It’s the beginning of a new school year. As I look back on the last year with our preschool class of children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder I reflect on what went well and what could be improved upon. The other teachers in my class and I present a daily story time program. In addition to imparting on our students a love of reading and early learning preparation, each program is designed to meet the “Independent Educational Plan” (IEP) goals of each child in our class. In looking back I can see what worked beautifully, what failed miserably, and which altogether new ideas I’d like to try. But, while lesson planning is extremely important in our class there may be something else that can make or break a story time with our kids: we need to have the flexibility to adapt to how are kids are feeling while we are…
Tag: Autism Spectrum
An interview with Temple Grandin at #ala2013
On Sunday morning, prior to Temple Grandin’s informative and inspiring presentation at the ALA Annual Conference, I was lucky enough to interview her. Temple Grandin has a PhD in animal science from the University of Illinois and is a professor at Colorado State University. She was diagnosed with autism at age 2 in 1949 and is now, in addition to her other professional accomplishments, one of the world’s most influential and inspirational advocates for people with autism. I was equally terrified and honored to be afforded this opportunity. I polled friends, family, and colleagues about what I should ask. I agonized about whether I’d be tongue-tied and how the interview would go. The interview was great. Dr.Grandin was welcoming, friendly, honest, enthusiastic, and very open. The following are excerpts from our conversation. Is there anything that you believe libraries should be offering or doing to help autistic children? Well, one…