'Mustang Mentors' Help Students Bridge Social Gap In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — For children on the autism spectrum, learning how to interact with others can be a challenge.

At Manchester Township Middle School, an afterschool program offers the chance for those students to socialize with general education students and learn those skills.

The Mustang Mentors afterschool club, whose advisers are Corrine Stinemire-Tordik and Megan Baumgartner, allows them to play games or participate in other activities, having fun and learning at the same time.

"The parents of the students with autism have expressed how much they love for their children to have the opportunity to stay after school and enjoy social interactions with their typical peers," Stinemire-Tordik said.

For the students who volunteer as mentors, there is joy, she said, and "pride in being connected to the students with autism, as well as a sense of fulfillment."

"Peers working with the special education population show great character," Stinemire-Tordik said. "It is wonderful to have such a great relationship between the special and general education students in the building!"