CEC National Convention and Expo: Autism with Dr. Temple Grandin and Sesame Street

   

Waiting in line...the looong line to see Dr. Grandin on the first day! 

It was soooo exciting to hear that Dr. Temple Grandin, the author of three wonderful books, professor of animal science, writer of many, many influential articles regarding animal behavior, and the most famous spokesperson for Autism. She gives a wonderful perspective, for in case you haven't seen the HBO film describing her life, Dr. Grandin has Autism. But despite this diagnosis during a time of violent prejudice regarding individuals with disabilities, she was named in the 2010 New York Times Heroes section as one of the most influential people!
   

As an introduction, Dr. Grandin discussed the need for special education to be inclusive with children who are gifted and with those who have disabilities. She used the metaphor of "breaking down the silos" between the gifted and individuals with disabilities. I am paraphrasing, because Dr. Grandin was talking fairly quickly, but she said, "We have to tear down the silos. I go one place where this guy is programming computers in this dark little space. And he is probably on the spectrum, but nobody labeled him. But then, I go to an Autism meeting and the kid is the exact same, but ten years younger. He's going to end up playing video games in his mom's basement living on social security. But if someone would have taught him how to work during adolescent years and encouraged him to take computer programming classes, he could have been working and living an independent life."
   

This introduction was a great explanation of how Dr. Grandin's mind worked in pictures and with association. For her, she saw the silos, and the specific examples of the people in them. People like her, particularly individuals with Autism, often work top-down, meaning they need lots and lots of specific examples to build a concept as opposed to using the examples once there is a concept. It made me really think hard about how we teach our students with Autism... are we giving them enough examples of proper social skills, or just yelling at them for impolite behavior? Are we giving them enough chances to practice using money, or getting too impatient and doing it ourselves?

 

On that same note, I had the most wonderful opportunity to attend the general session given about Sesame Street and Autism! In case you haven't heard, Sesame Street has just recently added a new character named Julia and she has Autism. This addition has been three years in the making with plenty of research and input from family, teachers, and individuals with Autism. Even the animators were a team including a mom who's son has Autism and students with Autism at Exceptional Children.

     All of the conference attenders were given a free book that parents have been blowing up social media about! That, along with free videos on www.sesamestreet.com/autism are helping parents explain Autism to their diagnosed children and helping teachers encourage diversity and respect in the classroom. Free activities for both of these can be found also using their free app called Sesame Street and Autism. Picture schedules that are editable and perfect for young children is a popular part of this app and I can't wait to use it with children that struggle with scheduling, even those who don't have any disabilities.
    My favorite video that was shown during the session was of a father who described his family life including his three daughters (one of which has been diagnosed with Autism) and his wife. The need for support and understanding was evident in this episode, and there was not a dry eye of the thousand people in the theater watched the father's pride in his daughter being able to blow out candles on her sixth birthday cake. I would highly suggest that everyone watch it! It is wonderful to see a highly respected and widely watched show like Sesame Street to continue in their journey to educate and love people in all walks of life!  
See this amazing video here!

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