Smiling faces in
autism class at Smedley

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

The theme in Jeff Pelly’s autistic-support classroom is "106 Loves to Learn."
Pelly, 29, teaches the kindergarten through second grade class of students with autism at the Franklin Smedley Elementary School, at Bridge and Mulberry streets in Frankford.
The teacher is in his first year after working in the School District of Philadelphia’s administrative offices. This, too, is Smedley’s first year of offering a class for 5-to-7-year-olds with autism.
"These kids need as much support as they can get," Pelly said. "The key to helping kids with autism is starting early. The prognosis is better for their future."
Earlier in the school year, Pelly entered the Score School Supplies program contest sponsored by the Philadelphia Eagles and Staples.
The program honors hard-working, innovative teachers by giving them small grants, in the form of Staples gift cards, to purchase supplies to engage and inspire students.
Pelly’s application was among the winners, and he received $200 in gift cards. He had little trouble finding items to purchase for his classroom.
The class made "thank you" posters and wrote letters of appreciation to the Eagles and Staples.
"It was very much appreciated and something we were able to use," said Pelly, adding that he will look to find similar funding programs.
Jim Cantwell, the Smedley principal, is glad the school added an autistic-support class for its youngest students. The school already has a class for children with autism in third through fifth grades.
Cantwell believes that the Eagles and Staples made a wise choice, explaining that Pelly is perfect for the new classroom.
"He’s really transformed the room," the principal said. "The parents think he’s great."
Pelly, who has a master’s degree in special education from West Chester University, gives a lot of the credit for the children’s progress to his four classroom assistants.
"I have a lot of staff. I’m very fortunate," he said.
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and difficulties in communicating. Support classes are offered in every region of the school district, but not in every school.
At Smedley, Pelly teaches nine children, all boys in kindergarten. The older class for students with autism includes just one girl.
Studies show that one in 150 American children have autism, with the overwhelming number of them boys.
"Autism is so prevalent in society," Pelly said. "But there is no difference except in the way that they learn."
Each child has an individualized education program as part of his life skills curriculum. It’s a full day, running from 8:30 a.m. to 3:09 p.m.
A few of the youngsters show enough promise that they might be able to take some mainstream classes by the time they’re in third grade.
The learning schedule is regimented and repetitive. The kids dance to music to improve their movement and socialization skills. They shake hands with the teacher and one another, always making sure to have their heads up, their voices raised and their eyes making contact.
The children are learning such basics as reading, writing and math, along with skills like cooking and dressing themselves. They make artwork, go to gym class and are introduced to computers.
The day includes breakfast, lunch, snack time, story hour and recess. There are also community trips to a bowling alley, Franklin Mills mall and the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center.
At retail stores, the youths are taught to exchange money for purchases and say "thank you." They are also taught mannerly words like "excuse me."
When the children accomplish a certain number of tasks, they earn stickers, snacks and small toys as rewards.
"Mr. Jeff," as the students call their teacher, is clearly enjoying his first classroom assignment. He has a background in journalism, the entertainment industry and school administration, but nothing beats the satisfaction of introducing a skill or lesson and watching the kids learn it.
"That’s the best part," he said.
Pelly likes to say that "education is in my blood," since his mom and two sisters are teachers. His fiancee, Mary Clark, teaches teenagers with autism at University City and West Philadelphia high schools.
The young teacher involves all of his students equally, with calendar math being a popular interactive learning tool.
"Boys, is it Sunday?" student Ian Capacio asks.
Ian’s classmates all respond "no" to the question of whether it’s Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, then offer a resounding "yes" when he asks if it is Wednesday.
The same scenario plays out as Phillip Pham asks his classmates whether it’s the month of January, February or March, until the boys correctly answer "April."
Vincent Garcia identifies April on the calendar, while Tommy Ehmann locates Wednesdays during the month. Phoenix Ford, Billy Johnson and Charles Lloyd find "today," "yesterday" and "tomorrow." Justin Rink completes the project by placing the date, the 25th, on the board, and Mr. Jeff high-fives his students for a job well done.
A similar team-effort approach is used to determine that the season is spring and the day’s weather is sunny and warm.
Pelly said his job requires patience, but he loves working with a small group.
"I can really get to know them, their behaviors and what they can and can’t do," he said. "They’re really cool kids, and you get to see these kids blossom in front of your eyes." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com