Making an IMPACT on autistic students' lives Middletown class teaches how to handle household chores, everyday tasks BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer Above: Ricky Santiago, 14, learns how to make a bed from special education teacher Jackie Friedman at a new classroom set up at Bayshore Middle School for children with special needs. Below: Peter Price, 13, learns to wash dishes under the view of paraprofessional Fran Dunphy. MIDDLETOWN - When Stephanie Kalinoski gave birth eight years ago, she was like any other parent who just wanted the best for her child. So when her son was later diagnosed as being autistic, she was in a state of uncertainty. "I wasn't really sure what was going to happen," Kalinoski said. "Originally, I had all of these visions of how my son's life would be, but after he was diagnosed, I was hoping he'd be able to function in society." Thanks to some help from the Middletown School District, Kalinoski's son and many other autistic children in the township will get the assistance they need to learn about the basics of life. On Monday, a classroom designed to teach autistic teenagers how to handle basic chores and responsibilities was unveiled at Bayshore Middle School. PHOTOSBYMIGUEL JUAREZ staff The classroom, which formerly was a computer lab, is equipped with a bed, a kitchen table with chairs, a dishwasher and a laundry room, among other things. The push for space for the children was initiated by IMPACT (Improving Middletown's Program for Autistic Children Together), which started out as a support group for parents that would meet sporadically, and has since evolved into a nonprofit organization with a larger mission. "The number of autistic children in this town is definitely on the rise and so I and a few other parents decided that the district should really look into having a life skills program for these kids," Kalinoski said. The group went to interim Superintendent of Schools Karen Bilbao last January and approached her with the idea. "This was a huge vision for us right from the start. The district merely provided the facility and then the parents provided the work to get this room ready," Bilbao said The work started last summer, from ordering supplies to taking care of any plumbing issues. "It took us six months of solid work to get everything ready," Kalinoski said. IMPACT Vice President Grace Pedretti spoke about the amount of work that had to be done. "There were plenty of times when nobody was here and we'd bring in supplies and get everything set up for the kids," Pedretti said. "When we first started working on this room, it was nothing." Five children are in the program, and the goal is to have about 13 for next year. Jackie Friedman is the teacher of the class and knows that even with a small number of students, she will have her hands full. "I think the toughest part, especially in the beginning, will be keeping some sort of organization within the group," Friedman explained. "Otherwise, I think the room turned out great and I'm looking forward to working with the kids." Pedretti fully understands that not every child goes on to college. In turn, she knows that the classroom is an opportunity for young people to potentially learn a trade and do something positive in their lives. "The goal of this program is to teach kids independence and how to do things," Pedretti said. "We want these kids to learn how to handle their life on their own so they may not have to rely on others at some point in life."