11-19-2004, 06:47 PM
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/ngno/stories/003800.html
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By Shlomi Simhi, November 13, 2004 11:28 AM
When 14-year-old Molly presented her high school term project on the 2004 presidential campaign, nothing was unusual in what she found important about John Kerry's platform - the economy, health care, and the environment. But when she put President George Bush's slide on screen, it wasn't his platform she talked about. In fact, Molly found only one thing to say about the president: "He's just not compassionate."
For Molly, who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, this form of expression was not a political judgment. One of the characteristics of Asperger's children is that they can be brutally honest, for example, telling you that you are fat or ugly. At Orion Academy in Moraga, everybody is socially awkward.
A small private high school designed to provide an academic program for secondary students with neuro-cognitive disabilities, Orion was the first of its kind in the nation when it was opened in September 2000. These children, basically highly intelligent, have specific social behaviors or disorders that make it difficult for them to get along in public schools.
After Molly finished her presentation, other children in Shannon Kilcoorse's class stood before their teacher and parents to show off their achievements. One student presented "A brief history of flight," Another talked about "Illustrating and publishing a book." Even from the titles alone, it was obvious how smart and insightful these kids are, most of them very tech-proficient. Often they don't have the right environment to express their profound abilities.
"Our daughter had a terrible school experience since she was in fourth grade," said Steve Raymond of San Jose, the father of 14-year-old Stephanie who has just started her second semester at Orion. Since she was a toddler, Stephanie has had problems with organization and applying what she knows to new situations. "She was comfortable with sameness," said her mother, Marnie.
Like many other Asperger's sufferers, Stephanie and her sister, who according to her father "passes for normal," have trouble doing the daily tasks that many so called neuro-typicals do reflexively. When Stephanie was tested in 2003, at the age of 13, some of her fine and gross motor skills were equivalent to a 4-year-old's. She did not have the strength in her hands to pull the laces on her shoes tightly enough to stay tied.
Stephanie also has pulled out every piece of hair on her person twice since she was 8 years old. That included all her head hair, arm and leg hair, and all of her eye lashes. The hair pulling, called Trichotillomania, was a method she used for soothing herself.
"We tried public schools, home schools, but it just didn't work," said her dad. Now, after only a few months, Raymond said, he is already noticing a change in his daughter. "She is doing well. Not perfect yet, but a lot better."
Her mom said that Stephanie's sense of self-worth also has improved. "She has learned there the most important thing she will learn in life - to ask for help." And yes, if she needs help, Stephanie has no problem with emailing her teacher.
With a ratio of one teacher to eight students and six-week sessions for quick feedback, one thing is certain - at Orion Academy every child gets the personal attention he really needs.
"I don't give the kids homework and then forget about it for two weeks," said Kilcoorse, who teaches American History. "We break it into small pieces and go over with them everything they do." At Orion, the children are less likely to become frustrated with the responses of the adults around them since the staff is trained in how they see the world.
The parents who send their kids to Orion pay $25,000 a year, but they don't spend this amount just for the education. These children usually have no social lives; they are ostracized and often made fun of. The very essence of their disability is that they don't know how to socialize or even how to behave appropriately in social situations.
"I know that many parents who come here have a secret wish that we are going to cure Asperger's," said Kathryn Stewart, a psychologist who is the director of the academy. "I try do dispel them of that wish; we don't cure Asperger's. The goal of Orion is to create a better and happier adult."
Kids suffering from Asperger's and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) have some common traits like social skills deficits and inability to read social clues; physical clumsiness; and extreme difficulty with writing (Dysgraphia). One of the major issues for these kids is making friendships.
"These kids are never invited to birthday parties," said Stewart. "It seems like it's a little thing, but it's a big thing in these kids' culture."
"A lot of the boys tell me that they have a girlfriend," she said. "You do, really? Where? I ask. And then they say ‘online'. In a public school kids would have made fun of them."
"There is an interesting theory," Stewart continued, "that Asperger's and NLD are the next evolution of human thinking and human relationships. The reason for that is as we become a more mechanized society, these are the people who are going to survive. They understand technology and they are comfortable with and in these relationships."
Tony Attwood, who has written about Asperger's, describes the universities in the United States as "sheltered workshops" for Asperger's adults. "Attwood's thesis is that most of these people who can make it, grow up and become professors," Stewart explained. "Because they get a secretary; they can be quirky and weird and people except it within the academy."
One of the interesting phenomena at Orion is that there are only five girls and 33 boys. "The boys are lining up to be their boyfriends," said Stewart, who doesn't have a reasonable explanation for this extreme gender imbalance. "I know that this is a sexist statement to make, but I believe that girls come with a fuller cup in social skills," she said. "So if you have Asperger's and it takes away from your cup - girls are left with less, while the boys are left with nothing."
Opened with only eight students four years ago, Orion has grown to have 38 students with a waiting list and students who have had to be turned away. "The goal is to expand to a 64 students in the next three years", Stewart said.
Stewart is trying to pass on the notion that there is nothing wrong with having Asperger's. "It's different, it has problems, but problems that we can identify and learn to address. One of the things parents really have to get is that it's not for us to define what is happiness for somebody else," Stewart said. "That's extremely arrogant to think that just because I choose to live my life in a certain way, that's the way to live it. It's not. And we try to give these kids this freedom to say: it's o.k. to be Asperger's - just be good at it."
