Boulder Autism Policy Reform

Boulder parents successfully prompt school district to reshape its approach to autism therapy

The superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Rob Anderson, held a meeting with parents of autistic students after complaints about persistent problems in their children's classrooms. Jenny Thamer and other parents organized an anonymous online survey to present if attendance was low. The meeting was attended by 50 district parents, who were optimistic that Superintendent Anderson would listen to their concerns. Anderson agreed to create an autism advisory team, which aims to use feedback from autistic people to change district's approaches. The policy was implemented a year later, which requires the use of "strategies to affirm a student's identity" rather than trying to "cure" them. The practice of applied behavior analysis, which was pioneered in the 1960s, is now considered the gold-standard autism intervention.