National Expert to Headline University of Arkansas Symposium on Autism Disorders

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Every Arkansas special education teacher is likely to work with a child who has autism.

Statistics bear that out — expert Brenda Smith Myles estimates one in 150 children has some form of autism, a neurological disorder — but, according to Myles, there’s no limit to the potential of such children, given proper support.

Five pervasive developmental disorders make up autism spectrum disorders, all characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Earlier this year, you may have seen Myles interviewed on ABC Nightly News about girls with autism. Myles, a nationally recognized expert on Asperger Syndrome, will share her expertise locally in late March when she speaks to teachers, social workers, speech pathologists, parents of children with autism and others at a symposium in Fayetteville.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network released data in 2007 that found about one in 150 8-year-old children in multiple areas of the United States had an autism spectrum disorder.

However, the level of knowledge about the disorders has not kept pace with the increasing incidence, said Myles, who has written or co-written more than 10 books, 10 book chapters and 150 articles and monographs on educating children with autism spectrum disorders.

“Although we now see individuals in popular media with autism and the one in 150 occurrence is considered a gross underestimate by some experts in the field, in general there’s a lack of knowledge and understanding about autism spectrum disorders,” she said. “That’s important because this lack of understanding results in people with autism not being able to be employed or to be successful in other ways.

“People who have a degree of understanding about autism spectrum disorders also have a responsibility to provide services to help others understand,” Myles continued. “We should help people with autism meet their potential as much as possible, not just for their sake, but for the sake of society.”

The curriculum and instruction department at the University of Arkansas will present its first symposium on autism spectrum disorders March 27 and 28 and plans to make it an annual event. The symposium will provide information and contacts for professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorders, of which Asperger’s is one, and for family members of children diagnosed with neurological disorders that fall within the spectrum.

The symposium takes place at the Center for Continuing Education on the downtown Fayetteville square. People interested in attending are asked to register by Friday, March 14. The cost and other details can be found at http://cied.uark.edu/autism.htm.

Myles, a professor of special education at the University of Kansas, speaks on Friday, March 28, the second day of the conference. She serves on six boards of organizations focusing on autism and is working on numerous nationally funded research projects dealing with autism. Myles co-directs the special education program in autism spectrum disorders at Kansas, and her writing and speaking focus on strategies to help children affected by such disorders learn and succeed in school.

When she was a child, Myles played with a neighborhood child who exhibited characteristics of autism. The experience influenced her decision to devote her work to the disorder.

“My first experience in the classroom was with children with autism spectrum disorders,” Myles said. “Then, I ran a clinic at the University of Kansas for children with severe learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. The children weren’t responding to techniques we used, and it turned out they were children with high-functioning autism.

“Everywhere I turned, I kept running into our kids.”

The second day of the conference is geared toward professionals. The first day focuses on the needs of parents and other family members, but anyone is welcome either day. Taylor Crowe, a 26-year-old man with autism who graduated last May from the California Institute of the Arts, gives a presentation Friday, March 28, about the areas of his education and upbringing that had the greatest influence on him.

Crowe, who lives in Cape Girardeau, Mo., will describe his evolution from a child given virtually no hope by the physician who diagnosed him with severe autism as a preschooler. He will share specific details about the actions of teaching professionals, therapists, friends and family that helped him, and he will give advice to educators about what should and shouldn’t be done in school settings for students with autism.

Crowe’s father, David Crowe, will speak on Thursday, March 27, the first day of the conference, sharing lessons he learned as the father of a child with autism and describing strategies to use in facilitating friendships for children with autism. The elder Crowe also explains how to enhance positive relationships with educators and the value of building community-based support for individuals with autism.

Several University of Arkansas faculty members will also make presentations, and professional development credit is available for educators and speech-language pathologists. A free town meeting is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, as part of the symposium. The town meeting is the only free event during the symposium. Although there is no charge, people planning to come to the town meeting are asked to register.

Tom Smith, professor of special education at the University of Arkansas, said the symposium will help those who work with or are the parents of children with autism learn more effective ways of teaching and guiding them and introduce participants to more available resources. The faculty will also provide information about a new graduate certificate in autism planned to begin in the fall.

“The number of children with autism has increased more than any other type of disability in recent years,” Smith said. “There are a lot of theories as to why the number has climbed, but we are focusing on what educators can do to help.”

Barbara Gartin, also a UA professor of special education, said special education teachers receive training about many types of disabilities and the autism certificate program will give them more comprehensive knowledge of the spectrum disorders. The certificate will require completion of 15 hours of coursework, some of which may be offered online. The program’s interdisciplinary focus will be on intervention, Gartin said.