Angelina Robertson is as beautiful as her given name suggests. She is a 5-year-old with big brown eyes, curly chestnut-colored locks, and an avid curiosity about new people and experiences.

Angelina also has a diagnosis of autism. She is "on the spectrum," as the condition has come to be known. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the term for varying degrees of impairment in communication and social skills, and the presence of certain repetitive and stereotypical behaviors. Approximately one out of every 150 children in the United States is diagnosed with ASD.

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Parent Resources Allegheny Intermediate Unit's DART program, 412-394-5736, serves children ages 3 to 5 with developmental delays who live in the 42 suburban school districts outside of the city of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh/Mount Oliver Intermediate Unit's Early Intervention Program, 412-323-3960, serves children ages 3 to 5 with developmental delays who live in Pittsburgh and Mount Oliver.
Allegheny Local Task Force on the Right to Education, 412-394-5930, and Pittsburgh Local Task Force on the Right to Education, 412-323-3996, help families find answers to special education questions within their school districts.
Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center, 412-281-4404, provides information about education rights, including Section 504 plans for students who have disabilities but do not qualify for special education services.

Online chat Join Cindy Duch, from the Peal Center, for an online chat from noon-1 p.m. today about sending special-needs students to school.

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Angelina is the only child of Brian and Monica Robertson of Shaler and clearly the center of their lives.

Next week, Angelina will begin kindergarten at Marzolf Elementary School in the Shaler Area School District. For most parents, sending a child off to kindergarten is accompanied by some apprehension. For parents of children with disabilities, this transition is filled with additional concerns.

For these children, the kindergarten year can set the tone for their schooling for years to come, as well as the quality of their parents' interaction with the school district regarding special education issues. Parents look for the right fit for their child -- the place where the child will reach his or her fullest potential and become a valued member of the school community.

Angelina's transition to kindergarten, which began in February, has stayed in step with the Robertsons' vision for their child.

"So many people tell you how grueling this transition is, but so far it has been a very positive experience for us," said Monica Robertson.

Preschool experience

Angelina is sitting with a classroom assistant in an air-conditioned preschool classroom at Glenshaw Valley Presbyterian Church on a hot day in August. Inspired by a popular children's book, she is creating a "rainbow fish" with pieces of colored tissue paper.

"My favorite color is red," Angelina says as she places a piece of red tissue on the fish drawing. "My favorite color is green," she says as she places a green piece. "My favorite color is pink."

It appears that pink may in fact be Angelina's favorite color. She dressed completely in pink with matching nail polish.

Angelina has attended the preschool for 2 1/2 years. It is an offering of DART (an acronym for Discovery, Assessment, Referral and Tracking), a program of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for 3- to 5-year-olds with developmental delays. DART provides early intervention services in day care centers, preschools and homes, as well as special education preschools, for about 3,000 children in the 42 suburban school districts of Allegheny County.

Just four of the 14 students enrolled during the school year are in the classroom on this particular day. Typically, the ratio of children to adults (teacher, therapists, aides) is 6 to 1. Today it is more like 1 to 1. The room is abuzz with activities at various stations.

Brian and Monica Robertson have been pleased with the DART preschool and feel that it has prepared Angelina well for kindergarten. Because of the DART program, Angelina has become so fond of reading that she asks to go to a bookstore every day, her father says.

The Robertsons are also pleased with the way that DART and the Shaler school district have worked together to coordinate Angelina's transition to kindergarten, a process that included a general informational meeting, several classroom visits, and phone calls.

"Parents of children with special needs have lots of anxiety about kindergarten," explained Lisa Tagmyer, social worker for elementary schools in Shaler. Each school year, Ms. Tagmyer helps about 30 students make the transition from early intervention services to kindergarten. "Parents are not sure what to expect and I can appreciate that."

During her kindergarten year, Angelina will attend a learning support classroom for half of the school day, and a regular kindergarten class for the other half. In addition to visiting their home school, Burchfield Elementary, the Robertsons looked at Marzolf Elementary, which has an autism-focused learning support classroom.

