Feb 28
Posted: under communication, education, life on the spectrum, socialization.
Tags: autism, bright side, college, education, flexibility, independence, initiative, motivation, progress, socialization, testing February 28th, 2010
At the end of the first exam period–six full weeks of classes–our son took his first “big” exam, in the pre-algebra class. Since he had work hours this week on several of the days exams were given, he had to take the exam on a Saturday (not a usual class day.) He said he felt [...] [...more]
At the end of the first exam period–six full weeks of classes–our son took his first “big” exam, in the pre-algebra class. Since he had work hours this week on several of the days exams were given, he had to take the exam on a Saturday (not a usual class day.) He said he felt prepared enough for it…and though students had an hour and forty minutes for it, he finished in 35 minutes with a score of 89. If that had been the only triumph of the week, we’d all be delighted…but it wasn’t.
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Jan 20
Posted: under interventions, opinion, parenting.
Tags: flexibility, opinion, parenting, socialization January 20th, 2009
Thirty years ago, children with disabilities were not guaranteed education in public schools. My state had residential schools in the state capital for deaf children and for blind children, but nothing for children who had other disabilities. I remember the mother of a childhood friend fighting with the school board so her daughter–with severe hearing [...] [...more]
Thirty years ago, children with disabilities were not guaranteed education in public schools. My state had residential schools in the state capital for deaf children and for blind children, but nothing for children who had other disabilities. I remember the mother of a childhood friend fighting with the school board so her daughter–with severe hearing impairment–could attend regular classes. (Her daughter is now a professor of chemistry.) If they weren’t institutionalized, disabled children were home-schooled, usually by tutors, like Helen Keller.
But now that federal law requires schools to educate all children, why would a parent choose homeschooling? And why are the advantages–and challenges–of doing so? Here are some things to think about, from someone who did it.
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Dec 21
Posted: under communication, socialization.
Tags: behavior analysis, communication, sensory processing, socialization December 21st, 2008
Years ago I took a graduate school class in Animal Behavior. The study of animal behavior had made great leaps forward in the decade before, after pioneer students of animal behavior learned how to analyze animal behavior in detail. The study of human behavior lagged badly…it’s now catching up, but still bedeviled by the very [...] [...more]
Years ago I took a graduate school class in Animal Behavior. The study of animal behavior had made great leaps forward in the decade before, after pioneer students of animal behavior learned how to analyze animal behavior in detail. The study of human behavior lagged badly…it’s now catching up, but still bedeviled by the very assumptions we were taught to avoid when studying animal behavior.
All behavior, we were taught, is meaningful–it means something, it communicates something about the subject. Probably not what you first think of, either. For instance, most of us interpret behavior in terms of a critter’s conscious intent: we think of a cow or a horse or a small child as “stubborn” when they don’t do what we want. We may think they’re “trying to make me mad.” In autistic terms, we fail to demonstrate a theory of mind–the understanding that reality, to the other person or animal, is not necessarily our reality.
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