News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Scottsdale special-ed teacher’s work honored
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
A Scottsdale teacher has been honored for her work with children who have autism.
Bronwyn Milhaven of Cherokee Elementary School’s PANDA Program is one of four recipient’s of this year’s Carol Gray Award. The national prize recognizes special education teachers who make a difference in the lives of children with autism.
Milhaven has worked with the Scottsdale Unified School District’s PANDA program for 14 years. The preschool class works with children who have all kinds of developmental problems, although there is one PANDA class at Aztec Elementary School specifically for kids with autism, Milhaven said.
Watching the progress kids make is the most rewarding part of being a special-education teacher, Milhaven said. While all kids have different learning styles, students like hers need unique approaches.
“With kids who have developmental delays, you have to go through the back door,” Milhaven said. ”A lot of things that a lot of us take for granted is hard for these little guys.”
Exactly what that means depends on the child. For instance, kids with speech delays might need to see pictures or other visual cues to learn, Milhaven said.
A lot of kids on the autism spectrum have a hard time with social cues, like understanding what different facial expressions mean, Milhaven said.
But many autistic children do work well with structure and schedules, Milhaven added. So she was able to work with one child last year by telling him stories with a definite beginning, middle and end to help him learn.
Char Ugol, the parent who nominated Milhaven for the award, said Milhaven has used picture schedules when working with her son, 4-year-old Steven.
“She sort of has a family mentality about her how she handles her classroom,” Ugol said. “Everyone works together as a family and the entire classroom depends on (each) child.”
Milhaven said she hoped the award would help her make connections.
“It’s a huge honor,” she said. “It’s a huge award, especially working with children on the autism spectrum. Hopefully it will open up doors where I can learn more and help the community.”
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: