Grant expands Oklahoma Autism Center project
Thanks to a grant from the Arnall Family Foundation, the Oklahoma Autism Center has begun expanding its MESA Project, which provides technical support and professional development for educators and professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The technical assistance services are tailored to the needs of each individual school or district and can range from consultation for a single student to program modification or development districtwide.
“The work the Oklahoma Autism Center is doing to improve the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder in Oklahoma is truly remarkable,” said Sue Ann Arnall, president of the Arnall Family Foundation, in a news release. “The Arnall Family Foundation is proud to support their work and looks forward to seeing even more children and educators reached through the MESA Project expansion.”
The $220,000 grant covers a 12-month span and will allow the Oklahoma Autism Center to provide more comprehensive support to school districts in Oklahoma creating effective and sustainable solutions to the growing autism challenge. The prevalence of autism continues to rise with current rates at 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys identified.
The MESA Project expansion will have a positive impact on schools across the state, including the Alva Public Schools, a rural district in northwest Oklahoma that has about 1,200 students. The district and the Project MESA team chose Washington Elementary pre-K, kindergarten and first grade to participate.
“We have an amazing opportunity to partner with the Oklahoma Autism Center for the MESA project this 20172018 school year,” said Sheryl Lovelace, special education director at Washington Elementary. “They have truly demonstrated the way to move evidence-based strategies from theory to real-life practices in the classroom and have caused a spark of enthusiasm in the staff at Washington Elementary. We are very excited about the positive outcomes we see transpiring and look forward to growing even more as we continue our journey to classrooms that are engaging for all students.”
“We saw a need to more fully support our teachers who deal with students who have autism,” said Shane Feely, principal at Washington Elementary. “We have sought to create a system that is sustainable and evolving. The Oklahoma Autism Center has allowed our school to step out of our comfort zone and take some supported risks to grow in classroom management skills for all students through the implementation of positive behavior supports.”
“The Arnall Family Foundation grant is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with public-private partnerships, and, in this case, this partnership will improve the educational services available to Oklahoma’s children affected by autism,” said Dr. Bonnie McBride, Director of the Oklahoma Autism Center.
The Oklahoma Autism Center Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children with autism spectrum disorders, their families and communities by supporting the Oklahoma Autism Center. For more information, go to http://autismcenterok. org/.