One child in each LDS ward. A couple of children in each elementary school. That’s how many children on average in our community have been diagnosed with autism. The number of children with this disorder has soared in recent years. California alone has noted a 300 percent increase in the number of children with autism in the past 20 years. It’s a disheartening disorder when your child stops talking, making eye contact and interacting socially.

So it was heartening to read “First-ever autistic class yielding results” in the Sept. 27 edition of the Transcript-Bulletin about a new classroom specially designed for children with autism.

First, kudos go to Action 4 Autism, a group of local parents and family members who banned together to look into ways the local school district could better serve their children. Parents of children who have autism face a lot of stress, first in getting their children diagnosed, and then in finding treatment options. For these children, tasks such as reading, writing and math need to be supplemented with developmental and social skills — a truly ‘well-rounded’ education for these special children.

Most autism is diagnosed before or around the age of 3, so this program will benefit other parents who may have need of these services before their families are completely grown. It makes our community stronger when we have good care for those who need an extra hand to grow well.

Second, praise must go to the Tooele County School District for responding and setting up a specially designed classroom. It is a dedication of time, money and effort to support a small group of children who need a lot of resources. Thanks for realizing that this investment now will yield great results in the future.

Finally, many kudos must go to teachers Jenni Hitesman and Michale Berryhill for their professional preparation and patience to design a new way to engage and teach these children. Those with autism have different ways of learning, and it can be a test of teaching expertise to find ways to engage, direct and build skills in a student population that already has a hard time communicating.

With so much controversy about ‘teaching to the test’ it is refreshing to see parents, teachers and administrators focus on what teaching is suppose to be: helping children achieve their potential. Every child deserves an education that will help them succeed.

Ann Herron is a journalist and former associate professor at Utah State University who lives in Tooele.