Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith today proclaimed World Autism Day from the steps of City Hall, Hamilton in a ceremony that also marked the start of Autism Awareness Month [pictured right]. 

BASE consultant Susannah Cole said the new figures released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US that 1 in 88 American children now has some form of autism spectrum disorder "should serve as an urgent call to address a critical issue facing society: Individuals and families living with autism need support and services. 

“If society does not answer that call, particularly as the population grows, more and more individuals will not receive the help they desperately need. When needs are met, individuals are empowered to be self-sufficient citizens who can lead independent, fulfilled lives."

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Video courtesy of Bernews.com

Dame Jennifer said that a special classroom would be set aside and staffed by specially-trained teachers and educational therapy staff. The programme, long advocated by BASE, will be extended if successful.

The pilot will be run at West Pembroke Primary School and around six autistic pupils will be the first to benefit from the trial programme.

Previously, autistic children in public sector schools were in mainstream classes, with support from teaching assistants, who may not have had specialist training in dealing with autism.

Read the full story in the Bermuda Sun

Paula Kluth addressing the workshop.More than 100 participants took part in our workshop with Dr. Paula Kluth at Mount St. Agnes Academy on April 16, making it the biggest workshop BASE has ever hosted!

Chicago-based Dr. Kluth is a renowned autism and inclusive schooling expert and author. She works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners.

The workshop - “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Educating Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms” - was a key event for Autism Awareness Month and designed to help parents and professionals develop their expertise in autism and renew their enthusiasm for their work with individuals on the autism spectrum. 

Dr. Kluth said she was very pleased with the response from the local autism community and educators to the workshop:

"This workshop is based on my own experiences as a teacher of students with autism. When I began working in an inclusive school twenty years ago, there were few resources available on educating learners with autism and no books, workshops, or materials on teaching those with autism in general education classrooms. Therefore, when I became a professor of education, the first book I wrote was “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom. Even though I have written nine other books since then, this one is still my most popular. The workshop of the same name is also my most popular workshop. I think this illustrates the need that still exists for both classroom teachers and learning specialists. 

"This workshop works well in Bermuda because here all students-those with and without disabilities- are educated together; this is a goal people in other countries have been trying to reach for years! Most of he topics covered in the workshop, including ideas for helping students polish communication skills; active learning structures; tips for creating comfortable classrooms; learning games; and adapted instructional materials, work just as well for students with and without unique learning needs. So, we were hoping that every teacher - no matter what needs or abilities their students have - would find some new strategy.

"The fact that Bermuda is small has some wonderful benefits. Teachers have to learn from one another and they have to collaborate. In addition, in a small community, creating changes in an educational system can be much easier than in a larger region. With only a few dozen schools on the island, word can travel quickly and so can innovative practices.

"I am hoping that participants left with a range of ideas they could use immediately. We did a lot of brainstorming and had a lot of time for discussion. Based on these conversations, it was clear to me that educators are committed to educating all students in their diverse classrooms. I overheard many teachers saying that they were going to use ideas right away on Monday morning."

BASE received overwhelmingly posititve feedback from the workshop. These were typical comments:

“The workshop was amazing. Dr. Kluth was a wonderful and upbeat presenter. I think the messages were clear and appropriate for the audience.”

“The time flew by – I was so engaged in the topic and the activities kept me moving. I feel confident enough to use what I learned today right away in the classroom.”

“We got to try many of the instructional techniques she presented. It was a great reminder that children need to move to learn!” 

“Very practical, hands-on workshop.”

None of the Bermuda autisim organisations solicits funds in this way and we ask the public to contact us directly before making donations, and to only donate to registered charities. If you wish to make a donation to BASE, you can do so securely via the donation link on this site

For more on this story, see The Royal Gazette and Bernews

BASE consultant Susannah Cole said: "In partnership with Child and Adolescent Services and WindReach, it means that a safe and enjoyable summer camp experience will finally be accessible to children with autism."

The rain held off and the sun came out as BASE and Bermuda's autism community marked World Autism Awareness Day with a special ceremony on the steps of City Hall. 

Reading from the official United Nations proclamation, Premier Paula Cox said that autism around the world is growing and affects as many as 1 in 150 people with a child is diagnosed with autism every 20 minutes. She said the economic impact of the lifelong disorder was “enormous” in terms of care and treatment, with the bulk of costs coming in adulthood.

She said: “The aims for World Autism Awareness Day are to inform the general public about the global health crisis of autism, stress the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention, and to celebrate the unique talents and qualities of individuals with autism.”

BASE consultant Susannah Cole said that WAAD and Autism Awareness Month were an opportunity to “deepen our understanding and acceptance of autism and to celebrate the hard work and dedication of families and professionals who support individuals with autism spectrum disorders”.

She said: “Autism awareness stories in the media largely focus on children with autism, but people with autism are children, teenagers, adults, men, women, scientists, engineers and the unemployed. People with autism have their unique sets of strengths and weaknesses, and they also have incredible potential." 

The lunchtime audience was entertained by some fine performances from the talented students of Prospect Primary School [pictured above] featuring their choir, male chorale group and a puppet show.

View more photos of the big day

As part of Autism Awareness Month, BASE will be bringing in leading autism teacher, consultant and author Dr. Paula Kluth for a special one-day workshop.

The workshop - “You’re Going To Love This Kid: Educating Students with Autism In Inclusive Schools” – will be held at Mount St Agnes Academy on April 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dr. Paula Kluth works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. In the workshop participants will learn practical ways of supporting students with autism spectrum labels and other disabilities within a general education classroom.

The workshop costs $35 (including lunch) and qualifies as six hours professional development.

Click here to register

Premier Paula Cox, MP, JP will proclaim World Autism Awareness Day in Bermuda from the steps of City Hall, Hamilton on April 1.

Bermuda will join autism communities around the world in celebrating the fourth annual WAAD that was established following a 2007 United Nations resolution. It is one of only three official condition-specific United Nations Days and aims to bring the world's attention to autism, a neurological and developmental disorder that affects tens of millions.

The event will also mark the beginning of Autism Awareness Month in Bermuda and coincides with the 10th anniversary of Bermuda Autism Support & Education (BASE). 

Read more ...

• Full details
• Bernews coverage
• Royal Gazette feature on Malcolm Hollis