PORT ROYAL - Deanna Conner and her pupil Ashley sit down at a child-sized table to read one of Ashley's favorite books - Dora the Explorer.
To the average onlooker, this familiar childhood scene does not appear unusual.
But if you take a closer look, you will realize that the situation is more challenging than you thought. Why? Ashley is autistic.
The brain disorder, which is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication skills, can make simple activities like reading a book difficult.
The scene is becoming more familiar to American families now: One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Ashley's Tuscarora Valley Elementary School classroom is meeting the challenge of teaching a growing number of autistic pupils through a new program, the Verbal Behavior Project.
This year, her classroom is being recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for its success in using VB to educate pupils.
The Port Royal class was chosen as one of three in the state to participate in an promotional VB video, said William Galbraith, an educational consultant with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, who works with classrooms like Conner's.
The department chose the Tuscarora Valley class because of its high level of Verbal Behavior Project implementation, Galbraith said.
"It's a real complement for Deanna (Conner), her staff and the school district," he added.
Educations begin implementing VB by determining every student's skills, likes and dislikes, he said.
To familiarize themselves with the pupils, the teachers begin by associating themselves with something the child likes, he said.
"If you don't focus on motivation, you're not going to see this level of cooperation," Galbraith said, motioning around the classroom where pupils and teachers calmly sat together.
Then the teaching process begins.
The goals are to teach pupils to interact with others, ask for what they want, say what things are, answer questions, follow directions, imitate and use toys and other items appropriately, according to an overview of the project.
Every day, the teachers assess the child's motivation and keep track of the number of times he or she asks for something spontaneously or must be prompted to ask for it, Galbraith said.
"We want it all to be spontaneous," Galbraith said.
Goals to be mastered are categorized and recorded in a log book for each child, he said.
Conner said because of the VB project, as many as six of her pupils will sit together for group activities, an important prerequisite for pupils to be included in other classrooms.
Galbraith pointed out that Conner's classroom has a well-organized schedule.
"There is no down time," Galbraith said. "Every child is engaged one-on-one. Kids with autism or severe developmental delays need structure."
Even during recess and breaks, the teachers use the time for learning, he said. In Conner's classroom, everyone takes a morning break to exercise to "Chicken Fat," an activity that teaches the pupils to follow directions, work in a group and imitate others, Galbraith said.
Training educators also is an important part of the project. Consultants visit the classrooms every month to train and update teachers and staff on methods of teaching, Galbraith said.
"These teachers do not learn just through in-service days," Galbraith said.
Conner said she, too, found the consultants important to the program.
"I didn't want to do it (the project) at first," Conner said. "I'm so used to people coming in to my classroom for five minutes, ... show me how to do it, then leave."
Many of the consultants are parents of children with autism or other disabilities, Galbraith added. "They know what it's like to live with autistic children 24/7."
Conner, a life skills teacher for 11 years, said the program has "dramatically" changed her teaching methods.
"Now I see progress much quicker because we're teaching developmentally appropriate things," Conner said. "Last year (when Conner began implementing VB) was the best year of teaching ..."
When asked about the honor of being chosen for the video, Conner replied, "I care about what this means for the kids."
Two other Pennsylvania classrooms - one middle and one high school - also will be featured on the video, Galbraith said.
Filming, which began in September, follows the progress of several pupils, and interviews parents and teachers who are involved in the classroom, Galbraith said. A final filming session will be held in May, he said.
The department plans to use the video statewide and possibly even nationally to promote the project and demonstrate its success through student outcomes, Galbraith said.
The video will be streamed onto the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Web site along with information about the Verbal Behavior Project, he said.
Galbraith said he did not have a date for the video release.
The project is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and administered by the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11.
The VB project, which began in 2002-2003, now is used in one-fifth of the state's autism classrooms, Galbraith said.
