NSU Horizons Fall 2006

curriculum area and see what impact it would have on our children’s learning.” Baudhuin Preschool Director Michele Kaplan, M.S., said the majority of the children at the school struggle with verbal skills. “Since many of our children perform better on visual spatial tasks, we felt that targeting math skills would be an opportunity to enhance their problem solving abilities.” Melissa Hale, Ph.D., program coordinator for the Autism Consortium, said 34 children of varying abilities participated in the study. “Our focus was on fundamental math skills, such as grouping, one-to-one corre- spondence, and simple addition,” she said. “This core set of skills is the critical foundation for mastering more advanced math skills.” Most of the instruction was couched in play, as play is the basis for all early childhood learning, Masi explained. In one exercise, children were told to pair with their “number buddies,” that is, form certain two digit numbers by identifying the classmates who wore the correct numerical digit. “Until they understand that, they won’t really understand math skills. So you start with the basics with our children. ‘Can you give one plate to each person? Please give each of your friends two cookies.’ These are the kinds of connections that you have to make. The curriculum is broken down into its simplest elements.” Sue Kabot, Ed.D., director of clinical and therapeutic ser- vices at the Mailman Segal Institute, said the study yielded promising results. “We learned that, for our children, we must provide targeted instruction,” she said. “The more systematic and specific, the more skills they retain. While our children mastered many new skills, they continued to struggle with gen- eralization and learning the language of math. We are continuing to explore this subject through new and more in-depth studies.” new neuro-passageways Soni Krasky’s classroom in the Lower School of University School is carved into small learning stations: computers, lis- tening, Leap Track, and others. Unlike the other classes in the school in which students work in groups at tables, the children in Krasky’s charge are each assigned a desk. For these 12 students, “It’s important for them to have control of their own work area,” she said. Krasky, M.Ed., is an instructor in the Learning and Research Academy (LRA), an innovative program at 22 horizons The program emphasizes the use of games and story telling to make learning math fun and exciting. In Project M.I.N.D, students interact with one another, create their own math games and brain teasers, apply mathematics to real-world problems, and learn a variety of simple strategies to solve complex problems. Over the years, Su has adjusted the program to assist various groups, including homeless women. “We had field-tested Project M.I.N.D. with many differ- ent groups over the years, but had never worked with children with autism,” she said. Working with the early childhood experts at the Mailman Segal Institute, Su devel- oped Project A+ (Autism + Mathematics = Communication), which was awarded the President’s Research and Develop- ment Grant. The study sought to identify the benefits of systematic mathematics instruction for children with autism spectrum disorders. Wendy Masi, Ph.D., dean of the Mailman Segal Institute, said she was intrigued with the question Su’s research proposed. Masi was eager to bring it to the Jim & Jan Moran Family Center Village, which houses the Mailman Segal Institute’s programs, including the Baudhin Preschool, an internationally recognized model program for children with autism spectrum disorders. “Our curriculum focuses on enhancing communication and socialization, as well as helping children master kindergarten readiness skills,” Masi said. “We viewed this study as an opportunity to explore, in depth, a critical