Carly with Autism

Carly is a 14 year old girl from Toronto, Canada.  She has a twin sister named Tara.  When Carly was two her parents realized she wasn't quite at the same level as her sister Tara.  Tara was diagnosed with Autism and is nonverbal.  She often times well have episodes where her body flails and she cannot get control of it.  This is embarrassing for her and she wants to be normal just like any other teenage girl her age.  Recently her therapists, teachers, and family have discovered that she can type out exactly what she wants to say.

I think that this is amazing.  As a special educator this could be very useful for me.  When in high school, I would take a boy in the special education class home after school.  He was somewhat verbal, but it was never predictable.  If his teachers and therapists worked with him to type, this might be a way for him to communicate with us.  It is also interesting because a lot of times student's realize what you're saying, but they just can't say anything in response.  So, it is important to realize that as any type of educator and not treat a child like they are not important.

Autistic Girl Expresses Profound Intelligence [Video]. (2010). Retrieved 20 Jan 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XMlhCfp3Q&feature=youtu.be.

until next time.

happy learning.