School changes may be big setback for autistic

Every day this summer, 6-year-old Arthur Conroy and his parents will talk about where he'll go to kindergarten in the fall.

They'll look at pictures of Graham Hill Elementary. They'll drive by the building in Seattle's Rainier Valley. Hopefully, they'll meet a few teachers before school begins. Starting kindergarten is hard for any child, but it's an especially big transition for children who, like Arthur, have autism.

Graham Hill has one of the district's only autism-inclusion programs south of Interstate 90, and it's one of the schools that is proposed to close in 2007-08. That means Arthur could have to make another change next year, along with the other children in the Graham Hill program, which is doubling in size to 12 in the fall. Inclusion programs allow special-education students to spend most of their school day in regular classrooms.

Special-education students would be disproportionately affected by the closures proposed by Superintendent Raj Manhas, but only slightly, according to the district's demographer, Rachel Cassidy.

Of the more than 2,400 students who would be affected by his recommended nine building closures, 316, or 13 percent, are special-education students. About 12 percent of students districtwide are in special education. That includes children who have autism and those who have physical or minor learning disabilities, or social and emotional problems.

"By definition, students with autism really are successful when there's routine, so it's an issue," said Colleen Stump, the district's interim director of advanced learning and special education.

There is no plan yet for what to do with the autism program at Graham Hill, though Stump said the district would try to keep it in the South End if there's a need there for an autism program.

Autism-inclusion teacher Karie Krews-St. Yves said moving to another school will be a giant step back for some children.

"It's kind of like the garden is full of weeds again and we've got to pluck them out and do this repetitive teaching," she said. To learn to walk to the bathroom alone, for example, some kids need to go there with an adult 50 times to learn the route, Krews-St. Yves said.

Preparing a "good plan"

Stump said that she won't pinpoint exactly where and how the special-education students will move until a July 26 School Board vote determines which schools stay on the closure list, but she said she is "cognizant" of how important the transition will be.

The district will take special-education students to visit their new schools, will keep families and teachers together, and will move as much equipment as possible between schools. And she said input from parents will be sought.

"This is about really pulling together as decisions are made so we have a good plan going forward," she said.

A group of parents have recently formed the Seattle Special Education PTSA to address their children's needs.

"I think we're hoping that this process will be more of an opportunity to talk about how the programs are placed throughout the district," said Rose Yu, the group's co-president.

A thriving fourth-grader

Parents are wary of changes to programs they like because finding a good fit is difficult.

At Viewlands Elementary School, the key to the autism-inclusion program is a portable classroom set up with $30,000 to $50,000 in occupational-therapy equipment.

Because children with autism often lack awareness of their own bodies, playing on the specialized equipment helps to calm them and give them a sense of security. Swings suspend from a giant crossbar, one over a bin of plastic balls. Students can climb through seven layers of a Lycra hammock, punch a suspended punching bag and dig through a bin of dried beans.

After the sensory therapy, they can focus on their schoolwork and they head back to their normal classes, calm.

Last year, Seattle fourth-grader Brian Speer sometimes called his mother twice a day from school, just to calm down. Often, the school staff sent him home early.

So his mother, Nancy Speer, took a chance this year by transferring Brian, who has autism, to Viewlands, also on the proposed school-closure list.

Brian has thrived in the school's autism-inclusion program. For the first time since he started school, his mother said, he has friends. He had the whole school rolling after his humorous performance at the school talent show, and he recently performed in the play "James and the Giant Peach."

"It's like night and day from where he was a year ago," Speer said. "It just kind of brings tears to your eyes."

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246