Autism seminars on tap for fall

Administrators at Soaring Heights School are providing opportunities to help parents and guardians deal with children who have autism.

The State College-based special needs school, in partnership with the school’s behavioral consultant Melissa Hunter, is hosting a series of education presentations throughout the fall about autism spectrum disorder.

They will be held at the school’s facility from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 180 Regent Court, Suite 50.

“We have been listening to parents and realize that they also need assistance in appropriately dealing with children with autism,” Program Director John Dibert said. “It is not just what we do at our school, but general and specific skills that help with in-home, and outside community functions. So many of our students do well in the structured school setting but struggle with unstructured home time or going out into the community. We hope to continue these presentations with parent and community input for issues they need to know.”

Hunter, who’s leading some of the seminars, worked at an autism-specific Residential Treatment Facility in Arkansas prior to working at Penn State. She has been a consultant with Soaring Heights School since 2008, and has assisted with staff training for handling autism issues.

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Autism seminars on tap for fall."