PAGE 16 THE SPOKE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2012
FEATURES
‘Smiles for Autism’ promotes awareness of autism Claire Moran & Suproteem Sarkar Business Manager & Convergence Editor Students with autism will have more opportunities this year to improve their Conestoga experience. While the school already offers multiple support options for students, including a math resource room and a writing support center, this year Conestoga has opened an autistic support classroom and a new club called Smiles for Autism that share the common goal of making the school a friendlier environment for students with autism. Michael DeVitis, the head of the support classroom and a Chester County Intermediate Unit special education teacher, said that the support classroom was formed this year to help students keep up with the academic and social pressures of high school. “High school can be demanding, and there’s a lot that’s asked of you and a lot that students want to achieve,” DeVitis said. “Sometimes place where [students] can come, take a deep breath and get away for a few moments, then get back and engage in the curriculum again.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, autism is a developmental disorder that affects communication skills. Symptoms usually appear before the age of 3, and many people with the disorder may have difficulty with social interactions, language or attentiveness. “There’s not really a clear-cut cial Education Supervisor Nicole Roy said. “It’s a disability that has very much a range of abilities within it. It’s called a spectrum disorder because that’s exactly what it is. Different types of students fall differently on the spectrum.” To account for different needs for each student, DeVitis said that although the classroom provides a social skills class and academic seminars which are open to multiple students, one of its main goals is to also work with students individually lenges that they need to work on so we try to address those,” DeVitis said. “That way they can make progress socially [and] academically and feel good about themselves.” One challenge faced by many with communication. To help these
students, Smiles for Autism, started this year by senior Jeffrey Cummins, aims to raise money in order to donate iPads to the Timothy School, a school for students with autism. According to the club’s adviser, guidance counselor Rachelle Gough, some iPad applications help students to communicate more effectively. “Some students with autism have difficulty communicating,” Gough said. “Technology has been really helpful in mitigating those challenges and helping students better communicate with those around them.” Cummins said his experience with We Bake Smiles, an organization his aunt founded to support people with autism and his interaction with his cousin who has autism were two factors that motivated him to form the club. “I’ve been part of three nonwith autism […] so I’ve really had a connection to the disorder,” Cummins said. “I know what it’s like to [interact] with kids with autism and I’d really like to raise awareness about it so kids know how to
Smiles for Autism is a new club at Conestoga that aims to raise money to donate iPads to The Timothy School. Anisa Tavangar/The SPOKE
[interact with] a child with autism.” DeVitis said that students who are a part of the classroom already participate in many of the same activities that most other students do, including core classes, homeroom and homework. He said that he hopes the classroom will empower every student to enjoy the academic and social opportunities available at Conestoga.
“I think all students deserve a chance to having a high quality of life and having a great experience both in and out of the classroom,” DeVitis said. “I look at it as an opportunity to help not only our students, but [to] help the community in general.” Claire Moran can be reached at cmoran@stoganews.com.