Starr Elementary Spreads Autism Awareness
April is Autism Awareness month. Starr Elementary School in Fresno is a place where students and teachers are working together to help better understand the spectrum and the needs of families with autism.
Whether it’s swinging on the playground or crawling to get to the slide first — students at Starr Elementary can find a space that’s right for them. “Even yesterday, I was talking to the kindergarten teacher. One of our students sometimes when he’s upset he screams and it’s startling. And so she had asked her students separately you know how do you guys feel when he has outbursts like that and one of our students answered “oh he has autism so you know sometimes that happens” and they’re fully aware and they know that everyone is sthe ame and different,” says Lauren Gripenstraw, Autism Pre-K teacher.
Starr Elementary School has a special program that takes GE students and students with autism and connects one another to show them just what autism is actually about. Puzzle pieces made by students and teachers connect with one another to show that everyone fits together. “I meet and greet kids in the morning sort of take their temperature. We use the five point scale which I have on my badge here so we use that and meet and greet to see how the kids feel for the day and it gives me an idea of how they’ll progress through their day in the classroom,” says Ann Lewis, Inclusion Specialist.
Teachers aren’t the only one’s spreading awareness. Even students help create a better understanding. Izabella Martinez, a leadership student adds, “I enjoy it because I get to do these types of things where I get to read about autism and it’s really important that people understand it because we go to school with them and we’re all just different but the same like we may do things different but I think that’s important for the students here and teachers and stuff to understand that too.”
Starr Elementary School continues to spread awareness outside of the month of April on the idea that it’s okay to be different. Helping students fit together – piece by piece.
Starr Elementary students and staff bring awareness to autism during the month of April, but they have a special program that pieces everyone together to finish their year long puzzle — find out more on @FSFocusTV this Wednesday at 4 p.m. pic.twitter.com/f5gTYhcldR
— Fresno State Focus (@FSFocusTV) April 23, 2018