Login to Change.org
Create an Account
Christopher Wyatt
Minneapolis, MN
As a writer, researcher, and educator, I have a personal interest in students with developmental disorders, in particular autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Among the challenges for autistic students, ASDs affect language development and social skills. Writing is social, requiring both collaborative skills and empathy for the audience. I believe we can and must use technology to help students with autism express themselves. Effective self-advocacy and participation in the greater community both require a form of “composition literacy” that extends beyond traditional writing, as well.
Recent Activity
-
Christopher commented on the article |One of the problems facing community colleges, state universities, and even large research institutions (such as where I am) is that so many students are taking an extra year, or even more, to complete undergraduate programs. I've taught remedial courses (no one ever knows what to calls these) at a CC, CSU, and at UofMN.
Students receive no or partial credit for these courses, but have to pay full tuition. That means more debt, more stress, and fewer options for students. Those courses also take faculty from regular courses -- affecting everyone.
We *must* invest more in K12 and have students prepared for vocational programs or higher education. Unprepared, many ill-prepared students leave the university without a degree -- but with the debts.
-
Christopher commented on the article |When I visit schools, I am finding the younger students with and without other medical issues are having a number food / allergy sensitivities.
I am not -- repeat, not -- an expert on food, but I come from a farm family. I notice that we increasingly hybridize tree fruits and row crops. I wouldn't be stunned to learn that some of our hybrids are problematic in ways that past breeding was not.
Farmers have always selectively bred crops, but splicing in the ways we can now is relatively new. On a tour of the U of MN arboretum, I learned that they use root stocks for most crops here because they need to be freeze tolerant. The agronomist said that if you are allergic to zone 2 plants, you might be allergic to these new hybrids of formerly zone 6+ crops.
My wife loves "heirloom" (?) plants. They aren't hybrids or even modern table varieties. I personally don't mind the stronger taste, either.
-
Christopher commented on the article |
My wife reacts poorly to lactose, onions, garlic, and several other things.
I, on the other hand, can eat and do eat everything. I am constantly amazed by how many people I meet with serious allergies to various foods.
Parents and advocates often ask, "Don't you have problems with some foods?" They're almost disappointed when I say "Not in the least."
I'm missing all the proper checkboxes for someone with autism -- except the HFA diagnosis and symptoms as a child. Oh, well. Why be normal, even within the abnormal?
My poor wife's family, it seems everyone has dietary issues, diabetes is common, and they can't all enjoy chocolate as much as I do. What a horrible fate.
-
Christopher commented on the article |As a former California business owner, I've dealt with the other side of the ADA:
http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-07-25/news/wheelchairs-of-fortune/full
There were 31 small businesses along the Pacific Coast Highway, including some of my favorites in places like Morro Bay, that were ruined by frivolous ADA lawsuits. It is not what was intended by the law, but such legal pursuits leave people like me ambivalent.
Do I understand disability? I've been in a body brace, wheelchair, use a cane much of the time, am partially paralyzed, diagnosed HFA... Okay, credentials established (which is a sad necessity).
I understood some customers in our stores might need assistance due to the layout of the buildings. I have always told employees do everything you can to help someone, without ever seeming condescending. Always ask, politely, if you can help in some way.
Society has to be more polite, more understanding.
Ironically, as graduate student I learned that the old university buildings had "historical waivers" and did not have to have accessibility features. There were no accessible elevators in one building at Fresno State, and no easy ramps or walkways at some older buildings at the Univ. of Minnesota. This struck me as a case of government not having to follow the same rules as everyone else.
We need something of a commonsense approach to matters of disability, race, etc. The problem is that our system rewards the vultures who can find ways to abuse the legal system. At the same time, people with legitimate, often heartbreaking claims of discrimination, get nowhere.
Ironic that many of the worst treatment I've experienced were at public institutions, while businesses generally wanted me to spend money so they cared about helping me.
We need the ADA, no question about it. I just hope we continue to adjust and refine legal protections.
-
Christopher commented on the article |What "non-autistic" skills do I need? Social skills are the only I can think of, and those are outside the purview higher education. Is "skill" really the right term for learning to mimic social routines? What intellectual "skills" am I missing?
Maybe because I've taught since the late 1980s and never thought about "autism" when teaching I must be missing something I do (or don't do) as an instructor.
The social skills deficit certainly affects my career, even within academic research. But I am not sure if there are intellectual issues that have helped/hurt my teaching or research.
After reading hundreds, even thousands, of pages of research I still resist the labels and boxes. I just am whatever I am. I hope, like any teacher, that I do okay regardless of any deficits I might have.
-
Christopher commented on the article |It probably reflects my own "deficiency" that I don't understand, or generally register, talk of "souls" or similar issues. No one "stole" my soul, my heart, my spirit, or whatever else.
