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Members of Barracuda Buddies (standing) help their schoolmates in Ms. Metz’s class.
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n a recent Monday morning before lunch, students in Corin Metz’s class learned about amphibians in an ELA group lesson, started to make a rain cloud as part of an art project and learned that it’s not okay to have a tantrum as part of a social skills lesson. Metz’s six students all have a form of autism and other developmental disabilities. According to the advocacy group Autism Speaks, 1 in 44 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder (autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PPD-NOS) and Asperger’s syndrome). It is the fastest-growing brain developmental disorder in the United States, with children exhibiting social, behavior and communication challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of autism manifest in early childhood and usually last throughout one’s life, as there is no cure. Here in Orange County Public Schools, students with autism and their teachers are supported through the Exceptional Student Education department. In working to ensure every student has a promising and successful future, students can participate in blended classes where they are expected to access, participate and make progress in the standards2625
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of Children based general education curriculum. Students with autism who need more carfeul attention also can attend an intensive school (see list on page 12) in their learning community area. Teachers like Metz make every effort to educate students with autism in their home school, alongside their peers without disabilities to build tolerance and acceptance. She developed Barracuda Buddies, a Thornebrooke Elementary service program where her students are paired with general education students once a week to perform classroom activities. “I wanted my self-contained students to have a more direct and meaningful structure to build relationships with their peers and to experience what other children experience,” said Metz, who has been an ESE K-2 teacher at Thornebrooke for 15 years and also is a 2022 OCPS Teacher of the Year finalist. “Buddies come into the classroom to do fun things like art projects, play on the playground or play board games. It has allowed them to interact socially with their buddies in a safe and more authentic environment. These friendships spill over into day-to-day school life. … Not only have my students benefited from Barracuda Buddies, but the peers that participate as a buddy with my students have grown themselves.”
