Michigan State University will launch one of the nation's first programs to help young children with autism using a combination of one-on-one training and classroom experiences with peers.
The Early Learning Institute, or ELI, opens for 3- to 4-year olds with autism spectrum disorders Sept. 9. It’s the latest collaborative project at MSU focused on autism, with leadership from faculty members in the College of Education and the College of Social Science.
“ELI emphasizes a step-by-step approach to early intervention across several environments,” said Joshua Plavnick, assistant professor of special education at MSU and co-director for the institute. “Half of their day will be spent in one-on-one, intensive behavioral therapy, which will help children learn skills by catering the teaching to them. In the other half of their day, children will learn social interaction skills with and from their peers in an inclusive, classroom setting. This approach, along with programming for parents, sets families and children up for the transition to kindergarten.”
The curriculum is individually created to suit the needs of each child. Children will be assessed in areas such as language, social, observational learning and academic readiness skills. Then, specialists will develop a treatment plan for each child to address core deficit areas relative to peers.
The institute also will provide training for future applied behavior analysts, researchers and teachers.
ELI is located at the Child Development Laboratories Central School, 325 W. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing. Rooms have observation areas where specialists can watch the children work with behavior technicians and teachers and take notes on their behavior. There’s also a video observation room with monitors where specialists can watch footage from the classroom to go over interventions.
Laurie Linscott, director of the school and co-director at ELI, said this allows the child’s education and intervention to be tweaked as needed. It also provides hands-on training for the service professionals.
“It’s exciting because we’re training the next generation of teachers and therapists who will use these best practices in schools,” Linscott said, “and we’re also modeling a unique program that can have a great impact when replicated around the country.”
The institute will start off small in its first year of operation, accepting eight children, but Plavnick and Linscott hope to expand and duplicate the model in other locations around the state. In the fall of 2016, ELI plans to add 2-year-olds to its curriculum.
Applications are being accepted. Children will attend 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information visit the institute’s website or call (517) 355-1900.
The institute also has partnered with the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties.
Other collaborative projects at MSU related to autism include the Institute for Research in Autism, Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, or RAIND.