Use this site to access recordings and presentations from National Conferences

Autism Society records most keynote and concurrent sessions at their annual conferences. You can see and hear those recordings by purchasing full online access, or individual recordings.

4066 Peer Mentoring from the Bottom Up: A Pioneering High School ASD Awareness Club

Thursday, July 23, 2009: 10:45 AM-12:00 PM

New Orleans Ballroom (Pheasant Run Resort and Conference Center)

MP3 PDF Slides Recorded Presentation Handout

Registered attendees have free access, please select the button above for the file you would like to access.

Purchase Access

This workshop introduces participants to a model peer mentoring program, initiated and directed entirely by high school students. Presenters share their template for creating an ASD awareness program in their school, with the goal of shifting cultural attitudes about students on the autism spectrum. By modeling responsible social behavior toward individuals with disabilities and planning activities that foster authentic integration, typical peers can lead the way in defeating discrimination in the hallways of our schools. This workshop introduces participants to a model ASD awareness club, initiated and directed entirely by high school students. Presenters share their template for creating a successful awareness program in their school, with the goal of shifting cultural attitudes about students on the autism spectrum.

I. Introduction: What Is Authentic Integration?

This segment of the presentation introduces participants to the importance of fostering authentic integration of students with ASDs in our schools. How we design our peer mentoring programs, from the language we use to the methods we employ, are immediate indicators of how welcome a student with ASD feels in hallways and classrooms. Outreach should not be directed AT special ed students, but it should also aim to educate typical peers who misunderstand autism or unwittingly assume attitudes that make our schools unsafe for kids with ASDs.
In this model, peer mentoring extends to the entire student body of a school, including education and awareness programming for typical peers. By modeling responsible social behavior toward individuals with disabilities and planning activities that foster authentic integration, we lead the way in defeating discrimination in our schools and life beyond school.

Core components of the model ASD awareness club include:

Integrating students with ASDs into major school activites, such as Homecoming, winter carnival, and other events
Participating in events and projects outside of school, such as fundraisers and walks for autism
Sponsoring an annual spring fling, a dance held for awareness club members and students with ASDs and related conditions
Working effectively with school administration, while maintaining the club's mission and standards for authentic social life
Fostering equality for all students, by creating true access to cultural and social activities of the school
Educating nonautistic peers, so that they may begin to develop more inclusive attitudes toward fellow students with disabilities
Initiating important changes to the school's code of conduct, in order to protect students with cognitive differences and related disabilities from discrimination in the hallways and classrooms

III. Conclusion

The presenation will conclude with personal stories, shared via video, from individuals with ASDs and their nonautistic peers who have benefited from the autism awareness club in their high school.

Learning Objectives:

To sensitize families, teachers, therapists, and school administrators to the "cultural climate of school hallways" and how it affects students with ASDs
To grasp the need in schools for proactive, student-initiated social modeling that aims to include individuals with ASDs and other disabilities, rather than exclude them
To understand the importance of authentic peer mentoring
To learn basic strategies and projects for creating a peer-initiated ASD awareness program in your school or community

Content Area: Education

Presenters:

Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D.
Director
Valerie Paradiz, LLC

Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D., develops programs for individuals with ASDs, including the pioneering ASPIE School. She is the creator of the Integrated Self Advocacy (ISA) curriculum and teaching model, and the author of Elijah's Cup.

Erika Pumilia, Student
Founder
Learning Educating about Autism Diversity (LEAAD), Kingston High School

Erika Pumilia is a recent graduate of Kingston High School, located in Kingston, New York. She is the founder of Learning and Educating about Autism Diversity (LEAAD), a high school club devoted to shifting cultural attitudes about students with ASDs and integrating individuals with ASDs more genuinely into public school life. Erika currently attends college at SUNY Ulster, where she is studying to become a special education teacher. She also gives presentations on how to set up programs like LEAAD, in hopes that someday schools across the nation will join her in her vision.

Jemitha Thomason, Student
Member
Learning Educating about Autism Diversity (LEAAD)

Jemitha Thomason is a recent graduate of Kingston High School, located in Kingston, New York. She is a member of Learning Educating about Autism Diversity (LEAAD), a club devoted to shifting cultural attitudes about students with ASDs and integrating individuals with ASDs more genuinely into public school life.

<< Previous Session | Next Session >>