Austin Rudd, 18, center, has been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism. He puts together a puzzle with the help of MSU Sturdent Michigan Education Association students, elementary education juniors Michelle Smith, left, and Ashley Rettell, right, Wednesday at Lansing Area Parents’ Respite Center’s after-school program, 2901 Wabash Road, in Lansing.
Lansing — Tapping her index finger on the table, 13-year-old Lexie Edwards followed along as two MSU students read from Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who!”
Across the room, two students flipped through a car magazine, asking a boy with autism to pick out his favorite.
Members of MSU’s Student Michigan Education Association, or SMEA, came prepared to read and interact with students with disabilities Wednesday at the Lansing Area Parents’ Respite Center’s after-school program.
Michelle Smith, community service chair for SMEA, said volunteering at the respite center was a unique opportunity for the group of future teachers.
“Even though special education students have separate classrooms, they still come into the regular classroom for a lot of the day,” Smith said. “As teachers, we should know how to work with them.”
Lakeka Pruitt, the center’s after-school program director, said students of all ages participate in the program, but many are in their teens and early 20s.
Special-needs students do activities similar to those of other after-school programs, she said.
“We play every day,” she said. “It just requires more hands-on attention.”
Judy Wagner, executive director of the respite center, said the after-school program provides relief services for families of children with severe disabilities, such as autism and cerebral palsy, as well as those who are deaf, have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mental impairments.
The time gives parents the opportunity to do things they might not normally have time for, including trips to the grocery store or doctor’s visits, she said.
Many of the children see the time as a break from their parents as well, Wagner said.
“These are children that need a lot of help, but they need to have fun, and they need to be regular children too,” she said.
The private, nonprofit center was founded in 1989 and has offered the after-school program since 1996.
Working at the center was one of the many community service projects SMEA members have done throughout the year to complete their community service requirement.
Jenn Woodberg, an education senior and SMEA member, said volunteering at the center was the first opportunity she’s had to interact with students with severe disabilities.
“I haven’t had much experience, so I wanted to see what it’s like,” she said. “You can’t learn that in a classroom.”
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