The Office of Special Education Services invites parents of students with Autism to a virtual meeting March 31, 2022, from 9:30–11 a.m.
The meeting is being held to celebrate the start of Autism Acceptance Month and World Autism Awareness Day by exploring all about sensory integration and how it can assist students on the Autism spectrum.
Continue readingThis week marks the end of Autism Awareness Month, so we asked some of our parents of students with autism about their families’ experiences with HISD, to find out what they felt contributed the most to their students’ successes.
Noah poses with a trophy he won in a robotics competition.
Kristi Anders, the parent of a 12-year-old who is finishing up his last year in elementary school, says her son has flourished at two different campuses due to the inclusive environments created there by caring staff members.
“Noah’s teachers and principal at Garden Oaks Montessori were so accepting and supportive of him,” she said. “He has had to learn his limits and figure out what works for him and what doesn’t, but we bought him noise-reducing headphones and he learned to tell people when they were in his personal space. His teacher would also send him on errands or to get a drink of water when she could see he was getting frustrated. In the third grade, Noah’s friends voted him class president.”
April is Autism Awareness Month, and in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, communities across the globe are being asked to “Light It Up Blue” on April 2.
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People will be lighting up their homes, schools, offices, and iconic landmarks with the color blue, and HISD will observe the month in different ways across the district, including adding blue accents to the cafeteria of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (HMWESC) and even changing up the appearance of the main district website.
There are endless ways for individuals to participate—you can swap out a blue light bulb on your front porch, get folks to wear something blue at work, or turn your Facebook profile picture blue to show support.
This is our chance to shine a light on autism, so please join us.
The Office of Special Education will also be hosting an autism parent support meeting on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at the HMWESC (4400 W. 18th, 77092) from 9–10 a.m.
The Bayou City’s second autism-friendly Broadway show came to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 6, and dozens of HISD students and their families took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a rare night out together in a supportive environment. Continue reading
April is Autism Awareness Month, and in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, communities across the globe are being asked to “Light It Up Blue” on April 2.
Only about 1,375 students have been identified with autism spectrum disorders in HISD (a figure that represents less than one percent of the district’s entire student population), but Jermisha Hardeman, who teaches students with autism at Yates High School, says that it’s still important to increase awareness on this subject.
“With my students, you can’t just look at them and tell they’re autistic,” she said. “But it’s important to recognize them and to learn how to interact with them, because autism is on the rise. The numbers have increased. It’s estimated now that one in every 68 people falls somewhere on the autism spectrum.”
April is Autism Awareness Month, and in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, communities across the globe are being asked to “Light It Up Blue” on April 2.
Staffers around HISD wore blue shirts, shoes and other items to signify “Light It Up Blue” day.
Only about 1,375 students have been identified with autism spectrum disorders in HISD (a figure that represents less than one percent of the district’s entire student population), but Autism Support Team Coordinator Lorraine Klim-Drew says that because more are being diagnosed every day, it’s still important to increase awareness on this subject.
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