Two students in the ASSERT preschool practice social language skills.

The ASSERT (Autism Support Services: Education, Research and Training) program at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities will mark its 10^th anniversary in August with a reunion party for all former and current families and staff. The party starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 9 at an as-yet-to-be-determined park in Logan.

ASSERT program coordinator Lyndsay Nix has asked anyone who has ever been involved with ASSERT to spread the word to former families and employees. For more information as it becomes available, or to RSVP, call Nix at (435) 797-8278.

The primary goal of ASSERT is to build the capacity of Utah school districts to provide effective, research-based educational services to children with autism. In the last 10 years, about 50 families have received direct services in the ASSERT preschool classroom at the CPD. ASSERT has trained more than 100 special education professionals in 14 Utah school districts, and 18 graduate and more than 160 undergraduate students have learned to implement the same research-based interventions.

According to ASSERT Director Tom Higbee, children with autism who receive research-based intervention acquire the skills they need to become independently integrated into their neighborhood schools. The students served in ASSERT on-campus and school district programs have made significant educational and behavioral gains.

Marty and Kathi Blair enjoying winter in the Uinta Mountains.

Back in the day, most of the staff members at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities dressed in costume to celebrate Halloween. People still talk about the year Miss Piggy appeared in all her pink, porcine glory and stumped everyone who tried to guess her true identity. In reality, she was a he … and he was none other than Marty Blair, a long-time CPD staffer. (Unfortunately, no photographic proof could be uncovered for this blog post).

Blair, associate director of Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE), leaves the CPD this week after more than two decades to begin his next adventure as director of The Rural Institute, Montana’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). He begins his new duties on June 1, the day after his daughter graduates from Sky View High School.

Blair is passionate about disability issues from birth to death, across all disabilities.

“It’s about human issues and the ability to function in the community, independent and contributing,” he said.

Blair started working at the CPD as an undergraduate in the interdisciplinary training division. After graduation, he taught special education at Mount Logan Middle School and did consulting work with the CPD’s interdisciplinary training division and some special ed projects. As distance education was being introduced, Blair did safe and drug-free teacher training via the new system. He also worked in the state of Washington, traveling every other week.

“I really had a lot of fun,” he said. “I did that for a couple of years, helping deal with difficult behaviors.”

Around the end of 1995, Blair came back to Logan as an evaluator with the Utah Assistive Technology Project (UATP). He became the coordinator of the program, and eventually the director. He wrote the first six grants in the country for assistive technology.

In 2000, the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) had six employees, and was just initiating its disability leadership fellowship program, Blair said. He had always been interested in federal policy issues, so he applied and was chosen as the very first fellow.

“I spent a year in Washington, DC, working on government affairs and technical assistance,” he said. “I got to do some really interesting things.”

After his time in Washington, Blair became the CPD’s assistant director of policy and development and finished his Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines. He became a liason between the CPD and the state of Utah on advocacy issues and developmental disabilities, worked with the legislature to secure federal funding and served on Sen. Orrin Hatch’s advisory committee on developmental disabilities.

“We got AT amendments passed without losing funding every year,” he said. “Cyndi Rowland, Sarah Rule and I were able to get two earmarks, back in the days when there were still earmarks. It was one of our greatest accomplishments.”

About five years ago, Blair became associate director of TAESE and wrote the proposal for the next five years, expanding the grant and contract. During his tenure, TAESE has established statewide programs in results-focused technology in Kansas and New Mexico, and quadrupled the number of people who attended TAESE-sponsored conferences and events. He is, however, humble about these accomplishments, saying, “It’s been a great team effort. I can’t take full credit for it.”

Because of his upcoming move to Montana, he recently resigned as co-chair of the Hatch committee.

“I’ll miss terribly the connections,” he said. “To visit with those in the middle of decision-making, the exchange of ideas and new ways of doing things. It was a wonderful opportunity.”

Blair said he would also miss the people who make the CPD what it is.

