The "Not Far From Par" summer golf program for children with autism has actually been proven to be far above par.

The Bergenfield school district’s program has been selected to receive the 2008 Innovations in Special Education Award to be presented by the New Jersey School Boards Association and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped.

It will be part of a statewide celebration of Special Education Week, May 11-17. The ceremony will take place as part of Special Education Day on May 16 at the Midland School in North Branch.

Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Kuchar said that the Bergenfield school district was selected to receive the award from among many applicants based on the degree of innovation, how well the project addressed student needs, how it was integrated into the curriculum, evaluation strategies, parent/community involvement and the quality of the presentation of the information.

Kuchar said the program has been receiving national attention, and will be funded for another year through grants from both the United States Golf Association and Autism Speaks Foundation.

He also credited cooperation with Knickerbocker Country Club and the County of Bergen in using its facilities, and the combined $100,000 donation from the Bergenfield, Dumont and New Milford/Teaneck Elks lodges in helping the program succeed.

The goal of the Innovations in Special Education Award is to inform New Jersey residents about how their schools are preparing special-education children for the future.

Bergenfield Board of Education President Eileen Ryder said, "The ‘Not Far From Par’ program is just one of many initiatives we are implementing to create an inclusive learning environment within the home district for all students."

"From the creation of the Tri-Valley Academy, to our new alternative high school, to our classes for emotionally disturbed students, we are acknowledging that all children will have an opportunity to thrive in our schools," she said.

Kuchar pointed out that the "Not Far From Par" program is not focused on preparing children for a life of leisure, but rather serves as a unique behavior modification tool to help children with autism learn that special social setting call for specific behaviors.

Additionally, the program utilizes sensory stimulation and motor skills to assist teens with autism with connecting both to their environment and with their peers, teachers and parents.

The golf instruction has proven to be an effective tool for reaching teens with autism by improving communication skills, enhancing self-regulation and improving gross/fine motor skills.

Because golf is an individual activity with repetitive rituals and a rich history of tradition and social etiquette, it has proven so far, to be an outstanding means to connect with adolescence with autism.

Through an engaging social activity, that provides a basis for lifelong enjoyment, students have been able to learn that each situation in life has an established set of expectations.

On a regular basis, students were given unique opportunities to practice functioning within a specific setting according to acceptable standards.

Students attended a four-week summer program that met five days per week, and included one and one-half hours of golf instruction for four days.

Two days of instruction took place at Bergenfield High School, and two days at a nearby driving range.

The four days of instruction focused on both golf skills and golf etiquette.

On the fifth day of each week, students visited an actual golf course and played an outing of golf for three hours. One parent of each child was also invited to join their child in a round of golf on the final day of the program.

Students were transported from Bergenfield High School to the driving range and golf course via school bus.

A February 2006 survey by the Bergen County Association of School Administrators documented that there were 1,247 students classified with autism enrolled in Bergen County schools.

"Therefore," as Kuchar pointed out, "the ‘Not Far From Par’ program has only begun to reach a small percentage of those in need."