From The Baltimore Sun: At the beginning of the year, Debbie Cottrill handed out copies of the book My Friend with Autism to children in her son's class at Central Elementary School in Edgewater.
She attached letters to parents explaining that Dean has autism and asked parents to go over the book with their children.
Cottrill wants Dean's second-grade classmates to understand that he suffers from a neurological disorder that makes him shrink away from them when he is touched. She wants them to know that he wears headphones in the cafeteria because the lunchroom chatter hurts his hypersensitive ears.
Central Elementary officials also are using books to teach the entire student body how to be more understanding toward children with disabilities. Last year, the media center held an after-school book club and had students read and discuss a story about a 12-year-old whose brother has autism.
This year, the school took the project one step further by creating a library display with books about children with disabilities. The display features a doll-size wheelchair and a doll with the physical features of a child with Down syndrome.
Cottrill, a Riva resident, said the display is another example of how the school works to integrate students with disabilities with classmates. This year, the school has 64 special-education students, only 20 of whom are in a separate classroom.
"The school doesn't hide them away," Cottrill said.Kim Chesek, a special-education teacher at Central Elementary, bought the miniature wheelchair on e-Bay. She also found on the Internet a company that produces a line of Down syndrome dolls. The media center already had about a dozen books featuring special-needs children.
Chesek and the media center staff bought an additional 20 books and made room for a section on special-needs students. The display features books about children who have autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and medical
conditions such as asthma and diabetes.
"It needs to be just as eclectic as the group of kids are," Cottrill said.One of Chesek's favorite books in the collection is Be Good to Eddie Lee, a story about a child with Down syndrome written by Virginia Fleming. The genetic disorder causes varying degrees of mental retardation. Such books tell students why some children act differently.
And as more students become aware of disabilities, they feel more relaxed
around special-needs children, educators say.
"Kids are afraid of what they don't know, but if they have information, they're fine," Chesek said.Kara Walsh, a media specialist, started educating students last week about the library's new section.
When she began to discuss disabilities, she saw some of last year's book club members helping their classmates understand the characteristics of autism.
"They were able to explain it in their own words," Walsh said.
Two of Kirsten Hair's three sons attend Central Elementary. Her eldest son, Wesley, is a fourth-grader in Chesek's class. He has Williams syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes learning disabilities, behavioral issues and a host of physical problems.
"I've been really happy with the way they've accepted my son," said Hair, who lives in Harwood. "The children [at the school] have all been wonderful to him."
Cottrill said Dean has made great strides at Central Elementary. The school's increased attention to special-needs children will help her son as he learns how to make friends."I just think the more [information] that is out there, the better," Cottrill said.