Perfectly matched: Connecting children on the autism spectrum with others
Story by Gary Goettling | Photography by Kay Hinton
Early Emory is the university’s year-round preschool education program for children ages one to five. To the casual observer it looks like any other preschool, but there’s an important difference: Two-thirds of its students are developing typically like Elise, while one-third has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, including Amiel.
“For typical children, Early Emory is an enriched early childhood center where children receive quality early educational support,” says Michael Morrier, executive director, program director for Emory Autism Center’s Screening and Assessment Clinic, and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. “For the children with autism, it’s an intensive social communication treatment program using applied behavior analysis embedded within regular, ongoing preschool activities.”