After visiting both schools, the Robertsons felt that Marzolf was the better fit for Angelina. The learning support classroom there seemed less structured, which they feel is a better way for Angelina to learn. Also influencing their decision was availability of a sensory integration room at Marzolf. Angelina has mild sensory integration issues, and her parents felt that she would benefit from the swings and other equipment in the room.

The Robertsons were also drawn to a certain kindergarten teacher at Marzolf -- Grace Bickert, a veteran teacher who has written a book about including students with disabilities in regular classrooms. "We were impressed by the way she tried to accommodate all the children," said Mr. Robertson.

Angelina accompanied her parents on a visit to Marzolf. "Seeing her get comfortable [there] made us realize it was right," said Ms. Robertson. "We felt this is where she would thrive. For once, I wouldn't have to second-guess myself."

Everyone learns

Like most parents of children with disabilities, the Robertsons have become experts on their child's condition, how professionals address it, and the systems that provide support services.

They also have learned what autism requires of them as parents. They give Angelina advance notice about changes in her routine. They anticipate potential difficulties.

They say that local autism agencies such as ABOARD (Advisory Board on Autism and Related Disorders) and Autism Link have provided valuable support, as have online chat groups ("people going through the same thing").

They marvel at what Angelina has accomplished. "She has climbed the mountain," said Ms. Robertson.

Angelina's delays in speech, socialization and fine motor skills became apparent around her second birthday. Her pediatrician referred her for evaluation at the Child Development Unit at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).

In-home early intervention services, such as speech and developmental therapy, began immediately. In addition to the DART preschool at age 3, the Robertsons also sought the support of two other programs -- "wrap-around" behavioral therapy and Wonder Kids, a social skills program sponsored by Wesley Spectrum Services.

Collectively, these programs have helped Angelina develop many skills, including turn-taking, patience and compassion toward other children, say her parents.

At age 4, Angelina's diagnosis was revised from PDD-NOS to Autism Spectrum Disorder, due to the presence of behaviors such as repetitively lining up objects and humming to tune people out. The autism diagnosis surprised her parents.

"She had improved tremendously up to that point so it was difficult to hear the diagnosis. She had gone from not talking at all to hugging people and using whole sentences," said Mr. Robertson. "So then to go to the diagnosis of autism was hard, even though she is considered high functioning. We worried, were things going backward?"

They also worried about the long-term impact of a label on their child. "Will she be seen at school as Angelina or as a child with autism? Will the label affect the opportunities she is given?" asked Mr. Robertson. "We have never lowered our expectations for her, and she usually blows past all our expectations, so we didn't want the school to expect less."

The Robertsons have gotten accustomed to the diagnosis. More importantly, they feel good about the professionals who will guide the next step in her education. "We feel sure that Angelina will be treated as an individual."

The Robertsons acknowledge that there is a trade-off in not sending Angelina to Burchfield, their home school, where seven of her cousins are now enrolled. In making this decision, they faced the reality that school districts have to allocate resources, including specialized support for students with disabilities.

For example, every elementary school in Shaler offers learning support, but only Marzolf has a learning support classroom with an autism focus. Marzolf, on the other hand, does not offer a life skills classroom or intensive speech and language support, as Burchfield does.

Be that as it may, a student with a disability has the right to receive needed services in the home school, explains Aurelia Carter of the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership Center (PEAL). "If the parent wants the home school to provide the services the child needs, they should ask. If there's a disagreement, the parent can ask for an IEP facilitator to come in as a neutral party to help the team work through the issue."

The Robertsons say they are content with their choice because it focuses on the best education for their daughter. "We decided that is was more important that she start off in the right way," said Mr. Robertson.

Bright outlook

Angelina has had a busy summer -- four half-days per week at DART, three half-days at Wonder Kids, 10 hours of wrap-around. Her parents say these routines will make it easier for her to transition to five full days in kindergarten.

Ms. Robertson, an accountant, looks forward to doing homework with Angelina throughout her elementary school years. "I can't wait to learn things all over again."

Mr. Robertson recently left his job as a baker at Whole Foods to take a different position that will allow him to be home for dinner and more involved in the new phase of their family life.

"The new schedule will be better for Angelina."