By Shlomi Simhi, November 13, 2004 11:28 AM
When 14-year-old Molly presented her high school term project on the 2004 presidential campaign, nothing was unusual in what she found important about John Kerry's platform - the economy, health care, and the environment. But when she put President George Bush's slide on screen, it wasn't his platform she talked about. In fact, Molly found only one thing to say about the president: "He's just not compassionate."
For Molly, who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, this form of expression was not a political judgment. One of the characteristics of Asperger's children is that they can be brutally honest, for example, telling you that you are fat or ugly. At Orion Academy in Moraga, everybody is socially awkward.
A small private high school designed to provide an academic program for secondary students with neuro-cognitive disabilities, Orion was the first of its kind in the nation when it was opened in September 2000. These children, basically highly intelligent, have specific social behaviors or disorders that make it difficult for them to get along in public schools.
After Molly finished her presentation, other children in Shannon Kilcoorse's class stood before their teacher and parents to show off their achievements. One student presented "A brief history of flight," Another talked about "Illustrating and publishing a book." Even from the titles alone, it was obvious how smart and insightful these kids are, most of them very tech-proficient. Often they don't have the right environment to express their profound abilities.
"Our daughter had a terrible school experience since she was in fourth grade," said Steve Raymond of San Jose, the father of 14-year-old Stephanie who has just started her second semester at Orion. Since she was a toddler, Stephanie has had problems with organization and applying what she knows to new situations. "She was comfortable with sameness," said her mother, Marnie.
Like many other Asperger's sufferers, Stephanie and her sister, who according to her father "passes for normal," have trouble doing the daily tasks that many so called neuro-typicals do reflexively. When Stephanie was tested in 2003, at the age of 13, some of her fine and gross motor skills were equivalent to a 4-year-old's. She did not have the strength in her hands to pull the laces on her shoes tightly enough to stay tied.
Stephanie also has pulled out every piece of hair on her person twice since she was 8 years old. That included all her head hair, arm and leg hair, and all of her eye lashes. The hair pulling, called Trichotillomania, was a method she used for soothing herself.
"We tried public schools, home schools, but it just didn't work," said her dad. Now, after only a few months, Raymond said, he is already noticing a change in his daughter. "She is doing well. Not perfect yet, but a lot better."
Her mom said that Stephanie's sense of self-worth also has improved. "She has learned there the most important thing she will learn in life - to ask for help." And yes, if she needs help, Stephanie has no problem with emailing her teacher.
With a ratio of one teacher to eight students and six-week sessions for quick feedback, one thing is certain - at Orion Academy every child gets the personal attention he really needs.
"I don't give the kids homework and then forget about it for two weeks," said Kilcoorse, who teaches American History. "We break it into small pieces and go over with them everything they do." At Orion, the children are less likely to become frustrated with the responses of the adults around them since the staff is trained in how they see the world.
The parents who send their kids to Orion pay $25,000 a year, but they don't spend this amount just for the education. These children usually have no social lives; they are ostracized and often made fun of. The very essence of their disability is that they don't know how to socialize or even how to behave appropriately in social situations.
"I know that many parents who come here have a secret wish that we are going to cure Asperger's," said Kathryn Stewart, a psychologist who is the director of the academy. "I try do dispel them of that wish; we don't cure Asperger's. The goal of Orion is to create a better and happier adult."
Kids suffering from Asperger's and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) have some common traits like social skills deficits and inability to read social clues; physical clumsiness; and extreme difficulty with writing (Dysgraphia). One of the major issues for these kids is making friendships.
"These kids are never invited to birthday parties," said Stewart. "It seems like it's a little thing, but it's a big thing in these kids' culture."
"A lot of the boys tell me that they have a girlfriend," she said. "You do, really? Where? I ask. And then they say ‘online'. In a public school kids would have made fun of them."
"There is an interesting theory," Stewart continued, "that Asperger's and NLD are the next evolution of human thinking and human relationships. The reason for that is as we become a more mechanized society, these are the people who are going to survive. They understand technology and they are comfortable with and in these relationships."
Tony Attwood, who has written about Asperger's, describes the universities in the United States as "sheltered workshops" for Asperger's adults. "Attwood's thesis is that most of these people who can make it, grow up and become professors," Stewart explained. "Because they get a secretary; they can be quirky and weird and people except it within the academy."
One of the interesting phenomena at Orion is that there are only five girls and 33 boys. "The boys are lining up to be their boyfriends," said Stewart, who doesn't have a reasonable explanation for this extreme gender imbalance. "I know that this is a sexist statement to make, but I believe that girls come with a fuller cup in social skills," she said. "So if you have Asperger's and it takes away from your cup - girls are left with less, while the boys are left with nothing."
Opened with only eight students four years ago, Orion has grown to have 38 students with a waiting list and students who have had to be turned away. "The goal is to expand to a 64 students in the next three years", Stewart said.
Stewart is trying to pass on the notion that there is nothing wrong with having Asperger's. "It's different, it has problems, but problems that we can identify and learn to address. One of the things parents really have to get is that it's not for us to define what is happiness for somebody else," Stewart said. "That's extremely arrogant to think that just because I choose to live my life in a certain way, that's the way to live it. It's not. And we try to give these kids this freedom to say: it's o.k. to be Asperger's - just be good at it."
