A boy in a striped shirt jumps on a small trampoline, a huge grin on his face.

Nearby, two boys color quietly, while four other children sift sand. Across the room, a young girl carefully puts on a tiny oven mitt before taking something out of a toy oven.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette In the class taught by Jennifer Sakulsky, left, children at LEAP Preschool in Sharpsburg begin the day by greeting classmates with "high fives" or hugs. The preschool, which includes autistic children, is celebrating its 25th year. Click photo for larger image.

The brightly colored room looks like a typical preschool, but it's a nationally recognized, much-imitated model of integrating autistic children with youngsters who are not autistic.

Operated by The Watson Institute, LEAP Preschool in Sharpsburg will celebrate its 25th anniversary Saturday.

LEAP stands for Learning Experiences: Alternative Program for preschoolers and parents. It was founded by Phillip S. Strain, who received a three-year federal grant to create a model program that placed autistic children in a classroom with those who do not have autism.

Autism is a developmental disability that is a result of a neurological disorder and most often affects social and language development. The cause is not known.

Twenty-five years ago, autism was considered a very rare condition, with about four children in 10,000 diagnosed, said Dr. Strain, who, at the time he received the grant, was at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Oakland. Today, about one in 500 children is diagnosed with autism, he said.

During his research, Dr. Strain said, he had "pretty remarkable success" in in-creasing an autistic child's ability to interact with peers when the child was paired with a youngster who did not have autism. He decided to try it on a larger scale.

The preschool started in Pittsburgh in 1981 and moved to the former Sharpsburg Elementary School around 1990, said Marilyn Hoyson, chief operating officer. It also runs preschools at Edgeworth Elementary and in Wilkinsburg.

A typical LEAP classroom consists of four children with autism and eight to 10 who do not have autism. The classroom operates like a regular preschool, with a special education teacher helping the autistic children through the day, said Nancy Rapp, program coordinator.

Studies and evaluations during the first 10 years found that the model was a win-win for both sets of children.

"By having typical peers around them, talking and playing and trying to get them engaged in play, it helps [autistic children] to interact," Dr. Hoyson said. "They can model the language. The more typical children you have, the better it is for the children with autism."

The other children benefit, too.

"It's OK for typical children to be with children with autism. They don't regress at all. They become good play organizers. They have to verbally say to friends, 'Come and play with me,' " Dr. Hoyson said.

"We teach them how to look at the child, say the child's name, keep trying, tap them on the shoulder," anything to engage them, Ms. Rapp said.

The program provides a home coordinator to help parents of autistic children handle shopping, bedtimes and meal times. Parents also are given a manual to teach basic behavioral management skills.

Amy Greiner, of Penn Hills, said having non-autistic children in his class had helped her son, Joshua, 4.

"That's a really important component, I think, for autistic kids, things that are missing from other special ed programs," she said. "He does look at them. He pays attention to what they're doing. They're real patient with him. They'll do things over and over and over again."

Mrs. Greiner said the LEAP family coordinator has been especially helpful because Josh-ua does not speak. The liaison helped the family set up Joshua's room with the types of visual schedules he follows at school and make use of picture symbols so he can communicate more easily.

Joshua will stay at LEAP one more year, then enter the Penn Hills School District, his mother said.

Erika Trabbold, 4, entered LEAP last year after spending a year in another special education preschool, where, her family said, she did not master any of her goals.

"Within the first month [at LEAP], she mastered a goal. She has mastered all her goals," said her mother, Kristine Trabbold, of Penn Hills. "She started talking. They got her to drink from a straw cup. ... She knows all her matching, her alphabet, her numbers."

Erika will enter kindergarten next year in a regular school. "We will miss LEAP. It has been a tremendous place," Mrs. Trabbold said.

About 250 children with autism have been through the program. Most have been integrated into public schools, Ms. Rapp said. "We can get them ready for kindergarten without a problem."

The LEAP model has been replicated in several states and in Canada. Dr. Strain, now a professor of educational psychology at the University of Colorado, has started LEAP programs in that state. Dr. Hoyson and Ms. Rapp have helped set up programs in Seattle, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and Vancouver, British Columbia. They also work with intermediate units and school districts throughout Western Pennsylvania.

The Watson Institute will commemorate the preschool's 25th anniversary with a conference titled Current Issues in Early Childhood Autism at Marriott Pittsburgh North in Cranberry. The program will include a discussion of what the educators have learned from LEAP, a slide show, photo albums of alumni and staff, and a quilt that features photos of the school.

Ms. Rapp described what she finds rewarding about working in the program: "Watching a child enter our program having a rough time and leaving our program having a great time, and seeing families enter stressed and leaving having much more confidence."