Within the past year, Josh Jones’ 3-year-old daughter Addie began showing signs that she might be a bit different than other children.
Addie has difficulty staying on task. It’s difficult to keep her full attention. Her speech is delayed, and she has trouble speaking in full sentences.
Josh Jones said that while his daughter hasn’t yet been officially diagnosed, it is possible that Addie is suffering from an Autism Spectrum Disorder. If so, she will join the 1-in-110 children in the United States that has an ASD, a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
“She does things that are typical for autistic kids,” Jones said. “We have been told she is different than other kids.”
Addie will not be officially diagnosed until later this month, but her parents wanted to get a head start preparing for the possibility that she has an ASD. On Saturday, Jones joined approximately 90 area residents and childcare providers for an all-day autism conference at the Family Resource Center in Pittsburg. Sponsored by the Smart Start program, the conference was made possible by funding from Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. With a keynote speaker and multiple break-out sessions, the event was aimed at providing as much information as possible on autism and how to care for children with the disorder.
“The objective is just to learn more about autism and interventions that impact the symptoms of autism,” said Rachelle Mengarelli, infant/toddler mental health specialist with the Crawford County Mental Health Department and Smart Start.
Of the 90 participants, 80 were childcare providers ranging from daycare operators to preschool teachers. The other 10 were made up of families that have been directly affected by autism. The various break-out sessions included discussions on social interaction, communication and sensory and language concerns.
Beth Case, conference coordinator, said the informational event was set up in order to provide valuable resources to those who often deal directly with children with disorders on the autism spectrum.
“Autism is an area that we were hearing about from child care providers that they didn’t know a lot about,” Case said. “They wanted more training just to know what it is so that when they are working with children, they know how and where to go from there. We also wanted to have a wide variety of subjects so they could learn a little bit about a lot of different areas.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if four million children are born in the U.S. each year, 36,500 of them will eventually be diagnosed with an ASD. The CDC also estimates that approximately 730,000 people between the ages of 0 and 21 have an ASD — and the rate is on the rise.
“The numbers are up nationwide,” said Talia Vinson, resource and referral officer at the FRC.
Kim Meyer, school psychologist for the SEK Interlocal 637 and a regional autism consultant for the Kansas Instructional Support Network, said all of the 13 school districts affiliated with the SEK Interlocal include at least one student with an ASD.
“The majority of kids I do work with are on the (autism) spectrum,” Meyer said. “Those kids will struggle in school. There is a need for a routine, structure and sameness in a world that is often not set up that way. There is a lot of unpredictability in our world. Children on the spectrum have trouble understanding and processing what’s going on around them because their communication is impacted.”
And because numbers are up, those at Saturday’s conference said it’s becoming even more important for early child care professionals and parents to understand the signs and early intervention methods. The CDC states that ASDs affect each person differently, meaning signs and symptoms can vary from person to person. While those with autism will share some certain characteristics, such as social interaction problems, the severity and precise nature will likely vary.
According to the CDC, possible “red flags” include:
• Not respond to their name by 12 months of age.
• Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months.
• Not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll) by 18 months.
• Avoid eye contact and want to be alone.
• Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings.
Early detection of ASD symptoms can help limit the disorder’s impact on a child’s life.
“It’s important for parents and teachers to know what the characteristics may look like so they can go in and get a diagnosis and they can get an intervention if they are at risk of not developing their skills on time,” said Terri Cooper Swanson, assistant professor and autism certificate program coordinator at Pittsburg State University, who served as the keynote speaker at Saturday’s conference.
Many who attended the conference came away with a better understanding of autism and how to deal with children who suffer from the disorder. Taryn Cicero, owner of Taryn’s Day Care, said she has “hesitated” accepting kids with autism into her daycare, simply because she didn’t have a strong understanding of the disorder. And while the conference may not have taught her everything she needs to know, she said it did help paint a clearer picture for how to care for an autistic child.
“It makes it so it’s not as scary,” Cicero said. “If you don’t know anything about a child’s situation or problem, sometimes you might be a little more apprehensive or scared. Just knowing how to deal with certain situations, it makes it better for you.”
While the conference was for adults, it may ultimately be the children who benefit the most.
“It is just so important that providers try to understand what’s causing the behavior in children instead of just trying to make them behave the way they want them to,” said Kathy Rosenblad, a childcare licensing specialist for Crawford and Bourbon counties. “With children with disabilities — autism, in particular — there is going to be a reason they are behaving. They can’t help it. Instead of trying to control children, try to understand them.”
