I am Levin’s grandmother and advocate. When Levin was in kindergarten, his educational team believed that he was demonstrating signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Las Cruces Public Schools conducted a Multidisciplinary Evaluation and provided an Educational Determination for Autism dated May 19, 2021,
Due to COVID-19 disruptions, Levin did not receive a Medical Diagnosis for ASD until January 6, 2022 by UNM CDD . He was on their waitlist for more than two years.
In order to be a more knowledgeable advocate and mentor for my grandson with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I decided to gain some knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I applied to NMSU Graduate School for admission. The Graduate School had a program specifically in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Once I was accepted, I enrolled and completed 12 hours of Special Education classes focusing on and earned a Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The increasing number of students with ASD in public schools has motivated me to gain more knowledge about this population. I hope this opportunity will provide me with the necessary skills to develop my knowledge of essential need areas for serving individuals with ASD.
In the future, I hope to volunteer in my grandson’s Special Ed classes or a parallel autism classroom. This program will help me to explore multiple teaching techniques that could benefit children with ASD and how to implement these strategies effectively. I will be able to learn and use effective teaching practices that promote cognitive and social development. I want to play a role in the autism classroom and identify students’ challenges and teachers’ needs to help develop a successful educational plan for each individual.
I learned that working with students who have restricted interests can be a challenge, but embedding these interests into applicable lessons help increase academic engagement and improve outcomes. Quoting Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, the pioneer of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), I strongly believe that “If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn”.
Ten months into the COVID-19 pandemic, public schools are still grappling with the challenges of educating students online. It is not easy to engage a five-year-old with ASD, not only to sit still, but to focus on his online classes. My husband and I try to work closely with my grandson’s Special Ed teacher. I feel that it is very important to be knowledgeable about the Special Ed Curriculum and the goals expected to be achieved. The Stars curriculum provides teachers and parents different resources that target IEP goals, new skills, behavioral skills, and functional routine skills. Resources that can be issued are visual schedules, PECS, home packets that include Math and Reading work, social stories, and token economy. These are resources parents and teachers can use at home or in the classroom.
My special thanks and appreciation to the below Special Education Professors at NMSU:
| SPED 585 | Introduction to Autism | Dr. Yvonne Moreno | Fall 2020 |
| SPED 587 | Social Skills and Autism | Dr. Yvonne Moreno | Spring 2021 |
| SPED 586 | Behavior and Autism | Dr. Judy Salamon | Fall 2021 |
| SPED 588 | Communication and Autism | Dr. Joan Wilson | Spring 2022 |
