The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 23

B-7 Sunday Hvm Journal, Wilmington, 01., Juno 1, 1M0 Au Clair still aivaits Continued from B-l i The past year has no doubt been an exasperating one for the school, which had grown accustomed to lavish praise from many sources. There even was talk of a movie to tell the story of how Mazik, his wife, Claire, and the filly. Silk Stockings, helped autistic children. -When the Masiks founded Au Clair 1 1 years ago, little was known about the baffling world of autism. It is now believed to be a permanent brain disorder, a condition that confuses the victim's understanding of his senses.

Locked into such a world, an autistic child may exhibit strange behavior, rocking endlessly, Peking fingers in front of his face, banging his head against the wall, or eating the flesh from his hand. The same child may at times show flashes of brilliance. Some autistic children talk; others live in silence. Controversy over Mazik's pro gram began in November 1978 when former staff members began reporting problems to the attorney general's office. They said some children had been beaten, dunked in the swimming pool, and one boy whipped with a riding crop.

They complained that the school was poorly managed, understaffed and overrated. Former staff members told identical stories to the. News-Journal newspapers during the papers' own final word BUDGET STORC for Father's Day: dress shirts, Slacks staff members have recently shown. But it also will stress, they said, the need for still more staff, better training and a renewed effort to reduce the continued use of punishment as therapy. For these reasons, sources said, state officials appear reluctant to grant Mazik a full license.

Rather, they probably will give him a "conditional license." One major factor in that decision is the school's new program director, Dean Alexander, who has only been with the program full-time for a few weeks. Alexander came highly recommended, but officials said they feel it is too early to judge the impact of his efforts. Critics and advocates agree that Au Clair probably is a stronger school now than it was a year ago, and credit the state's adversary role as one reason. "I would say that the school has reacted well to a very bad situation," said Thomas J. Greenman of Mendham, N.J., chairman of the fiarents' steering committee and ather of a 23-year-old student at Au Clair.

Todd R. Risley, a professor in human development at the University of Kansas, has visited the school twice, and said that "improvements have been made and more are on the way." The former staff members who first complained about the school had mixed feelings about the state's apparent decision to grant Au Clair its license. Some were skeptical of the changes, but a majority felt that they had helped improve the school by expressing their grievances. Margaret J. Timko, director of the division's children and youth services, and Matthew J.

Lynch, deputy attorney general, have been the state's chief representatives throughout the Au Clair controversy. Both stand by the state's initial report on the school, and feel that the school now is committed to making what they feel are genuine improvements. But despite their optimism, officials remain concerned that state regulations are not strong enough to really improve such a program, and the state apparently questions its ability to monitor the school once the licensing issue is resolved. And what of the movie? Since talk of the movie began nearly five years ago, the Maziks-have divorced, and Silk Stockings was forced into retirement by an injury. Several scripts have come and gone, and now Mazik has said that the final version will be his revenge against the state and published reports of the school.

The happy ending may still be included, but it appears that state bureaucrats also will play a role. As Mazik once said, "We've been looking for a bad guy." month-long investigation. The state, in a report released a year ago this week, concluded that the school used punishment as therapy without first attempting other methods, and without proper planning and evaluation. Such therapy may range from squirting water into a child's eyes to hitting him, and its use is quite controversial. Moreover, the state concluded that the staff lacked training and that the school lacked adequate programs.

Mazik and his staff vehemently denied the charges, dismissing them as the work of "disgrunted employees." Since the initial stories concerning Au Clair were published, Mazik and the staff have refused to be interviewed about the school. During the year since Au Clair's problems came to light, states that had placed children there have reacted. New York officials removed Au Clair from its list of approved schools, and Massachusetts withdrew its two students. Although New Jersey moved in March to suspend all referrals to the program until a license was granted, it remains supportive of the school. And Maryland officials argue that it is one of the best programs available.

"It's very harafor me to feel any misgivings about Au Clair when I had to deal with parents who were almost insane from trying to handle their kids," an official there said. But in August, Delaware held firm when officials again ruled that Mazik should not be given a license. Officials said Mazik had failed to comply with six of the state's seven major requirements, and appeared unconcerned about the report. Parents, who have always defended Mazik, organized a committee to help fight the state, and Mazik filed an appeal on Oct. 26.

In the next few months, the school apparently initiated a determined effort to meet the standards. The tuition was increased from about $18,000 to about $26,000, and more staffers were hired. Eventually Mazik asked the state to again review the program. "We have an obligation to give the program a last chance," an official said. Last month, state investigators and three consultants from the Princeton Child Development Institute and the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston again visited the school The consultants had first visited Au Clair last spring and had influenced the state's decision to close the school.

Their revised report and the state's final decision on licensing are expected in July. Although officials refused to comment on the consultant's report, sources say it will no doubt emphasize the improvements Mazik has made, and the dedication present 35 off Plus special buys Sale 9.99 He'll look great in terry short-sleeved casuals For weekends and vacations, the kind of relaxed, up-to-date look he likes: soft terry tops, V-necks, collars, more. Regularly $13 to $16. 25 off Indispensable dress shirts he can wear all summer Lightweight and easy for warm weather wear, in a wide range of solid colors. Breezy, no-iron cotton-polyester.

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