Autism Unit Part Of Special Education Expansion

Socorro Independent Schools has expanded their special education program by increasing the size of their SL Autism Unit.

The unit is now spread throughout two schools, with the latest group installed in Desert Wind Elementary this year.

The director of special education for the district said the goal of the unit is very clear.

"What we're after is for our students once they graduate from high school to be independent," said Susan Kelch.

The unit also provides students with structure to provide additional comforts and learning.

Desert Wind Elementary has several procedures in place to accommodate the unit.

Students within the unit have their own bathroom, as well as a small room filled with toys, a small air mattress and a chair where a child and monitor can go if the student needs to calm down. The school also has arrows pointing to the same, specific way to get to their classroom.

"When the students come into school, they know they can find their classroom because they follow their arrow," Kelch said.

Another clear goal of the program is to provide students within the unit with vocational training. This is so when students leave the classroom, they are able to find jobs. Students start off learning things such as cleaning tables, and will soon learn banking skills within the classroom.

"They need a lot of structure, and they need a lot of scheduling, and so we really need to teach that very specifically for them," Kelch said.

The Desert Wind SL Autism Unit has about 10 students.