Commissioner Ritter, and members of the forum, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of my son and other adults with autism about the need to develop a state wide training curriculum in autism, which should be mandated for all direct service providers. My name is Pat Muir, and my son, Nathan, is a twenty six year old young man with autism. This issue is the one that most profoundly impacts Nathan’s ability to live the adult life he wants.
In high school, Nathan was included in regular classes, helped manage the boys basketball team, participated in recreational activities, and had a summer job at a local day camp. He cooked meals for the family and his regular chores included mowing the grass each week. Support from trained educational staff was critical to help him accomplish his goals in preparation for his self determined future.
A reaction to a prescribed medication caused a significant behavioral regression. Over the next several years, Nathan’s world shrunk to the size of a small bedroom in a certified group home. But his dreams remained the same: to take care of his own home, to work and to be part of his community.
In order to regain the skills he had lost, support and accommodations provided by trained staff persons would be critical. We assumed that voluntary and state agencies would provide support staff having a solid basic understanding of autism, how it can impact learning and behavior and best practices for supporting individuals in their communities. After all, OMRDD agencies are in the business of providing supports, accommodations, and training to individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism. However, we learned that individuals who provide direct care are not required to have education or background in human services or developmental disability. And while OMRDD regulations set general categories for instruction of providers, it is left to each individual agency to decide on the extent of trainings, so there is no established standard.
Today, Nathan lives in his own home with support from residential habilitators. New employees must attend two full weeks of training before they can begin to deliver any direct service. But out of those two weeks, only 30 minutes are spent learning about autism.
When Nathan was first included in a regular classroom, the school psychologist gathered the team and told us that for inclusion to work, we must all agree that Nathan could NOT FAIL. Any failures would be ours, because it was up the team to provide needed supports.