“The CPD is a gem in many ways,” he said. “We don’t realize what we have here. I didn’t realize it until I went to DC. I didn’t realize I came from a place that was so honored and respected around the country. The reputation was built and maintained by the quality of research and teaching, both within the community and nationally. I’ll miss the day-to-day contact with the people who made that happen.”

Fortunately, he said, communication methods these days make it less challenging to keep in touch.

“I have had a great experience at the CPD. I grew up professionally here,” he said. “I’ll always be connected here, even when I’m gone.”

Marty can be reached after June 1 by e-mail at martin.blair@mso.umt.edu or by phone at  (406) 243-4779.

Adam, DSL’s departing bus driver.

We had spring break the first week of the month. We were also able to go bowling. We went by van to our Logan Library to check out some movies and books. We enjoyed viewing some of Heid and the gang’s favorite “Reading Rainbow” DVDs that we got from the library. In the movie we watched a marine biologist show LeVar Burton about little fish in the ocean.

We also went to Aggie Ice Cream to have a lick of yummy ice cream, which tasted good. We did several crafts and had some birthday parties this month. We also planted flowers. We made little egg heads with real eggshells and planted grass in them.

We also received our first book orders and Heid and her buds sure did enjoy getting some new books to read! We also said goodbye to our friend Adam, who has been our bus/van driver for five years. He is moving to Connecticut, and we will miss him! Happy trails, Adam!

Katie Cogan (in pink) reads a description of one of the Aggie Stampede bulls to her Girl Scout troop.

Nine members of Girl Scout Troop 2033 danced, hopped and splashed their way through a “walking” tour of the Aggie Stampede last Wednesday evening, making their way up one side of Main Street and down the other between 100 and 200 North in Logan

The Aggie Stampede is a collection of five bull sculptures decorated by area artists and placed on Main Street to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.

“Two of the girls asked ‘what are they,’ and I said, ‘let’s go find out,’” said Girl Scout Leader Regina Eliason. She started her quest for information at the Chamber of Commerce office, and then contacted Shane Johnson, the CPD associate director of development.

Johnson said this is the first time he has been approached about a walking tour of the bull display.

“I don’t get a lot of requests for information about the bulls, but I hear a lot of people talking about them,” he said. “This is the first time anyone has sought to get information. I hope more groups do it.”

He added that groups are always welcome to come to the CPD and tour the building and facilities, which several student groups have done.

Before the tour, Eliason and the girls talked about what disability is, and some of the services provided by the CPD. Afterward, they talked about what they had seen.

Katie Cogan said her favorite Aggie bull was the one in front of the USU Charter Credit Union. Decorated by artist Kendall Bates, the bull features words describing desirable Aggie attributes.

“There were words like resilience and teamwork and all those words,” she said. “They were so encouraging.”

To schedule a tour of the CPD or for more information about the Aggie Stampede, contact Johnson at 797-9070 or shane.johnson@usu.edu.

AT lab assistant Tom Boman (right) helps adjust a pediatric stander for two-year-old Jaele Bennett.

Two-year old Jaele Bennet was born with brittle-bone disease, preventing her from learning to stand and walk. Jaele has metal rods in both femurs and in her left tibia, said her mom, Stacey.

Because Jaele’s left leg is badly bowed, it is hard for her to walk, so she sits and scoots one hip forward at a time, Stacey said. Scooting accommodates both legs.

“Young kids who don’t have mobility lose socialization and don’t get it back,” said Shaun Dahle, physical therapist and supervisor at Logan Regional Pediatric Rehabilitation program. Dahle approached the AT Lab to see if a pediatric stander could be built to help Jaele learn to stand and develop proper muscle strength to walk.

Using various parts from around the lab, including an old crutch which allows the device to adjust as Jaele grows, a stander was built to her specific needs. The stander gradually forces Jaele to a full-upright position.

The best part is, the device cost around $100 to build–a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of dollars a stander from off the market would cost.

“This is ingenious. The whole thing is just perfect,” Stacey said.

Another unique feature includes vinyl paint on the foam back to prevent bacteria growing and to make it easy to clean. Paint squiggles in primary colors help make the device look less industrial and a bit more kid-friendly.

