April was Autism Awareness Month, and to spread awareness through Patriot High School, Interact members teamed with students with autism and autism educators to spread their message of awareness and understanding.
Many Patriot students who are on the autistic/Asperger's syndrome spectrum are enrolled in life skills classes with instructor Brook Bell and assistant teacher Patricia Weate. This past month, they sold t-shirts and bracelets and read quotations about autism during the morning announcements. Funds they raised in April will be used towards more autism awareness initiatives, such as bringing in guest speakers.
Students in the community service group Interact also made a video featuring the life skills students. The documentary interviewed autistic students and asked them to speak to what autism means to them. Bell explained that the video allowed the students to tell their own stories and help people understand the many ways they are just like everyone else, and the few ways in which they are different.
Jackie, a Life Skills II student, was happy to participate.
“To me life is a road, and autism is the road less traveled on,” she told her fellow students in the video.
Classmate Julia agreed, saying, “Autism is not a disease. We just think differently.”
Julia feels that while autism makes her different from others, it has also gifted her with a unique perspective.
“I see details that others miss. My mind wanders, but I get the smaller details. I get so many great ideas," Julia said.
Her classmate Brian thinks more needs to be done to promote awareness among the general population.
“They don’t understand us. They don’t come from our world. We have to let people into our world,” he explained.
Patriot Life Skills II students felt strongly about being a positive face of autism in response to some misperceptions in the media, especially after to the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
“It’s sad, just terrible what happened,” said Julia, who said she fears it has led people to be afraid of people with Asperger's. “The guy has Asperger's, but that doesn’t mean Asperger's caused it. It doesn’t mean we don’t feel sadness for those kids.”
Brian expected a backlash against him and his friends with autism when he returned to school.
“We all hated what the media had said," said Brian, who was relieved when his peers were supportive.
Fortunately, the Patriot community is not quick to make assumptions about individuals with autism. However, the life skills students know that is not the case everywhere, which is why they were more than happy to participate in Autism Awareness Month.
Rather than just offering clinical definitions of autism and Asperger's, the teachers wanted students to tell their stories. In fact, teachers and doctors admit they do not have all the answers yet, and that they can learn much from the people who have the conditions.
Speaking to this, Weate read a quote that said, “Scholars and parents debate whether autism is a disability or whether it should be considered just a different kind of personality.”
This sparked conversation among the Life Skills II students about whether autism is part who they are, or if it is a hindrance to fitting in with their peers.
One student, who didn’t want to be named, is proud of the fact that he has overcome most of the social limitations associated with his autism.
“I’m good at hiding that I have autism,” he said.
However, some of his friends felt differently. They are proud of their interests and accomplishments, and consider their condition on the autism spectrum just part of what makes them who they are. Because of this, teachers are careful not to send the message that they need to change.
“We don’t want to change them, but we want for them to fit in, so that they don’t stand out,” Weate said, adding, “They don’t want to stand out.”
Unless it is standing out for being talented. Among the Life Skills I and II students, there are budding authors, artists, actors, musicians, engineers and mathematicians. The students are very proud of their talents and are eager to demonstrate them to their friends and teachers. Most students have taken their talent into the public sphere, participating in activities with their fellow students, such as robotics team or acting and singing in the school musical.
Trevor, a ninth-grade student, even produced his own rap about autism for the Interact video.
And while students practice social and practical skills in their life skills classes, most of them take the rest of their classes in general education inclusion classes, which allows them to work with their fellow students at Patriot.
Weate is an assistant teacher in many of those inclusion classes.
“I’ve got the wonderful fortunate job of going into the other classrooms, and seeing how they are practicing these life skills in their other classrooms. It is nothing but a joy to me,” Weate said.
Support Bristow Beat - Donate Today!