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New school offers different approach By KELLY STEWART A new school opening Sept. 1 will provide alternative treatment for autistic children in Southern Oregon. Dave and Lisandra Adams of Medford recently founded a nonprofit organization called Research and Education for Autistic Children's Treatment. REACT will provide support for parents with autistic children, advocacy, autism awareness and education. The school will be housed at the Rogue Valley Christian Church, 1440 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. REACT will offer behavioral analysis treatment, which trains children in language by repetition. Tutors work with autistic children in one-on-one sessions, asking the children to perform simple tasks, such as picking up a toy off a table. If the child cannot understand the tutor's request, the tutor moves the child's hand to pick up the toy. When the child picks up the toy without the tutor's help, a bite of ice cream or other praise is given as a reward, and more complicated tasks are practiced. The closest cities offering the program are Portland, Sacramento and Reno, Dave Adams said. The behavioral analysis program at the University of Nevada, Reno, will be a partner in the Medford project. REACT plans to offer services to 45 children at a reduced price. Consultants can charge $100 an hour, but REACT's consultant will work for a lower rate, said Lisandra Adams. Community members can sponsor a child, donate funds or volunteer to offset costs, she said. REACT also may be able to use insurance funds. The Adams' 5-year-old son, Lucas, was diagnosed with autism before he turned 2. He started to forget language and skills he had already learned. "He wouldn't laugh. There was no eye contact, nothing," said Dave Adams. "It all just disappeared." Lisandra Adams found information on behavioral analysis in a magazine article and was encouraged by what she read -- about 50 percent of autistic children showed improvement using the method. Lucas "started out with zero comprehension of our language," Lisandra Adams said. But he's making progress -- he can dress himself, eat, write his name, and read a few words. He learns many of these tasks through behavioral analysis. Lucas needs to repeat a task 35 to 60 times before he can learn something new, Lisandra Adams said. An average person needs five to eight repetitions. With time, Lucas will be able to learn things on his own, said Dave Adams. Now Lucas goes through 30 hours of therapy per week. "He's nearly at his grade level," he said. "If he started to talk, he'd be at his grade level within a year." The program costs the Adamses about $400 in out-of-pocket expenses each month; Lisandra has had to go back to work to help pay for it. But they say no other treatment gives the same results. "If you don't treat them with this, they could be in special ed classes at the very minimum," Dave Adams said. Autistic children need to begin treatment as soon as they are diagnosed, Lisandra Adams said. "You just can't waste time. It's a big clock, ticking every moment," she said.(For more information on the REACT program, call Dave or Lisandra Adams at 772-6742.) Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA