'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

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Detour to: interactive whiteboards for work environments where Autistics can thrive

Specialisterne (‘the Specialists’ in Danish) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Their consultants bring the joy of work into areas where it is often missing today. In late 2009, Specialisterne established a special youth education programme (STU) for young people 16 to 24 years old with autism spectrum disorders. These students do not excel in traditional youth education programs. So the purpose of the STU is to create a holistic approach to education which, besides teaching traditional subjects, also focuses on social and cultural understanding, health and well-being, and social behaviours and skills.
(source: specialistpeople.com: Denmark)

One tool that might be especially useful in any learning environment, for those individuals with special needs (like people on the Autistic Spectrum), is an interactive whiteboard.

One type of interactive whiteboard, the SMART Board has been part of an ongoing project with schoolchildren for a number of years. The Autism, Communication and Technology Project was initiated at Spaulding Youth Center in 2005 to research whether interactive whiteboards could be used to improve communication and engage students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders or neurological disorders. The project is a joint initiative of the Spaulding Youth Center, a New Hampshire-based facility providing therapeutic and educational care for youth with autism or other neurological impairments, and EdTech Associates, an agency that designs customized technology solutions and helps schools and other organizations develop learning environments in which all students can learn. Here is link to a presentation covering the use of the SMART Board for Autistic students: http://portal.b-g.k12.ky.us/Technology/TRT/Shared%20Documents/Webinar%20Documents/McClaskey%20Welch%20Webinar%20Presentation.pdf

Kathleen McClaskey, president of EdTech Associates, says that most noteworthy of the project’s findings is the improvement in the students’ communication and social interaction skills:

…In fact, McClaskey believes, the results have been remarkable. “What we’ve seen at Spaulding,” she says, “is a significant increase in student engagement. Their attention is focused the whole time the SMART Board is on. The transformation of the student is so significant, people who visit the school cannot believe the behaviors they’re seeing…”

Cynthia Everett is a Special Education Teacher at Butts Road Intermediate School in Chesapeake, Virginia:

…Everett observes that her students with autism welcome the opportunity to perform for and with their peers at the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. She says, “I believe doing this has enormous benefits for their social skills and their self-esteem. If we can get our students to feel confident enough, regardless of their learning abilities, to stand in front of their peers, that’s significant. And it happens again and again with the SMART Board.”

…For Everett, it’s the visual aspects of the SMART Board that she’s seen engage students the most. She explains, “Something magical happens between children with autism and the SMART Board. I find that my students with autism are so visual. With the SMART Board, I can take any lesson and break it down into visual icons and steps, and they understand it. When I break a concept down into images, something brilliant happens. I just watch them go.”

(sources: Interactive Administrator; http://downloads01.smarttech.com:80/media/edcompass/october2009/edcompass-featurearticle-oct09.pdf; http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/NECC2009/KEY_45403171/Welch_LL365McClaskeyWelchLCarticle.pdf)