One group of kindergartners is so welcome in South Central Elementary School that fourth-graders are vying to spend time with them and, at times, treat them like celebrities, said the teacher of the kindergartners.

The popular youngsters are seven autistic children who are part of an innovative classroom headed by teacher Carla Mastrian. She combines different types of teaching programs to help her students integrate smoothly into regular education classrooms.

The fourth-graders help by taking part in a buddy program, which pairs them with the kindergartners for specific activities, including gym and recess.

"We're just really happy how things have worked out with this class," Miss Mastrian said. "All their milestones here are so great."

Her 5- and 6-year-old students live in the Canon-McMillan School District, five of them in the attendance area for South Central Elementary.

This is the first school year for the program, which was the brainchild of Special Education Director Michael Daniels and school psychologist Bob Chuey.

Various educational models and techniques are combined to help each student, Principal Michelle Tomicek said. Techniques include positive reinforcement and motivation, yoga for motor skills and breathing techniques, and a sensory room where students can jump on a trampoline or just look at a lava lamp.

"A lot of autistic kids need a lot of stimulus to focus or calm down," Mr. Chuey said.

Students have individual workstations and they also take part in group learning. They are tested every day and timed on such things as writing their letters. Miss Mastrian charts progress to check for retention, endurance, stability and application.

One goal is to focus on fluency, which refers to their level of skill development. Focusing on skill development allows the teacher to adjust the curricula to meet each child's needs. As children to master basic skills, they are able to advance. Next year, the kindergartners will be in regular education classrooms for first grade.

Sara Cambotti, who has a degree in psychology, is a therapeutic support person who is employed by an agency that assigns her to work with a young client at home and in school. She's been with one boy for four years and now that he is in the new ''flexible'' autism classroom, she said, she is seeing big results.

The child has more confidence, is more comfortable in crowds and has formed relationships with other students, she said.

Miss Mastrian held a meeting with staffers at the beginning of the year and has taught other students about autism, a neurological condition that some experts say affects one in every 150 children.

"A lot of awareness and advocacy has happened in the building," she said.

She has visited the parents of her students, and she meets with a parent panel once a month.

Parents are "huge resources,'' she said.

"Their life is autism," she said. "As they say, they're not soccer moms, they're therapy moms."

Rose Bauman, the mother of one of Miss Mastrian's students, attended a school board meeting earlier this month to praise the autistic support program.

"Anyone who has a child with autism has a story to tell," she said.

Her son was diagnosed in February 2004 with a brief, mysterious viral infection that resulted in a loss of gross motor, cognitive and social skills.

"He was a changed little boy," she said.

The autism diagnosis was devastating, she said. She's originally from Pennsylvania, but she and her husband were living in Portland, Ore., then. Oregon had few resources for her son. The family hadn't planned to move, but when Mrs. Bauman learned she could get help in her home state, they moved back here.

"For us, location was all about the school district," she said.

The advice she received was to move into the Canon-McMillan School District. The word is getting out about how good the South Central program is, Mrs. Bauman said. She commended the commitment of the staff.

One recent afternoon, Mark Tinnemeyer, who came to pick up his son, Dylan, said he appreciated living in a school district that recognizes children with special needs.

His son has become more vocal and more social as a result of being in the new class.

"Dylan is benefiting immensely," Mr. Tinnemeyer said.

Fourth-grader Jake Schoeler had to sign up at the beginning of the year to participate in the buddy program.

"I wanted to try to do something new and help other people," said Jake, who is president of the fourth-grade class.

He helps with Miss Mastrian's kindergarten class during recess and likes to do puzzles and play with blocks with the kindergartners.

"You have to have a lot of patience to work with autistic kids; they think differently than we do," he said.

Jake's teacher, Mike Hall, said about 15 of his 19 students are buddies. They switch turns every two weeks. He wondered at the beginning of the year whether the older students were volunteering because they actually wanted to help or if they just wanted to go to the sensory room and jump on the trampoline.

But, he said, "They treat the kids the same way they would their best friends or like a brother or sister."