What+We've+Learned

What we have learned from people labeled with Autism?

media type="youtube" key="vNZVV4Ciccg" height="315" width="420" To write a short paragraph of what I have learned about Autism and ASD does not do my thoughts justice. I decided to do this project because I didn't know anything about Autism and ASD before this assignment. Being a future educator, I thought it was really important to learn more about this disorder and how it could potentially affect my teaching to students with this disability. After watching videos and doing research to learn more about Autism and ASD there was one video that really touched me. With regards to learning about the difficulty of communication people with autism face, one video gave me a lot to think about. At the top of this page is a video about a young girl named Carly Fleischmann who is non-verbal and difficult to communicate with. Suddenly, one day her inner voice comes out as she types with one finger, and begins to share the truths and mysteries of her experience with autism. I really recommend watching this video because Carly is a truly inspiring person with a great story to share. Her story allows you to understand more about living with autism and all the things people simply don't understand about people with autism. One thing she says that I found really interesting was when she explains her banging her head on the ground she says "I do it because if I don't it feels like my body is going to explode. It's just like when you shake a can of coke. If I could stop it I would, but it is not like turning a switch off. I know what is right and wrong, but it's like I have a fight with my brain over it." Carly's ability to communicate through technology gives you a new perspective of what living with autism is like and it really makes you think about how you can approach teaching children in your classroom. After watching this video, I discovered that she has written a book with her father Arthur Fleischmann titled // Carly's Voice: Breaking Through Autism // which is something I would like to add to my summer reading list because I think it would be a very interesting and intriguing story.
 * Joni:**

Through my Learning from Those we Label assignment and through creating our Fact File I have learned so many new things about Autism. I didn't realize how strong people with Autism's senses are until watching the video //Normal People Scare Me.// People with Autism have such strong hearing that they can hear the high pitch screetch intended for only dogs to hear. There are many things in a school setting that could bother students with Autism such as bells ringing, fire alarms, announcements over the intercom, assemblies with many people talking at once, and regular classroom noise. Another very important thing I learned about Autism is that these students are strongly visual learners and do not learn well through auditory instruction. It is very important for me as an educator to implement the necessary visuals and change my teaching style to meet a student needs in order for them to be successful. A student with Autism may have a hard time communicating, but that doesn't mean that they don't know the answer or aren't able to engage in a high level of thinking. We need to incorporate different methods for a student to express themself since communication is generally weak in a student with Autism.
 * Meagan:**

Over the course of the semester I have completed a lot of research as well as viewed presentations regarding the Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have gained a much deeper understanding of Autism as well as techniques and strategies to assist children with Autism in my future classrooms. One of the key learning's from this semester that I did not know about before are the resources available in our community. I now know that when working with a child with Autism, I am not alone and there are great opportunities and resources to assist the child, his/her family, myself, as well as the community to better understand the child and help him/her succeed. I was thrilled to discover that the Autism Resource Center not only has wonderful information but also offers programs such as summer camps, therapeutic intervention, and partnership with YMCA programs! Another key learning that I took away from this project is in regards to the impact that Early Intervention has on children with autism. I did not know that children with Autism could progress in their fundamental skills so drastically when helped early on in their development. This information has great importance to me as an educator because these children need to have support in every aspect of their lives and I must know and understand ways to help them succeed. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about Autism and a variety of other exceptionalities over the course of this semester and look forward to continuing my learning so that I can make a difference.
 * Courtney:**