June 2, 2008
During a game of tag in gym class, Liam Price, 6, pushed a classmate
to the floor and started shaking him.
Price isn't a bully. He has autism; and when his senses become
overloaded, aggression or disruptive behavior, such as yelling,
sometimes results.
Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning
of the brain, impacting development in social interaction and
communication skills, according to the Autism Society of America.
When Price becomes over stimulated, he needs a break to calm his
senses. Without the break, making noises and getting out of his seat
in class are common.
A separate room or space is needed to help students with autism get
the sensory breaks they need, said Toni Flowers, program supervisor
for Special Services Johnson County. Called sensory therapy rooms, the
special spaces provide a place for autistic students to calm down.
"The rooms offer a safe place where the students can go to regroup,"
Flowers said.
Sensory therapies have the most benefit for younger children, Flowers
said. Over time, students become aware of the activities needed to
calm them and will learn to seek them out on their own, she said.
The rooms might have trampolines, rocking chairs or other equipment
unique to each autistic child's needs, occupational therapist Cindy
Webb said.
"If we don't help these children learn how to deal with their needs,
so they live independent lives, they'll eventually become the state's
problem because parents can't live forever," said Cindy Price, Liam's
mother.
Adults with autism liken it to being at the top of a roller coaster
all the time, Flowers said.
"That anxiety, adrenaline and stress are a daily battle for them," she
said.
Flowers said recent research has helped therapists better understand
what activities soothe some children and not others. For example,
bouncing may help some students with autism, but for others it makes
them even more nervous and difficult to handle, she said.
With an increasing number of students being diagnosed with autism,
more parents are becoming involved.
"The parents are the ones out there learning what their children need
and making sure the schools are on board as well," Flowers said. |
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SPECIAL NEEDS
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More than 4,000 students in Johnson County have a disability and
require special services at school. The disabilities range from mild,
such as dyslexia, to more severe mental disabilities that require
hours of therapy and assistance each day.
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In 2007, Special Services Johnson County, the organization working
with Johnson County schools to provide special-needs programs,
reported the following increases in the number of students in the
autism spectrum program at county schools:
Franklin: 51 percent increase from 41 to 62 students
Center Grove: 29 percent increase from 78 to 101 students
Greenwood: 5 percent increase from 43 to 45 students
Clark-Pleasant: 17 percent increase from 58 to 68 students
Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson: Unchanged with 14 students
Edinburgh: Unchanged with nine students
Parochial schools in the county: Unchanged with nine students
SOURCE: Special Services
Johnson County
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