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Within the past year, Josh Jones’ 3-year-old daughter Addie began showing signs that she might be a bit different than other children.
Addie has difficulty staying on task. It’s difficult to keep her full attention. Her speech is delayed, and she has trouble speaking in full sentences.
Josh Jones said that while his daughter hasn’t yet been officially diagnosed, it is possible that Addie is suffering from an Autism Spectrum Disorder. If so, she will join the 1-in-110 children in the United States that has an ASD, a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
“She does things that are typical for autistic kids,” Jones said. “We have been told she is different than other kids.”
Addie will not be officially diagnosed until later this month, but her parents wanted to get a head start preparing for the possibility that she has an ASD. On Saturday, Jones joined approximately 90 area residents and childcare providers for an all-day autism conference at the Family Resource Center in Pittsburg. Sponsored by the Smart Start program, the conference was made possible by funding from Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. With a keynote speaker and multiple break-out sessions, the event was aimed at providing as much information as possible on autism and how to care for children with the disorder.
“The objective is just to learn more about autism and interventions that impact the symptoms of autism,” said Rachelle Mengarelli, infant/toddler mental health specialist with the Crawford County Mental Health Department and Smart Start.
Of the 90 participants, 80 were childcare providers ranging from daycare operators to preschool teachers. The other 10 were made up of families that have been directly affected by autism. The various break-out sessions included discussions on social interaction, communication and sensory and language concerns.
Beth Case, conference coordinator, said the informational event was set up in order to provide valuable resources to those who often deal directly with children with disorders on the autism spectrum.
“Autism is an area that we were hearing about from child care providers that they didn’t know a lot about,” Case said. “They wanted more training just to know what it is so that when they are working with children, they know how and where to go from there. We also wanted to have a wide variety of subjects so they could learn a little bit about a lot of different areas.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if four million children are born in the U.S. each year, 36,500 of them will eventually be diagnosed with an ASD. The CDC also estimates that approximately 730,000 people between the ages of 0 and 21 have an ASD — and the rate is on the rise.
“The numbers are up nationwide,” said Talia Vinson, resource and referral officer at the FRC.
Kim Meyer, school psychologist for the SEK Interlocal 637 and a regional autism consultant for the Kansas Instructional Support Network, said all of the 13 school districts affiliated with the SEK Interlocal include at least one student with an ASD.
“The majority of kids I do work with are on the (autism) spectrum,” Meyer said. “Those kids will struggle in school. There is a need for a routine, structure and sameness in a world that is often not set up that way. There is a lot of unpredictability in our world. Children on the spectrum have trouble understanding and processing what’s going on around them because their communication is impacted.”
And because numbers are up, those at Saturday’s conference said it’s becoming even more important for early child care professionals and parents to understand the signs and early intervention methods. The CDC states that ASDs affect each person differently, meaning signs and symptoms can vary from person to person. While those with autism will share some certain characteristics, such as social interaction problems, the severity and precise nature will likely vary.
According to the CDC, possible “red flags” include:
• Not respond to their name by 12 months of age.
• Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months.
• Not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll) by 18 months.
• Avoid eye contact and want to be alone.
• Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings.
Early detection of ASD symptoms can help limit the disorder’s impact on a child’s life.
“It’s important for parents and teachers to know what the characteristics may look like so they can go in and get a diagnosis and they can get an intervention if they are at risk of not developing their skills on time,” said Terri Cooper Swanson, assistant professor and autism certificate program coordinator at Pittsburg State University, who served as the keynote speaker at Saturday’s conference.
Many who attended the conference came away with a better understanding of autism and how to deal with children who suffer from the disorder. Taryn Cicero, owner of Taryn’s Day Care, said she has “hesitated” accepting kids with autism into her daycare, simply because she didn’t have a strong understanding of the disorder. And while the conference may not have taught her everything she needs to know, she said it did help paint a clearer picture for how to care for an autistic child.
“It makes it so it’s not as scary,” Cicero said. “If you don’t know anything about a child’s situation or problem, sometimes you might be a little more apprehensive or scared. Just knowing how to deal with certain situations, it makes it better for you.”
While the conference was for adults, it may ultimately be the children who benefit the most.
“It is just so important that providers try to understand what’s causing the behavior in children instead of just trying to make them behave the way they want them to,” said Kathy Rosenblad, a childcare licensing specialist for Crawford and Bourbon counties. “With children with disabilities — autism, in particular — there is going to be a reason they are behaving. They can’t help it. Instead of trying to control children, try to understand them.”
