Autism

In the article 'Autism - The Way I See It', Grandin comes to realize that everyone thinks and sees the world differently and from varying perspectives. While this is especially true in people who are autistic, this idea is true for the general population as well. This article brings up an important that we, as teachers, MUST be aware of. It is essential for us to be able to find different ways and strategies of teaching in order to reach each and every one of our students and be able to adjust to different learning styles.

This article was particularly interesting to me because of a placement I did last semester in which I mentored a teenager with autism. He was 16 years old and was absolutely awesome. He was a very high functioning, but was particularly interested in doing hands on things and touching EVERYTHING. Through reading this article I realized that he definitely had a very visual way of learning. We did lots of art projects, which he became very passionate and involved in, while other topics seemed to bore him very easily. After trying many different activities and getting to know him, I learned what worked for him and a way to get through to him which is something that is very important to be able to do. It is important to be able to find subjects that your student is particularly interested in and make accommodations accordingly to get other topics and ideas incorporated into the learning.

What role has art played in your life?

It has become more and more of a debated issue whether or not different arts and extra curricular activities are necessary and beneficial in the classroom. With all of the new educational laws such as no child left behind, many people have argued that school time should be used for the purpose of strictly learning and drilling the curriculum and content into a child's head in order for them to be capable of passing an assessment. While content is certainly important and we all agree that there are some things that you just HAVE to know, this does not mean that the arts should not be included in the classroom as many children express themselves in different ways.

In my own educational career, I attended an arts middle school. Many of the students in the school were in the same boat as I was; they were very enthusiastic about whatever art they took up whether that be visual or performing. This enthusiasm and dedication allow us to succeed academically and become passionate and excited to attend school. The school actually wound up being ranked as one of the top schools in the city. This is why I could never understand taking away something that someone is passionate in order for them to succeed academically. People think and learn differently and should not be deprived of possibly the one thing that they enjoy and are good at, for confidence and motivational purposes.