Reflections on Autism

Morgan Autism Center is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. In preparation for some events we will be having to highlight this occasion, I recently came across old classroom photographs from my early years at the Morgan Autism Center. I began working at Morgan Autism Center in 1977.   Many of the pictures are of students that are presently clients in our Adult Program.  The pictures brought back memories, serving as a reminder of how far we all have come.

Through the experiences of our students and adults, we have had the opportunity to see first hand how they deal with the many transitions and passages one goes through in life.  Though amplified in persons with disabilities, and especially those with autism, these issues are really the same as those we all have.  We've observed how they deal with puberty, transitions from adolescence to early adulthood, moves into group homes or supported living, menopause, family illnesses and the loss of a parent.  These are momentous occasions in any life, but certainly more challenging in persons with autism, where change and transition are particularly difficult.

Parents often ask, What will happen to my child?  What can I expect?"  As with any child's future, there are no absolute certainties.  Nonetheless, parents need a sense of what may occur, what services are available and who will monitor their child's needs as they age.  The needs of the individual and the family change over time, and vary in response to the level of the child's disabilities.

The advantage of offering lifespan services here at Morgan Autism Center has given us a unique perspective into the world of autism.  We have seen our students and adults respond well to our positive structured environment and have been able to help most families through the difficult times. Being able to share in these life experiences over a long span of time has given us a rare insight, for which we feel most fortunate.

More funding problems

As I am writing this, the State legislature is looking at what was originally a 14 billion deficit for the state that quickly escalated to 40 billion. Naturally, the legislature is looking to cut spending and, like any typically difficult budget year, people with developmental disabilities are right there at the top of the cut list. It always seems such an easy target. But, as is the case with special education, in the long run spending cuts only cost taxpayers more – and usually much more than paying up front. The people requiring special services don’t disappear, and without the necessary support, their problems compound. So, does anyone win in a situation like this? I think not. While we hear lots of discussion of reforming the budget system and eliminating the structural problems inherent in the way State funding is done, we seem unable to make any serious changes until the state coffers are under the gun – and then, education, and especially special education, seems to get a bull’s eye painted on it. With the entire state, and even the country in such dire economic straits, we recipients of public funding all have to buckle our seat belts and hang on for what looks to be a wild ride!

Autism Funding

With the economy in the tank, our investments evaporating, and the state budget deficit growing larger by the minute, our world seems to be in pretty dire straights right now. As recipients of state funding through our contracts with school districts and the Regional Centers, we at Morgan Autism Center feel in a particularly precarious situation. Programs and services for people with Developmental Disabilities are frequently viewed as an easy target for reductions in spending, and are certainly not a priority in the hierarchy of funding. So we are feeling more than a bit vulnerable as we carefully tiptoe our way through this fiscal minefield. As of today, no one seems to know how the state will reconcile its budgetary mess and what will be the ramifications for agencies and schools that rely on government funding. So, like everyone else, we are doing some belt tightening and eliminating anything that seems superfluous – though we never have much of that, even in better times!

In the meantime, and in spite of these challenges, we are continuing to work to provide our students and collaborative partners with the best services possible. A few things going on at MAC:
1) A new program with the Community School of Arts and Music, with the first phase an art class at the CSMA site in Mt. View. Our students look forward to both the art and the train ride to class. The second phase, a music class, started this winter and takes place here on our site.
2) A new collaborative effort with Kaiser Permanente in San Jose on our very successful conference, along with our continuing work with Santa Clara University.
3) A new partnership with Santa Cruz County Office of Education, working with their staff to develop their preschool classes and increase the capacity of their staff to implement effective teaching interventions with the SCCOE students.
4) A new relationship with the Santa Clara County school districts to provide workshops for both special education and regular education staff on understanding the learning style of people with autism.
5) A continuation of the reverse mainstreaming with several local schools: St, Martin’s, St. Nicholas, Harker School and Sacred Heart of the Nativity. This helps foster typical socialization opportunities for many of our students and provide the visiting students a chance to forge friendships.
6) Ongoing commitment with SJUSD to facilitate their autism classes from preschool to 5th grade, and offer assistance in program development through their Autism Advisory Committee.

So, while the rest of the world swirls around us, we’re keeping our noses to the grindstone and doing what we do best – provide our students with the most opportunities for success and share our ideas to help others do the same!