05:49 PM PST on Saturday, February 26, 2005

By CATHY KIYOMURA / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - Theo, who is in kindergarten, was diagnosed with autism. Theo is teaching seasoned educators important lessons about the most effective strategies to teach children with autism.

The University of Washington's Experimental Education Unit is a place of cutting-edge research on autism, a problem of brain development that encompasses a spectrum of behaviors and levels of severity.

At least one in very 500 children is born with autism. And their numbers are increasing.

A multi-million-dollar federal grant is being used to train thousands of teachers and others to work with autistic children.

"there is nothing more difficult for a family to have a teacher say i don't know much about the condition your child has. So our goal is to increase the capacity of every public school to meet the needs of children with autism," said Dr. Ilene Schwartz.

KING

A multi-million-dollar federal grant is being used to train thousands of teachers and others to work with autistic children.

Here, children with disabilities, including autism, learn together with their typically developing peers.

Teachers are brought in to observe and learn hands-on.

Kindergarten teacher Misty Golden-Martin has two autistic children in her classroom.

"This is awesome. I'm getting a lot of wonderful ideas, great insight on what to do and implement in my program at school," she said.

They learn that autism is not a one-size-fits all disorder. Some autistic children are high functioning, others are not. Reactions that should come naturally, don't. So, learning is broken down into very specific actions and behaviors.

"What we are doing with this project is providing intensive, ongoing training and support to teachers across the country," said Dr. Schwartz.

It's all part of unraveling the mysteries of autism, giving these students a chance to have a normal life by giving teachers valuable skills to help them.