawford said there are 14 ASD students and 40 Link students at the high school. The Link students are there to provide peer-to-peer support, but Crawford said the students are rewarded for their efforts.
She said the Link students are sensitive to the needs of the ASD students and want to help out the other students, but the program allows them to enroll in a four-credit, elective class.
The juniors and seniors will have to work hard, Crawford said, because the class teaches them about the disorder, coaches them on how to handle their needs, and requires them to track their progress with the student through writing journal entries. The students will also complete “units” to better understand autism.
“The purpose isn’t for the Link students to do the homework for ASD students, but to help them understand the coursework so they can get good grades on their own,” Crawford said. “These students are there to support their needs, so they learn in a classroom and model the behavior expected of them.”
The program is in its third year and Crawford said she is “increasingly confident” the program is working. APHS teacher Kathy Cialkowski, who works in the center-based ASD program that handles students with extreme cases of the disorder, said some Link students come into her classroom and interact with her students to teach them to interact in social situations.
Cialkowski said ASD is as individual as the students themselves. Some of her students have sensory issues – like not wanting to be touched, making inconsistent eye contact during conversations, or being focused on their interests – and the students that come in help them learn to interact better during social interactions.
The goal of the program, Cialkowski and Crawford agreed, are to engage these students and allow them the chance to feel like a part of the school.
“Our goal is to allow every student the opportunity to have a happy, enjoyable experience in our school,” Crawford said. “These students get the chance to connect with their peers and create real relationships. The relationships grow every day and extend to other places outside of classroom.”
Many times, Crawford said she hears about situations where ASD students are being included in groups at lunch, being asked to join in extracurricular activities, and are invited to the movies after school.
(Gabriel Goodwin can be reached at ggoodwin@bewickpublications.com.)