A pair of early intervention classroom programs of the Auburn University Autism Center will soon fall under the charge of the Auburn City School System.
“Auburn University has made the decision not to continue its Autism Program as they presently have it structured,” said Auburn City Schools Superintendent Dr. Terry Jenkins. “They will specialize in instructing teachers on how best to teach autistic students.”
Jenkins said he was not certain the reason for the change. A representative at the AU Autism Center declined to comment Monday.
Auburn City Schools will take back their autistic students who are already Auburn residents, but have been attending the Auburn University Autism Center for services, according to Jenkins. “If the autistic child attends school in the Opelika or Lee County School system, they would attend a school within that system that had the speech, language and occupational therapy resources they needed.”
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that can impair a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others, according to the Autism Research Institute. Autism is also four times more likely to be diagnosed in boys than in girls and can be diagnosed as early as one year of age. One in every 150 children born in the U.S. is autistic.
The Auburn University Autism Center was established in 2003. The restructured system will go into effect this fall, according to Jenkins.
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