NMU workshop on teaching kids with autism

Autism spectrum disorders affect one in every 150 to 200 children around the world, and the disorders can pose challenges in the classroom.

One of Ohio’s foremost experts on educating kids with autism spectrum disorders is an NMU graduate. He visited the campus on Friday, and he says the most important step of the process may be to set high expectations for students.

“I’ve found a lot of people setting low expectations and meeting them,” Dr. Morten Haugland said. He’s the founder and CEO of Haugland Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio, the largest autism education service provider in Ohio.

Dr. Haugland says the center is founded upon the idea that all children can learn. He says it uses a great deal of direct instruction, which is “a lot of repetitions in a short time, and it’s timed. It’s very data-oriented, so we use the data to guide our instruction and to make sure that we do make progress. If we do not make progress, we make changes to make sure that we are.”

The NMU psychology department sponsored the presentation.