Grand Valley State University was recently awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Michigan Department of Education to serve K-12 students with autism by establishing a team of experts to provide support for schools and parents, and creating an informational clearinghouse on autism.
GVSU will serve as the clearinghouse for information and effective strategies for working with students with autism. With assistance from intermediate school districts, other local educational organizations and universities, the clearinghouse will be a point of contact for regional collaborative teams, professionals, and parents. Educational experts have identified about 5,000 Michigan students with autism.
Amy Matthews, assistant professor of psychology, will serve as the project's lead faculty member. Matthews said the team of experts will include professionals from special education, psychology, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, and social work.
The grant funds will support the costs of consultation by these autism experts for schools serving students with autism, Matthews said. The grant is administered by the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention.
Priscilla Kimboko, dean of graduate studies and grants administration at GVSU, said it's likely the university will establish a collaborative team in West Michigan. A web site developed for the project will also aid information sharing and networking, she said.
Michigan is rapidly growing in numbers of children identified with autism, Kimboko said. It's very urgent something be done to improve services for these children and their families. We're very thankful for the efforts of Sen. Leon Stille (R-Spring Lake), who was instrumental in getting this funding approved.
The university also recently received a $250,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Education to develop a K-12 teacher endorsement program to serve students with autism.
There is an increased need for trained teachers to work with students with autism; experts have identified about 5,000 Michigan students with the disability. In Michigan, only Oakland University offers an autistic impairment (AI) teacher endorsement program.
The grant, administered by the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services, will fund a collaborative program involving six state universities: Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, GVSU, Northern Michigan, Oakland, and Wayne State.
Those interested in pursuing AI endorsement will eventually be able to take classes at the collaborative universities using video-conferencing, Internet-based courses, or on-campus courses.
Matthews said grant requirements stipulate that the AI endorsement program be available for students in January 2002.
