Fri Nov 20 2009
Staff report
TALLMADGE — Members of the Kent State football team recently increased their young fan base by visiting two classes at the Family Child Learning Center’s Integrated Preschool for Children with Autism in Tallmadge.
Nine Golden Flashes spent over two hours in the classrooms and on the playground with the gleeful three- and four-year olds, who engaged in a wide range of activities with the “big kids in blue uniforms” – everything from sliding down the sliding boards on the center’s new playground, to helping the children refill their cups and bowls during snack time.
Players on hand were Greg Keys, Leneric Muldrow, Will Kandray, Byron Tyson, Phil Garner, Daniel Sadler, B.G. Walters, Ronald Ison and Leon Green.
“The experiences we shared with the kids did not end after we left — they will be in our hearts forever,” said junior wide receiver and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president Leneric Muldrow. “They will always give us something to play for, and we are looking forward to going back again soon.”
The visit was not only fun, but productive for the children according the FCLC preschool director Abbie McCauley.
“Many children with autism have difficulty generalizing the skills they learn in the classroom with people they’re familiar with to new people,” said McCauley. The visit by the football players allowed the children to practice those social and communication skills.
“And the players themselves seem to have so much fun playing with the children. They represent the Kent State football program and the university extremely well.”
The Family Child Learning Center’s Integrated Preschool for Children with Autism is a research and intervention program for children between the ages of three and five with a doctor’s diagnosis of Autism Spectum Disorder. The preschool has a three-part mission: Quality services for children and their families, research and professional preparation. The FCLC is a joint operation between Akron Children’s Hospital and Kent State University.
For more information about FCLC, call 330-633-2055.
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