MCDI HELPS ADDRESS "CRITICAL SHORTAGE" OF AUTISM TRAINING

The University of Mississippi Medical Center, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, opened the Mississippi Child Development Institute (MCDI) in April 2003 to become a regional medical center to meet the needs of autistic children.

Autism has increased more than 300 percent over the last several years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“By opening this school, we were trying to overcome the critical shortage of quality programs that provide training to those who work with autistic children,” said Dr. Susan Buttross, chief of the Division of Child Development and Behavioral Pediatrics.

The MCDI has four objectives: 

•           to educate physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in the proper way to diagnosis and treat children with autism; 

•           to teach children with autism the skills they need to successfully transition into the public school system;

•           to provide training assistance for school district personnel and parents to facilitate this transition; and   

•          to conduct cutting-edge research that advances the study and treatment of autism.

The MCDI, which started out with just one student, now has two classrooms full of students receiving specialized education.

“We work with the children intensively and eventually send each child back to his or her local school,” Buttross said. “Most students have made excellent progress. We have had several students who have done so well that they have already been sent back to their home school.”

The institute, which runs its schedule in conjunction with the Jackson Public School schedule, is open from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.           

“We also have an extended school-year program in the summer for many students who qualify,” Buttross said. 

The school is offered at no cost to the child’s caregiver, and children are admitted via the child’s home-school recommendation.

“The recommendation is written into each child’s Individual Education Plan,” Buttross said. “In addition, all children who are admitted have to complete a thorough psychological and medical evaluation.” 

Elle Sullivan’s son, Ethan, 5, is enrolled in the MCDI. Sullivan said the program has benefited her entire family.

“Ethan loves his 9-year-old brother Paul,” she said. “Through skills learned at the MCDI, he is able to play and interact more with his brother.”

Sullivan has seen significant improvements in all aspects of her child’s life as a result of his being in the MCDI for nearly two years. 

“I feel Ethan’s accomplishments in the areas of listening, attention span, self-care skills, and increased communication have benefited our family the most,” she said. “The staff at the MCDI is to be commended for all of their hard work, patience and kindness that they show to the children and families. 

“Ethan is a happy 5-year-old who looks forward to going to school each day, and that makes our efforts to get him to school worthwhile.”

Buttross said the goal of the institute is to help children attain language and behavioral skills that will allow them to go back to their home school and be successful. 

“We have had several children who have made great strides in their behavior and communication skills,” she said.

For more information about the MCDI, send an e-mail to Dr. Dorothy Scattone, MCDI director of programming (dscattone@ped.umsmed.edu), or to Buttross (sbuttross@ped.umsmed.edu).

—Dani Edmonson (10-1-07)

2007-09-28 00:00:00 17371