Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District spotlights autism supports and Best Buddies inclusion programs
Summary
The district observed Autism Awareness Month with classroom demonstrations and examples from the intensive-classroom program and Moody Elementary’s Best Buddies group; staff described token systems, social supports and school-wide inclusion activities.
Middletown School District staff used the board’s district-highlight slot on April 8 to mark Autism Awareness Month and to showcase intensive-classroom strategies and inclusion programming.
Vassiana Spalding, director of special education and pupil services, reminded the board that “April is autism awareness month” and introduced teachers and school psychologists who described classroom strategies used to teach social and communication skills in intensive classrooms and to support a Best Buddies inclusion program at Moody Elementary.
At Farm Hill, teacher Christina Mitchell brought a student, Talia Gibbs, to demonstrate classroom routines such as token boards and visual schedules that staff said help students communicate feelings and follow the day’s schedule. At Moody Elementary, school psychologist Maribeth Abatello and teacher Dipti Post described Best Buddies activities, including a student-made music video the group presented during a school assembly to highlight social inclusion and confidence-building.
Spalding told the board the district has 12 intensive classrooms serving students from pre-K through high school, and she emphasized the programs’ goals: teaching skills to help students return to general education settings and providing consistent reinforcers and communication strategies.
Board members and the superintendent thanked staff and students for the presentations and said the demonstrations reinforced the district’s focus on inclusion and practical classroom strategies for neurodiverse learners.
