First graduate of School of Autism says "never give up" on kids with autism

From The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Southern California:

LA VERNE, Calif. - Julie Stride has one valuable piece of advice for parents with autistic children - never give up.

"You should never give up on those who have obsessive compulsive disorder and autism," she said. "It takes time, a lot of patience and it takes a while to cope with it. Don't go down without a fight. Stay strong," she said.

The soft-spoken 19-year-old has Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, as well as obsessive compulsive disorder.

For years, her parents Jeanine Weigle-Stride and Scot Stride sought to find her the best education.

Special education classes at the Azusa Unified School District just didn't fit their only daughter's needs and they fought to find something different.

Four years ago, with the help of the Azusa Unified, Julie Stride was placed at the LeRoy Haynes Education Center in La Verne.

Now she is the first girl to graduate from the LeRoy Haynes Education
Center's School of Autism, which officially opened a year ago.

According to Amy DeLoera, co-director of the Education Center, the children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were picking up behaviors from children with other disorders.

It was time for the students to have their own program designed around their specific needs.

For months, DeLoera and Amy Benson, the main teacher at the School of Autism, traveled all over the country, intent on finding a great program to bring home.

"We realized that we had so many referrals (for kids with autism) that we
wanted to have something amazing to offer," DeLoera said.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 3.4 of every 1,000 children ages 3-10 have ASD.

Symptoms, which range in severity according to the individual, include deficits in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors or interests. In addition, they may be very sensitive to sensory experiences.

The program at the LeRoy Haynes Center, also a residential treatment facility for abused or neglected boys, seeks to provide specialized curriculum. It involves two different classroom settings - one room is for children with Asperger's Syndrome and the other rooms are used to advance the children with low-functioning ASD.

The program was designed so each of the rooms are used to work on a different skill - from motor function to music and social skills, the kids are taught more than academics.