Tom Boman, AT Lab Assistant, helped build the device. He said, “The cool thing about this project is how a few pieces of seemingly random parts came together to make something that is really helping this little girl.”

A version of this story first appeared in the UATP May newsletter here.

Aggie Advocates officers for 2013-2014 are (from top): Slatter, Ingram, Campbell and Lasko.

New officers for Aggie Advocates, a Utah State University student group that promotes awareness of disability issues and advocates for people with disabilities, have been chosen for the 2013-2-14 school year.

Junior Sara Slatter from Kaysville, Utah, will be the new president. She heard about Aggie Advocates from the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign in March.

“This year I hope Aggie Advocates gets a lot of people involved,” she said. “I just want to continue to advocate for those with disabilities, to give them a voice and hopefully work a little bit more with Common Ground. “

Junior special ed major Caitlin Ingram from Murray, Utah, will be the new vice-president. She became interested in Aggie Advocates after hearing about it in a class.

“What I hope to accomplish next year is getting our name out there more, and having more involvement in this club because it is a great one!” she said.

Junior elementary ed major Melissa Campbell from Ogden, Utah will be the new secretary. She became interested in Aggie Advocates after working with last year’s secretary.

“I hope to increase involvement in Aggie Advocates,” she said. “We have had some great activities in the past, but I would love to make even more of a difference this year.”

Senior special ed/elementary ed major Lauryn Lasko from Salt Lake City, Utah, will be in charge of public relations for the group. She heard about Aggie Advocates through some friends.

“I really would like to make this club a big deal!” she said. “It would be a dream to get a ton of people interested and coming to the club.”

Congrats to the 2013-2014 officers of Aggie Advocates!

AT lab coordinator Clay Christensen works on a project at the Wallace Johnson farm near Provo.

A farmer near Provo will be able to continue farming, thanks to the Assistive Technology Lab and AgrAbility of Utah, a partnership between Utah State University Extension and New Frontiers for Families. AgrAbility is part of a national program that helps farmers, ranchers and their family members stay on the farm despite limitations due to aging, disease, illness or other disability.

Wallace Johnson, 75, was finding it more and more difficult to take care of his farm chores due to age-related knee problems. His son-in-law, Clay Christensen, is the AT lab coordinator at USU’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.

AgrAbility program director Tana Beckstead performed Johnson’s initial assessment and recommended practical solutions to modify equipment so he could keep working. AgrAbility also helps secure funding for projects like Johnson’s. Christensen fabricated the modifications.

“We did some neat things for him,” Christensen said. Projects included a handrail for the back steps of Johnson’s home, a step and handle to access his tractor, adapting and extending floodgate handles and a stand for the plow.

Wallace Johnson

“My father-in-law was reduced to tears by the things we did,” Christensen said. “For me, personally, it was rewarding. It was stuff he needed. He’s going to be able to continue to farm.”

Christensen said there are many farmers and ranchers who could benefit from programs such as AgrAbility.

“They are proud people. They’re the last ones to come knocking on your door for help,” he said. “But they need just as much help as the people I see every day at the AT lab.”

For more information on AgrAbility of Utah, click here.

A preschool student uses a communication device during snack time in the ASSERT classroom.

The ASSERT preschool classroom is a place where everyday tasks are broken down into the smallest possible steps, where the tiniest victories are celebrated and monumental obstacles are conquered one baby-step at a time.

Autism Support Services: Education, Research and Training (ASSERT) is a program at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities for preschool-age children on the autism spectrum.

ASSERT uses applied behavioral analysis to change the negative behaviors of children with autism, said Lyndsay Nix, ASSERT program coordinator. The preschool is in session year-round, with two-week breaks at the beginning of June and the end of August.

Each child has their own cubicle and a teacher who uses ABA techniques to reinforce specific, desired behaviors.

Recently, a small group of children practiced social conversation and behavior during snack time, which doubles as a teaching experience.

“Mary, please give me a cookie,” said one boy at the table. Mary responded by picking up a piece of cookie and flying it over her head before placing it in the boy’s hand. After a few tries and some coaching from their teachers, the two children were able to exchange cookie bits more quickly.

