By: Hannah Froats
SPARTANBURG COUNTY (FOX Carolina) –
South Carolina has never offered Autism Spectrum Disorder specified training for their educators, until now.
Thirty-five educators from the Spartanburg Co. school district completed South Carolina’s first specialized training program for ASD at Converse College.
On Saturday, these educators were awarded certificates for their efforts and the completion of this specific training.
Despite the rise of Autism awareness in America, Converse became the only institution in South Carolina to offer coursework and professional development in the field of autism. This program consisted of five courses:
- Foundations in ASD
- Speech Language and Communication Development in ASD
- Adaptations and Inclusion for Students with ASD
- Methods of Instruction Specific to ASD
- Behavioral Management of Students with ASD
The Spartanburg Co. educators, who were the first participants in this program, each serve in a wide range of positions as educators. Some are school counselors, speech therapists, and even school nurses. No matter what their profession, they all developed in-depth training on how to best support this student population.
Program participant Kylie McKinney, who is an Autism Specialist for Spartanburg Co. public schools said, “The magnitude of this program could be a game changer in the lives of students with ASD, and it gives both educators and students in Spartanburg County a wonderful advantage to learning.”
Converse College aims to broaden its ASD instruction to serve more teachers across the state in the near future.
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