Special education program partners with Elmhurst hair salon, spa

ELMHURST – Twelve-year-old Nick Cima knew exactly what hairstyle he wanted when he walked into Alter Ego Hair Design, a boutique hair salon in Elmhurst, on April 14.

The sixth-grader from Cass Junior High School in Darien told the hair stylist he wanted his hair to look like Corporal Tank Dempsey’s, a fictional video game character in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The hair stylist, unfamiliar with the character’s hairstyle, searched for images online with Nick.

“I forgot he had a hat,” Nick said, recalling his effort to help the hair stylist. Eventually, the two found the perfect photo that illustrated Dempsey’s slick buzz cut – a style Nick said looks “pretty good.”

Nick was with four other Cass students in fifth, sixth and seventh grades and their teacher Morgan Teichmiller at the salon that day. As students of the School Association of Special Education program in DuPage County, a portion of their curriculum involves taking short field trips once a week, practicing daily living skills and interacting with people around community.

SASED social worker Kristin Simmon-Lowman said through different activities, students learn “life skills” like how to use money when grocery shopping, order food at a restaurants and use the crosswalks when walking from one place to another.

For this particular trip, Simmon-Lowman, who is a regular at Alter Ego Hair Design, spoke with owner Lindsay Mills-Steffe about having the students visit the salon.

Mills-Steffe said she didn’t even think twice and agreed to be the host for the students’ field trip.

Simmon-Lowman said children with autism are sensitive to touch, and going to the doctor and the dentist for a check-up or getting a haircut becomes a difficult task for them.

“Every time we introduced something new, we showed them what it was,” Mills-Steffe said, noting she and her staff took the time to explain how their tools worked and what they felt like when used.

“For boys’ and men's haircuts, we use electric clippers to clean around the ears. We ran the clippers across the boys’ arms and made them aware of what was happening,” she said.

Mills-Steffe said that helped create a conversation between them and the students, who were eager to to ask questions.

Another portion of the field trip took place at the Body and Soul Spa Retreat next door to the salon.

Owner and licensed massage therapist Robin Doerr worked with Nick and the other students, introducing them to different types of aromatherapy oils and soothing lotions.

Doerr said a part of the session centered on a pediatric massage, a permission-based method that helps children with autism to relax, as well as become accustomed to the sense of touch.

Nick said his visit to the spa retreat was relaxing.

But Doerr said each student reacted differently, and for some, the facial, head and neck massages, as well as using the lavender oil, became overwhelming for them.

While the goal of the field trip was to teach the students and enhance their skills, Doerr and Mills-Steffe said they learned more from them.

“It’s about being present with them and understanding their non-verbal cues,” Doerr said.

For Mills-Steffe, she said it is important not to discount people based on their differences.

This field trip came during Autism Awareness Month, which is celebrated in April.

Simmon-Lowman said the field trips encompass the message of the month, which emphasizes the power of acceptance and dispelling stigma.