{"id":16147,"date":"2019-04-30T10:14:02","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T14:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/?post_type=education_blog&p=16147"},"modified":"2023-03-30T01:52:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T01:52:23","slug":"were-the-same-but-different-autism-awareness-at-sa-bronx-3","status":"publish","type":"education_blog","link":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/education-blog\/were-the-same-but-different-autism-awareness-at-sa-bronx-3\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re the Same, But Different: Autism Awareness at SA Bronx 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, SA Bronx 3 was blue \u2014 not sad, but literally blue was everywhere! <\/span>Students and teachers donned blue shirts, blue jeans, blue hair ties, and blue bracelets. They walked in hallways filled with blue balloons and blue bulletin boards. School psychologist Melanie Ortiz, wearing her own blue shirt that read \u201cAutism Awareness Day,\u201d had carefully taped a paper cutout of a puzzle piece, the national symbol for autism awareness, to the wall. Inscribed on the puzzle piece was the message of the day: \u201c<\/span>You can be a friend to someone with autism. They might be different from you in some ways, but they are also like you in a lot of ways.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Next to Ms. Ortiz, Fiordaliza Morel, parent of two SA Bronx 3 scholars \u2014 and the impetus behind this special day \u2014 wore a similar blue shirt with a puzzle piece.  The message on her shirt was different: <\/span>\u201cSo there\u2019s this boy who has a piece of my heart. He calls me mom.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Ms. Morel\u2019s third son, Devin, a junior at Bard High School Early College, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age 3. The days following his diagnosis were tough. \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything about autism,\u201d Ms. Morel said, \u201cand neither did his classmates. When my son stopped speaking and had trouble connecting with his peers, they\u2019d call him weird because they didn\u2019t understand that his brain worked a little bit differently than theirs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her personal experience prompted her to approach SA Bronx 3\u2019s school leadership to plan its first-ever Autism Awareness Day. \u201c<\/span>By teaching kids about ASD, we can prepare them to not only appreciate, but celebrate those differences, and to treat them with kindness and respect,\u201d Ms. Morel said.<\/span> \u201cWhen I brought the idea to Melanie, she didn\u2019t hesitate to jump on board. The first time we met to discuss, we basically planned everything we wanted to do because we were both so excited. School leadership was on board too, approving our ideas quickly and scheduling a dress-down day for the scholars so that they could wear blue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Ortiz saw Ms. Morel\u2019s suggestion as a learning opportunity for the entire school community. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that SA focuses on the whole-child, not just academics,\u201d she said, \u201cso this felt like the perfect opportunity to help develop our scholars\u2019 character and compassion toward others. At the same time, as a school psychologist, I feel that I have a responsibility to teach scholars that not everyone experiences the world like they do, and that\u2019s perfectly okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I have a responsibility to teach scholars that not everyone experiences the world like they do, and that\u2019s perfectly okay.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Together, they planned read-alouds, videos, and activities for SA Bronx 3 scholars to learn about ASD. The challenge, as Ms. Ortiz explained, was selecting age-appropriate resources, since ASD can be quite complicated and manifests in each person differently. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s a spectrum,\u201d she said. \u201cSome kids may have trouble showing empathy or handling loud noises, bright lights, or busy hallways. They may find it difficult to read social cues like facial expressions, and they might struggle to speak or learn the meaning of new words. But each person on the spectrum has different skills, challenges, and needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In choosing books and videos for the day, Ms. Ortiz selected titles that focused on being a friend or family member to someone with ASD, rather than the fluid characteristics of ASD itself. For kindergarteners, Ms. Ortiz played \u201cMeet Ned,\u201d a video about a middle school boy with ASD. Ned, the video explained, lives with his mother, brother, and aunt. He loves the color green and telling knock-knock jokes. Ned also loves playing with his toy car with his friend Jack. Sometimes, though, when Ned\u2019s friend Jack tries to get his attention when they\u2019re playing, Ned won\u2019t look him in the eye. Oftentimes, Ned prefers to play with only one specific toy car, or might become very upset over loud noises.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ms. Ortiz asked the class what they had in common with Ned, fifteen small kindergarten hands shot up in earnest. \u201cGreen is my favorite color!\u201d one said. And another, whispered to a classmate, \u201cWant to hear a knock-knock joke?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee,\u201d she said, \u201cwe have a lot in common with Ned. So if we don\u2019t understand why Ned won\u2019t look at us when we speak sometimes, or gets upset over a loud noise, it\u2019s okay. We just have to have patience, like Jack, because Ned\u2019s brain works a little differently than ours. Would you still want to be Ned\u2019s friend?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SA Bronx 3 scholars answered with a resounding \u201cYES!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect our scholars to be experts in ASD,\u201d said Ms. Ortiz. \u201cBut I do expect them to leave Success Academy being willing and open to accept someone with differences, no matter what that means to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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