Burkhart Center for Autism Empowers Area Teachers

The Burkhart Teaching Academy is giving area teachers the tools and know-how they need to work with and identify autism on the South Plains.

The Burkhart Academy works with as many as 30 teachers each month to ensure that they are providing the best possible education and resources to children and families who are affected by autism.

Dr. Robin Lock, left, and Dr. Carol Layton, right, aim to improve the quality of education and resources available to children and families affected by autism

Teachers face a number of challenges while working with and diagnosing autistic children in the classroom. Little has been known about the condition until about 15 years ago, and the areas of research related to it are rapidly expanding.

The academy is hosted by the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research at the Texas Tech University College of Education.

"There are 3 major areas that most teachers with children with autism are working on," says Carol Layton, co-director of the Burkhart Center. "One is communication challenges, getting a child to communicate and understand what you are saying then verbalize what they need.  The second area is behavior. The third is interrelated with first two, and those are social issues, so the problems all revolve around those particular areas."

The Burkhart Academy uses a number of methods to empower teachers.

“We basically work on the types of skills that are uniquely important to students who have autism spectrum disorders,” Layton says. “What the academy does is build a strong basis for professional development among the teachers and allow them to share stories, and techniques that have been known to work.”

This initiative is just one of several that the Burkhart Center is involved in. Since opening last year, the center has undergone many outreach initiatives, and has worked with parents, children and teachers across the South Plains. The goal, says the center’s co-founder Robin Lock, is to offer as much assistance, training and education as possible to those affected by autism.

“The Burkhart Center is involved in providing for families, professionals and individuals with autism spectrum disorders,” she says. “We focus on different types of service delivery.  Some people require the type of thing that will bring information, or other direct services, like a job coaching program that works with individuals who have graduated or completed high school and are looking for employment.”