FLORENCE — Francis Marion University cleared the final hurdle March 7 to offer South Carolina’s first bachelor’s degree in special education/autism studies. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Board approved the special education/autism studies bachelor’s degree at its March 7 meeting. Francis Marion will start the special education/autism studies bachelor’s degree program this fall, university President Fred Carter said in an interview with The Post and Courier Pee Dee. Board Vice Chairman Edgar “Eddie” Dyer of Myrtle Beach reported the Committee for Academic Affairs and Licensing recommended approval of the degree program. Dyer was serving as chairman at the meeting because Chairman Wes Hayes was vacationing. “There is an increasing prevalence of autistic students that can result in high levels of problem behavior, delayed progress and outcomes and teacher burnout,” Dyer said. Francis Marion University’s bachelor’s degree in special education/autism studies fills a void in educating pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, Dyer said. Commissioner Terrye Seckinger, of Mount Pleasant, said she discussed the importance of food education for the autism studies program. She would like food education to be included in the curriculum. “Food is either very good or poison to these children. There was no component of that. I think of schools, and teachers understood that they would really assist the student in a greater way by knowing what they can and can’t eat,” Seckinger said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 1 in 36 children in the United States have been identified with autism spectrum disorder, which is nearly four times more common among boys than girls. Francis Marion University has taken a multiple disciplinary approach to the degree’s curriculum. Three departments — School of Health Sciences, School of Education and Department of Psychology — united to develop the curriculum. The curriculum involves multicategorical special education, school and clinical psychology programs, speech/language pathology courses and occupational therapy courses. The curriculum includes 14 courses for students majoring in autism studies. Some of those courses will be mandatory, while others are electives, Carter said. It will give educators and other professionals a variety of ways to treat, help and educate autistic children and adults, Carter said. The three university departments cooperated and corroborated to make the autism studies degree a reality, he said. They put together a distinctive and unique curriculum in four months. “This should be a prototype for autism programs for the next decade,” Carter said. The South Carolina Legislature and donations by alums Jim and Candace Brown made the autism studies degree program possible, Carter said. The state House of Representatives and Senate each gave the university $500,000 annually to fund the program. The Browns made two $1 million donations to the university’s autism studies program. The $1 million will cover the program’s operating costs. The Browns donated $1 million to create the James R. Faulkenberry Endowed Chair in Autism Studies. It will strengthen faculty teaching and research and service in neurodiversity, especially autism spectrum disorder. The second $1 million will fund scholarships and expand the university’s applied behavioral analysis laboratory and clinic in the Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical Education Complex in downtown Florence, Carter said. The lab will provide treatment and support for children and adults with autism, Carter said. Francis Marion University will offer five four-year scholarships to students majoring in autism studies in the program’s first four years because of the Browns’ donation, Carter said. The Jean Page Brown Endowed Scholarship in Autism Studies is named after Jim Brown’s mother, who was a science teacher for more than 30 years in Marion County. “We couldn’t be more appreciative of the General Assembly, the Brown family and, of course, our faculty and staff who put this process together,” Carter said. The bachelor’s degree in autism studies will be a rewarding experience for graduates, Carter said. “This is really a fine career track for a young man or woman,” Carter said. “Being able to come here to an institution like Francis Marion, major in autism studies, receive financial support to acquire that degree and go out and, frankly, pursue a career that will be so intrinsically rewarding is almost an ideal situation.” Students interested in an autism studies bachelor’s degree and financial assistance may contact the Francis Marion University Office of Admissions at 843-661-1231 or Office of Financial Assistance at 843-661-1190, Carter said.
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