I wouldn't have noticed the comment and would have asked for a very detailed explanation of what the person was trying to convey. Ideally, the mere act of explanation would help the person see the he or she was not being clear.
Details have a way of improving insight.
-
Christopher commented on the article |It was not one teacher -- it has been a problem from pre-school through the university experience. Even local groups where I speak are dominated, as might be expected, by the parents with the most resources.
I can't really judge what my parents did. I assume most parents understand they have an obligation to care for any child. I'm more confused when parents ignore such responsibilities.
Also, I don't think my parents would have ever joined any support groups, organizations, or whatever. The could not care less about such things. I inherited the same general approach. I speak to groups, but am active in organizations related to my vocations and avocations, not autism or any topic remotely similar.
As for creativity:
The tool never controls what sort of creation is made. I can make a horribly violent game in any computer language, just as I can write a blood-soaked novel with a pen, pencil, or at my computer. To my knowledge, no word processor prevents me from typing horrible scenes, just as no set of paints limits what I can or cannot paint.
Honestly, puzzle games make more money (witness the Nintendo DS) because they cost less to produce. Plus, I'd rather solve puzzles than shoot anything.
Sorry, but any computer tool can create almost any set of images and results. It's what's in the mind that ends up on the screen.
-
Christopher commented on the article |
@Cheryl: the worst thing a teacher ever said during my early education was a snide comment about trailer park trash. My parents spent their entire savings, and more, paying for my early medical care. We lived in a single-wide and then a double-wide trailer for years.
I've learned that school personnel, even at the university level, think nothing of insulting working-class people who struggle to stay afloat.
Also... I was a mainframe programmer for years. My computer background has afforded me most of the best opportunities in life. Programming paid for my university education.
(see: http://www.tameri.com/csw/tech/techexp.html which I am updating and editing.)
There are some great educational programming tools, including Squeak (Smalltalk), StarLOGO TNG (my univ. students love it), BlueJ (for Java), and many, many others. I also use REALbasic because it has good game tools. The best game-centric programming tools might be DarkBASIC and Blitz:
http://darkbasic.thegamecreators.com/
The Blitz toolkit is used to create games for Windows, Mac, and even consoles. Very nice game support.
Eventually, a serious game programmer has to master C/C++ and advanced mathematics. Though BASIC is often dismissed as a toy, I think its fine for learning concepts and logic.
If anything, my lack of focus has always been a problem. Unlike the stereotype of a student with autism, I wanted to be everything. I still have no clue what I will be from year to year.
-
Christopher commented on the article |
I suggest reading Stephen Shore's books, as a nice start for parents. For general planning, there are several Web sites and organizations dedicated to post-secondary options for students with autism.
http://www.professorsadvice.com/ - Lars Perner
http://www.autisticplace.com/wiki/index.php?title=Education:Postsecondary
(Careful about the wrapping - the last one is all one line.)
The LiveJournal.com group "Aspergers" also discusses education and life after high school on a regular basis. They used to have a book list, but LJ changed their group page formatting. I also have ordered a dozen or so books from Amazon to see what's out there.
One of the issues I have encountered is that most students / people with an autism diagnosis do not disclose it at the university level. I didn't disclose during my MA, but did disclose a few months into my Ph.D. Never disclosed anything as an undergraduate... there were no services back then, anyway.
I hadn't really thought about college. It didn't seem like a realistic option until schools contacted me. Otherwise, I doubt I would have done more than a local community college. It's good to have parents, teachers, and students realize there are options, now.
I don't know if the presentations for Arc or AuSM are publicly available. If not, I can see about posting them somewhere with permission. Dakota County, MN, also has a complete booklet for parents and students to use, that goes from being a self-advocate during IEP years to preparing for college or work.
http://www.nfld.k12.mn.us/studentserv/transitiontracker.pdf
Report on Autism Spectrum Disorder in Dakota County
I have printed copies of the Dakota guide. It's a very nice booklet, but I cannot find the new version online anywhere. Frustrating.
Can't say I ever had a "regular" educational experience. But, I did manage to navigate the system.
-
Christopher commented on the article |
I will at Arc Midstate's Autism Resource Fair, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on October 3. This is part of a continuing effort to explain post-secondary educational and vocational options to families, professionals, and individuals with ASDs.
Groups across the nation are now offering non-profit and for-profit post-secondary supports. Colleges and universities are aware they need to support students with ASDs. AuSM (Autism Society of MN) has been offering "College Success" presentations at least twice a year in St. Paul, for example.
I don't think such events are limited to Minnesota residents, and I realize many groups are hosting such events.
These events are about supporting success. We try not to get sidetracked with other issues or debates. The key is to help students make informed choices about their educations, careers, and other matters of adulthood.
