Despite the latest changes and awareness regarding autism spectrum disorders (ASD), America, especially Nevada faces an acute shortage of special education teachers. One in almost every 60 children is diagnosed with ASD. The same goes for speech-language pathologists (SLPs), which help children with their speaking issues.
Looking at the condition of the state, the Office of Special Education Programs has granted a funding of $1.3 million to the Nevada Collaborative Project (NVC) in order to support the scholars aspiring to be early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers and SLPs. Lindsay Diamond, who’s the project director and Abbie Olszewski, who’s the co-investigator of the program received the grant. Lindsay is an assistant professor of special education at the College of Education, University of Nevada while Abbie’s an associate professor specializing in speech pathology and audiology at Reno School of Medicine, University of Nevada.
Nevada children in urgent need of ECSE teachers and SLPs
It was about time Nevada received the funding as the state, on one hand, is experiencing a sudden increase in children diagnosed with ASD and on the other hand, there’s an acute shortage of ECSE teachers and SLPs.
According to Olszewski, with the funding received, it is expected that 28 ECSE scholars and 28 SLP scholars (56 in total) will be supported financially to complete their education and prepare for the future. By the next term in 2020, scholars will make their choices to get their masters degree in either ECSE or SLP.
NVC will be helped by an advisory team that will consist of university professors, parents and people suffering from ASD. This team will help NVC in designing the curriculum and its implementation.
Diamond and Olszewski have been working for the past three years together for the NVC. They collaborated together to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum. Finally, after 3 years, the US Department of Education recognized their work and the funding was granted by the OSEP.
According to diamond, 60% of the funds will directly go to support the scholars financially. The remaining 40% will be dedicated to the development of the course and other assets of the NVC.
