• Hats Off To Columbus Area Support Group and Bartholomew Community School Corporation: Partnership
• Hats Off To Hamilton-Boone-Madison Special Services Cooperative: Movie Day
• Hats Off To South LaPorte County Special Education Cooperative and Autism Society of Central Indiana: Start a Walk in Your Community
• Hats Off To M.S.D. of Wayne Township: Creating Building Level Autism Teams
• Hats Off To Johnson County Special Services
• Hats Off To Switzerland County Middle School Autism Team
• Hats Off To MSD of Lawrence Township: Training via District Website
• Hats Off To MSD of Warren Township: S.A.F.E. Supporting Autism for Everyone
• Hats Off To MSD of Martinsville: Camp Discovery: A Place for Kids to Have Fun!
• Hats Off To An Autism Team Working in Indiana: First Responder Training
• Autism Teams: Building Capacity Across Indiana
• Hats Off to Noblesville Schools for Creating Training Classrooms: Using Evidence-Based Practices of Visual Supports and Work Systems
• Hats Off To Asperger Autism Group of Goshen
• Hats Off to East Centeral Indiana Autism Society of America Chapter: Interlock
• Hats Off To Greater Lafayette Area Special Services Autism Team

Hats Off To Switzerland County Middle School Autism Team

Contributed by Melissa Dubie

The mission of the Switzerland County Middle School (Vevay, Indiana) is to provide all students with the academic and social skills necessary to assist them in becoming responsible, respectful, and productive lifelong learners who think critically and creatively. One of the programs resulting from this mission is a peer mediation group for all students in the building. Peer mediation is where students of the same age group facilitate resolving disputes between two people or small groups for all students within their school. This voluntary process is changing the way all students understand and resolve conflict in their lives.

The autism team within Switzerland Middle School used this forum of peer mediators to teach students about the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders. They began by teaching all peer mediators the basics about autism spectrum disorders and the many social issues all struggle to understand such as perspective taking, conversation skills, reciprocity, inferring the interests of others, or showing empathy or enjoyment. Then specific information about individuals on the autism spectrum was shared with peer mediators including the student’s strengths, interests, fears, and frustrations. For example, one of the students in eighth grade had difficulties with social skills and was constantly being disciplined for attention seeking behavior (e.g., belching in class, cussing, etc). The autism team believed this student was lacking skills to interact and/or couldn’t figure out how to implement the learned strategies. A group of four or five guys with a common interest in video games were identified as buddies for this student. They would approach this student in the hallway and start conversation with him on his topic of interest. This broadened his opportunities with these boys for positive interactions. This boys’ mom knew one of the student’s in his group and encouraged him to do other activities outside of school with her son, exposing him to more friends of his age group.

Often the peer mediators would contact the autism team staff member in their building with concerns. The students would give the “inside scoop” of what was happening in the natural setting at school. In one situation, a student with autism spectrum disorder was bothering a girl because he had a ‘crush’ on her. He would constantly follow her and say he loved her. The peer mediators approached the girl to give her information on how to respond to this student. Then a few guys walked in the hall with this student. As they approached the girl, they modeled conversational skills with her to show the boy how he could get to know her.

There were times when the peer mediators didn’t feel comfortable addressing an issue (e.g., foul language). In these situations, the special education teacher would teach the student specific strategies to implement before the mediators would get involved.

This program was started last school year. Administrators, staff, students, and parents have seen remarkable changes including improved self-esteem, friendships, and the ability to socialize with classmates. One of the students who struggled for years at school, last spring won a school-wide award for working hard on academics and socializing. The award was presented by the school board and the student’s picture was in the local paper. The entire town celebrated his success.

For further information, contact Switzerland Secondary Schools autism team’s leader, Angie Davis-Vaughn via email at adavis@maessu.org or via phone at 1-812-265-3448, extension 235.

Dubie, (2007). Hats off to…Switzerland County Middle School autism team. The Reporter, 13(1), 6.