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Under the Arch August 16, 2004 Volume 5, Number 41
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GANNON AND BARBER INSTITUTE TO CONTINUE PARTNERSHIP A unique partnership that brings together students from the Gannon University School of Education and children with autism at the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute has been extended into its second year. Eight Gannon students participated in the program during its first year, the 2003-04 academic year. Beyond the valuable experience gained through one-on-one interaction with the children, the students also fulfilled requirements related to their teaching placements. Announcing the continuation of the agreement from Gannon University were Timothy Downs, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities, Business, and Education; Donald Beckman, Ph.D., chairperson of the School of Education; and assistant professors Janice Whiteman and Bonnie Hamwi. Collaborating on the agreement from the Barber National Institute were its executive vice president, Maureen Barber-Carey, Ed.D.; and Thomas Kitchen, curriculum support/behavior specialist, who coordinated the program. The Pennsylvania Department of Education also has approved the student teaching placements. Gannon University also has instituted an undergraduate course, “Autism Spectrum Disorders,” in which students will be able to complete practicum placements at the Barber Institute and receive training from its staff. While the course was limited to Gannon students in its initial “pilot” year, local teachers and professionals will be able to sign up for the course in the fall academic semester. Participants can qualify for three Act 48 credits upon completion.
Gannon students, children benefit from partnership According to Hamwi, the students’ work with the children at the Barber Institute was unique and unconventional, in terms of student teaching placements. “In a placement at an elementary school, for example, our students follow a traditional schedule with the students,” she said. “At the Institute, however, our students didn’t follow a standard lesson plan, per se,” Hamwi added. “They had to follow a unique program for each of the children because they all had different needs and abilities. They’re all at different stages in their development.” For example, some of the children initially had difficulty following simple verbal commands, such as, “Come and sit at the table.” The Gannon students also had to use a great deal of positive reinforcement with the children, and the form of the reinforcement varied from child to child, depending on how they responded. In addition, progress made with each child had to be closely monitored. “It’s a very intense form of training for our students,” Hamwi said. “Many everyday skills that ‘typically-developing’ children take for granted can be very challenging for children with autism.” But as the children with autism began to master basic skills, the Gannon students would focus on helping them develop new and different skills, and eventually would move toward more complex tasks. “As the children began to progress, our students would work on having them touch their nose or their shoulder, which requires them to listen and to follow instructions,” Hamwi said. “Then, we would work with them on things like saying ‘good morning’ to someone.” Even such a seemingly simple task is not necessarily an easy task for children with autism, many of whom are reluctant to interact with strangers, Kitchen added. “Many come to us with limited verbal skills and would be content to sit isolated in a corner and not interact with anyone,” he explained. “So we start by trying to get them to form positive associations about us. “Developing their communication skills is the key, in terms of them learning to communicate in order to get the things they want – for example, giving us a picture or otherwise interacting with us to get a cookie in return. With children with autism, learning is generally accomplished by taking very, very small steps.” Whiteman said the Gannon students benefited from being able to work so closely with the children on a daily basis. “What made it such a valuable and worthwhile experience was that our students had the opportunity to put classroom theory into practice,” she said. “They were thrilled to be a part of something like this.” Barber-Carey said the program also was beneficial to the Barber Institute, partially by allowing it to meet one of its stated goals: being a community partner. “We believe in maintaining strong community ties,” she said. “This type of collaborative outreach program was an ideal way for us to strengthen our relationship with the university.” According to Kitchen, individuals who work with children with autism require a great deal of training in order to meet the unique challenges and needs of this population. “As the incidence of autism increases in our region and across the country, the need for well-trained teachers also increases dramatically,” said Barber-Carey. About 40 percent of the children served by the Barber National Institute have autism, and nationally, the rate of autism in children is about one in 165, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Teachers entering the field with this background of education and in-classroom experience will bring the best of all worlds to their students and school districts,” Barber-Carey said. “Specialized training programs such as this one, in which students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with children with autism, are needed in this region. “That’s why we're enthusiastic about continuing this partnership with Gannon University for a second year,” she added.
OUR FOLKS Sympathy extended: please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the deaths of:
OUR EVENTS
CURRENT BIRTHDAYS Mehmet Cultu. Diane Madara. Andrea Bloodworth. Carolan Bailey. Sally McLaughlin. David Barker. Peter Genco. Kathleen Olson. Colleen Connolly. Jason Willow. Leigh Sturm. Mark Allen. Suzanne Kitts. Lisa Lindquist. John Cybulski Jr. Donald Lee. Lynda Benak. Elaine Harrison. Julie Shaw. MaryAnne Kozak. Michael DeSanctis. Michele Roth-Kauffman. Richard Lewis. Anita Smith. Kelly Matczak. Msg. Kurt Rinehard. Linda Fleming. Christine Augustine. Carol Hayes. Thomas Morrison. Deborah Pelinsky. Christopher Tremblay. Nancy Kujawinski. Robin Powers. Anita Snider. Linda Loader. Jim Finegan. Teresa Kuilman. Cindy Kurczewski. Bill Strub.
THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE Wednesday, August 18 – Breakfast with Gannon Resident Assistants; United Way of Erie County Campaign Meeting. Thursday, Aug. 19 – Downtown Improvement District Association Board Meeting; College of Science, Engineering, and Health Sciences fall 2004 faculty meeting. Friday, August 20 – Civic Coordinating Committee (C-Cubed) meeting; College of Humanities, Business, and Education fall 2004 faculty meeting; New Faculty Mentoring Program Workshop. Sunday, August 22 – Move-in day; Welcome Mass; New Student Convocation. Monday, August 23 – Gannon Faculty and Staff Community Meeting. Tuesday, August 24 – Gannon-Cathedral Preparatory School Scholars Program; Graduate New Student Orientation. Wednesday, August 25 – United Way of Erie County Board Meeting; Guest Speaker: Western Regional Symposium for the Department of Corrections. Thursday, August 26 – Downtown Improvement District Association Board Meeting; Gannon at Mercyhurst College (GLIAC football).
HEARD ON CAMPUS
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