More than 400 educators put their heads together to identify the early stages of problem behavior in children with autism and design strategies to keep the problem from escalating at one of the many Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Nest program workshops kicking off the new school year. UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Vice President for Special Education Carmen Alvarez welcomed the participants — including special and general education teachers, speech and occupational therapists, social workers, guidance counselors, principals and assistant principals — attending the daylong program at union headquarters on Aug. 29. Nest programs, developed collaboratively by New York University, the Department of Education and Hunter College, are designed to help higher-functioning children with autism learn how to succeed academically, behaviorally and socially and are now in 31 schools across the city. In opening the day’s program, Dorothy Siegel, the Nest project director, cited public schools as “the pathway to success for every child,” noting that unlike many private and charter schools, “we do not kick out” children who present problems. Rumbling Remedies — one of 12 workshops offered — kept participants working through the behavioral stages of rumbling (the first stage of a meltdown), peak and recovery and on to strategy reminders: don’t take it personally, don’t yell, stay calm. Veteran math coach Luz Alessandri of Channel View School for Research in Rockaway Beach pointed out, “These strategies are helpful in dealing with all students and good teaching practices for both young and experienced teachers.” Colleague Sheila Murray, a health and physical education teacher new to Nest, found it helpful to recognize problems at the “brewing” stage “because the peak stage can last a very long time.” The 750 children in the Nest program are taught in collaborative team-teaching classes.