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Now nine-years-old, James, was diagnosed with autism when he was in pre-kindergarten and is one of two students in the Dime Box School District that struggles with the disability. Schuman found herself spending a great deal of time working with her son’s teachers and other members of the Dime Box ISD staff in order to help ensure that her son’s learning experiences were positive and productive. She knew another way needed to be developed to help everyone learn to help her son and kids like him.
Schuman said, “I wanted to close the gap and bring teachers and parents together to help children with disabilities. When I talked with the school staff, they seemed eager and I was very excited to work with them on organizing what has become the Dime Box Autism Resource Center.”
Although the Resource Center became a “goal” in late January or early February of this year, Schuman has been working with the school district for the past five or six years, finding ways to help teachers and parents work together for the benefit of children with autism. What she and the district discovered was that there was a lack of resources readily available, and they needed to develop a means to help everyone involved, from the kids affected to the families and teachers who touched their lives.
Schuman’s family donated $6,000 to the Dime Box Library, which has been used to buy resource information for parents and teachers living with and teaching autistic children. Schuman said they would also like to see the Resource Center expand to include support for people with other disabilities, such as Down Syndrome, ADD and ADHD.
With the active support of Dime Box School Principal Kimberly Oppermann, a committee was formed. They talked with several companies and autistic organizations and concluded that the Resource Center could provide the support the community needed. Sitting on the committee are Schuman, Oppermann, teachers Danielle Hicks and Rebecca Mahoney, Dime Box School Board President Opal Irvin, Bonnie Langham, who works with deaf children in the Giddings ISD, Lee County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Danita Wiederhold, school volunteer Jean Davis and Dime Box ISD Head Librarian Marian Wiederhold.
State Representative Robby Cook will be present at the dedication of the Resource Center, which is located in the School/Public Library at 1079 Stephen F. Austin in Dime Box. The public is invited to attend.