Often, teachers have to engage in a little detective work to figure out what a child is trying to communicate. At a different table, the children ask for a particular snack by pointing to picture cards. One boy pointed to a picture of a gummy treat and received a small piece, resulting in screaming and squirming as he tried to leave the table. Soon his teacher realized that he wanted a specific color of gummy treat. She quickly placed color cards on the table so he could communicate what he wanted, and relative calm was restored.

The ASSERT preschool class celebrates the Week of the Young Child with a parade down the center of campus.

ASSERT is also a training site for the Autism Enhancement strand of Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND). Trainees attend a week-long training at the clinic and receive the same training as staff members. They work with the children in the morning and have didactic sessions in the afternoon.

“They learn the policies, techniques and strategies we use so that when they leave, they have the full experience and have been trained as ASSERT staff,” Nix said. “Those who aren’t on the AE track are still welcome to set up observations as often as they like to get as much of an experience as they want.”

In addition to being a URLEND training site, ASSERT provides consultations for school districts throughout Utah and provides training to school district personnel on effective educational and behavioral strategies for children with autism.

ASSERT also provides monthly training especially for the parents of children in the program and children who are on the waiting list to get into the program, although anyone can attend the classes. In addition, ASSERT staff members give presentations to USU classes that are interested in autism, as well as providing short-term consulting services for parents on the waiting list.

“We’re pretty much open to anyone who needs support in dealing with people with autism,” Nix said.

Natalie Allen is graduating with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (nurse practitioner) degree from the University of Utah. She has been a registered nurse with the Up to 3 Early Intervention program at the CPD for about 13 years. She has been a registered nurse for 25 years and said becoming a nurse practitioner has always been a goal. Her coursework took 10 semesters, and she will sit for the family and pediatric board exams later this spring.

Jared Gunnell is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He works with the ASSERT program. Jared switched to psychology from pre-med after taking a class in applied behavioral analysis. He is from Logan. His future plans include marriage and grad school as he continues to work with ASSERT and at Chrysalis, a residential provider of services to people with developmental disabilities.

Rene Hernandez is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. He works with Smart Start K-3 Plus. Rene is originally from El Salvador but grew up in Logan. He will continue to work with Smart Start while completing his second bachelor’s degree online in communication disorders through USU.

Greg Peterson is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He works in IT at the CPD and is from West Valley City, Utah. After graduation he will be a software development engineer in Boise, Idaho.

Curt Phillips is graduating with a Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines. He has been a physical therapist with the CPD’s Up to 3 Early Intervention program for 13 years. He participated in the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) program about nine years ago, and was encouraged by Interdisciplinary Training Director Judith Holt to enroll in the doctoral program, which took him 7 1/2 years to complete. In his newly found spare time, he plans to enjoy his family and continue to coach sports for his seven children.

Becca Roylance is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. She works with the ASSERT program and is from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. She plans to finish the summer with ASSERT and will begin a master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology at USU in June.

Jess Trettin is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She works with the ASSERT program and is from Wildomar, Calif. She plans to return to California after graduation and work in a school district while completing a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.

Congratulations, graduates!

Shane Johnson, associate director of development at the Center for Persons with Disabilities, introduces student callers to ‘people-first’ language.

A phonathon to raise money for two specific funds at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities will begin Monday and last for about a week, according to Shane Johnson, the CPD’s associate director of development.

Student callers will be soliciting pledges for the Family Assistance Fund, which allows needy families to access CPD services, and the Community Investment Fund, which awards grants to disability advocacy groups around the state of Utah.

The phonathon and a spring mailer are part of the CPD’s annual giving effort, Johnson said. The list of people the students will be calling includes those who have given gifts in the past, people who have worked or are currently employed at the CPD, and people who may have studied at the CPD but their own college didn’t call them.

Johnson encouraged people who receive the phone calls to offer feedback to the student callers. For many of them, this phonathon will be their first experience with disability and using ‘people-first’ language, which emphasizes the person rather than their disability.