SMETHPORT — Smethport native Karen Griffin Roberts, a pre-school
teacher in Virginia, has authored “Embracing Autism,” a book of
proven strategies for general classroom teachers of students with
autism, a complex and puzzling disorder.
Autism, a neurological disorder that is characterized by
impaired communication and social relationships, is the most common
of a group of conditions known as pervasive developmental
disorders. Health care providers view autism as “a spectrum
disorder,” a group of disorders with similar characteristics. They
range from mild to severe with autism at the severe end and related
disorders such as Asperger syndrome at the mild end.
The first signs of autism appear as early as age three, and it
is four times as likely to occur in boys than girls. While there
are treatments, there are no known cures.
Roberts has a personal interest in autism. Her son, Kevin, now
in his early 20’s, has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Also,
as a teacher, she is interested in placing autistic children in
regular classrooms as required under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, which directs that children with
special needs “should be placed in the most inclusive setting in
which they can achieve their academic and social goals.”
In fact, Kevin was her inspiration to return to school to pursue
that interest. She enrolled in the individualized study program
nearby George Mason University.
Roberts, a 1973 graduate of Smethport Area High School, just
completed her 18th year in the classroom with the last ten teaching
pre-school at the Burke United Methodist Preschool.
“During the years of teaching and raising my son with autism, I
learned a lot about special education,” she told a Virginia
newspaper. “I thought my knowledge of autism with a preschool
teaching background would be a unique perspective on teaching young
children in special education.”
As her senior project to meet the requirements for her Bachelor
of Individualized Study in Early Childhood Development: A study in
Autism, Roberts composed a manual for preschool teachers to use for
including autistic students in the classroom.
Roberts said this project took approximately two semesters to
finish the educational guide: “Modifying the Preschool Classroom to
Include Children with Autism: A Manual for General Education
Preschool Teachers.”
“It took about one semester to decide on a topic, get it
approved and begin the research,” she said.
Having taught a high-functioning autistic student in her
preschool class and after spending a summer internship at Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine’s Center for Autism in Baltimore, where
she observed classrooms with autistic children and attended
professional development classes, Roberts was confident that she
had enough information to complete an effective manual.
“I spent another semester writing the manual,” she said. The
manual explains the developmental deficiencies of autistic children
and offers research-based strategies for their smooth transition
into a regular classroom.
For that project that offers classroom strategies for teaching
autistic children, Roberts received the George Mason University’s
2009 Most Creative Bachelor of Individualized Study Project
Award.
“I was shocked,” she remarked after the announcement was made.
“So many of my fellow BIS Students had phenomenal projects and
studies. I’m still not sure why mine was singled out among them,
but I am truly honored.”
From that manual came “Embracing Autism in Preschool,” which is
published by Fourth Lloyd Productions. It is dedicated to
Kevin.
In one of several telephone interviews with The Era, Roberts
said that she chose to highlight three types of symptoms that
identify autistic diagnosis “because they are the biggest deficits
for autistic children. They are deficiencies in social relations
and interactions, language and verbal communication and playing and
physical activities.”
As an example, Roberts said, “Autistic children often play
alone, and without this social experience, they frequently do not
communicate.”
Roberts will receive her master’s degree in early childhood
special education from GMU on Aug. 2.
In the book’s “Foreword,” Dr. Eva Thorp, associate professor of
early childhood education at GMU, writes: “Karen Roberts offers a
rare gift to preschool teachers who want to do the right thing for
young children with autism but are unsure about how to do so.
“This book is also a gift for the parents who want their
children to be included but often find themselves confronted by
staff with good intentions but little preparations for successfully
adapting the preschool environment to meet the needs of children of
autism.”
Thorp continues, “Roberts has done meticulous work to include
information on our most current understanding of autism, what it
is, how it varies in expression among children and implications for
educational environments. Yet the book is not a book about autism;
it is a book about inclusion.”
Roberts said she has received positive comments on her book,
both from teachers and parents.
“Embracing Autism in Preschool” is now available from the
publisher, but will be soon be marketed on Amazon.
Besides her teaching and supervisory duties, Roberts was honored
in 1998 with the Children’s World, Northern Virginia District Area,
Master Educator Award. A year later, she received the Children’s
World Honor Teacher Award and was one of 18 honorees selected
nationally to attend the National Association for the Education of
Young Children 1999 Conference.
Roberts’ mother, Shirley Good, resides in Smethport.
Since there are no national standards to guide teachers as they
instruct and support autistic students, Roberts’ book does much to
fill that void.
