Russell Ranch Elementary to house new autism center

Folsom isn't just adding two new schools this fall, but the slew of amenities that come with them, including a high-tech autism center at soon-to-open Russell Ranch Elementary.Russell Ranch, one of the two new facilities opening in Folsom this August (the other is Vista del Lago High School), will feature four specially designed classrooms for children with autism."What we have is an opportunity as we open a new school to be fully prepared to offer more classes than typically," said Maureen Burness, the district's assistant superintendent of student support. "This will centralize our services a little better."Autism is a complex developmental disability that is the result of a neurological disorder. It typically appears in the first few years of a child's life and impacts development of social and communication skills.About 1 in 150 children in America today has an autism spectrum disorder, according to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control report. The Autism Society of America estimates the U.S. spends $35 billion on autism annually.Folsom Cordova High School District already has autism programs in place at several of its schools, including a new pre-school program at Navigator Elementary in Rancho Cordova where classes average eight students, not a small number for a special education classroom.But Russell Ranch will provide more than just classroom space. The autism center will house the district's first "specially designed classrooms and clinics" based on a method called Applied Behavior Analysis, said program coordinator Tammy Forrest."Most little 3-year-olds learn to talk and look their parents in the eye," she said. "But kids with ASD don't normally develop these things."With the center's early intensive services, she explained, teachers can work on developing skills with autistic children at a young age.Because they were built from the ground up, the center's new classrooms were able to take into account the sensory needs of children with autism, Burness said.For example, classrooms have noise-reducing carpet and do not use fluorescent lights. The center will also include an occupational therapy clinic.The project has allowed the district's special support unit to focus on intensive training for staff--not only for working with children with autism, but also for children with unique needs, said Burness.A parent advisory committee for autistic children was highly involved in the planning process as well."The parents had a lot more opportunity to participate with this than with any other kind of development with the school district," Burness said.Though other districts similarly house autism classrooms in special centers, each program is unique, she said."There isn't any one answer," she said. "But there are many groups working on the best practices for autism."For more information about the autism center at Russell Ranch, call the district's student support office at 635-2802.