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Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) offers myriad ways to assist the 9,000 of its students who fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“Special education teachers in our autism support classrooms utilize a multisensory approach to teaching and learning, activating the visual and auditory, pathways to learning,” said Reagan Chalmers, district director for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) at M-DCPS. “We encourage them to take deep breaths and tell us how they feel. We also engage our students via their interests as a pathway to learning in many of our autism support classrooms.”
M-DCPS offers specialized instruction with ESE teachers in small groups in elementary school and beyond to help these students develop skills to become more independent in high school and after graduation. The district even offers transitional programs to help students find employment after they graduate.
Currently, about 1,000 of the students with autism at M-DCPS attend school in a general education classroom alongside their non-disabled peers. Other students receive instruction in classrooms tailored to their specific needs, centered around structure, routine, and specialized instruction. About 85 schools at M-DCPS have these self-contained ESE classrooms. All students with autism have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that specifically outlines the supports and services they need to access their education.
Once students with ASD and other ESE students transition to middle and high school, they still have ESE teachers working with them in different subjects but the focus also shifts to having them gain social skills and accomplishments outside the classroom.
Referred to as community-based instruction, teachers will take students on field trips to restaurants and other places where they can work on ordering their food and waiting in line. These are skills that serve them well in everyday life — a way to get used to new experiences, and being guided by the teachers they trust.
“It has worked out so nicely for people with their children seeing these children enjoy the same things,” said Sonia Lynch, an 11th and 12th grade ESE teacher at Southwest Miami High School. “This is good for the community as well, not just the students.”
Making sure students with ASD experience the joys that any graduating senior should experience is a big part of the district’s efforts to make all students feel welcome.
Since 2014, the district has held an annual prom for students with ASD, which took place this year on May 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Miami Airport & Convention Center.
“These students are special, and we want them to feel appreciated, and we want them to have fun and to be themselves.” said Olga Gonzalez, district coordinator for ESE. “Last year we had a lot of fun; it was a big gala.”
As in any other prom, students attend decked out in tuxedos and prom dresses, dancing to music from a professional disc jockey. Two students are even crowned king and queen. About 250 students attend the event every year.
A big part of the way M-DCPS helps its students with autism and other intellectually disabled students is through transitioning programs that help them get jobs after they graduate.
Barbara Goleman Senior High School has career and technical education programs with a focus on technology, and how to use design software to create engravings, ornaments, and other projects.
Project Bridge over at JRE Lee Educational Center in South Miami focuses on training these students in culinary arts. Students learn all about measuring, cutting, and cooking food for people with allergies.
“But most importantly they teach them how to cook for themselves at home,” said Raydelin Munoz, executive director for Transition Services and Project Programs at the ESE Department at M-DCPS. “Some of the students end up using these skills to work in bakeries or restaurants.”
She said the students had made elaborate, delicious cakes for their graduations in the past.
Local organizations like Shake-a-Leg Miami focus on training students in marine sciences, boating, and recreation. Publix, the Public Defender’s Office, and Zoo Miami have similar programs in their respective fields.
Meeting the needs of students with ASD and all ESE students according to the way they learn best and creating opportunities for them to thrive at school and after graduation is another reason M-DCPS is your best choice.
“Our teachers are amazing at giving a very complex group of students the individual attention they need, and doing the best for these children every single day,” Chalmers said.
“They form close bonds with them and their families and always want the best for them.”
Patrick Salmasi is Administrative Director, Department of Exceptional Student Education, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
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