GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A new program was introduced to help licensed K-12 teachers and certified professionals to teach students with autism spectrum disorder at Georgia Gwinnett College's School of Education.
The program aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of teaching students with autism spectrum disorders by offering nine hours of online training, according to a release. The nine-hour training includes three courses.
According to Dr. Matthew Boggan, a professor of special education at GGC and one of the faculty members to create the program, those enrolled can expect to learn about valuable resources for teachers and professionals in the state seeking to expand their knowledge of teaching students with autism.
Dr. Mary Kelly, Dr. Samantha Mrstik and Boggan are the three GGC faculty members that developed the program in response to the rapid rise in students with autism in the county's K-12 schools.
"We got together and we said, 'Maybe we should focus on the community needs.' So we created this endorsement so that people who needed more education in autism would be able to get it," said Boggan.
Over the last seven years, the number of students with autism has grown by about 1,400 in GCPS, the release added.
Dr. Matthew Boggan shared the data on the increase in students with autism that prompted the institution to modify its curriculum and include more autism training for Gwinnett County Public Schools and other Georgia school districts.
"Knowing that these numbers were rising at a fast pace in the local area and the emergent need for expanded teacher training, we modified our curriculum to include more training in autism for GCPS and other Georgia school districts," he said.
Students in GGC's Bachelor of Science in special education program will earn both a special education teaching license in the general curriculum and the autism endorsement, which the Georgia Professional Standards Commission has approved.
Additionally, a standalone autism endorsement program will be available to all certified professionals, including licensed educators, in the summer, according to the release.
Those interested in learning more about the program may contact the GGC School of Education by email at soegeneral@ggc.edu.
With the launch of the autism endorsement program, GGC joins eight other institutions in the University System of Georgia in offering the endorsement to provide much-needed support to meet the needs of students with autism.