The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

An undeniably winning presentation for educators, administrators, and parents who find themselves occasionally baffled by their students — and students of all ages will benefit, too. David Finch — humorist, motivational speaker, and New York Times best-selling author — relates his often hilarious experiences in making sense of the classroom. "“Oh, You Needed Me to Pay Attention?” — Classroom Perspective from a Deceptively Remarkable Student" is a lecture that I often present as either a keynote speech or a half-day seminar.  For the Autism Society National Conference, I enthusiastically offer this presentation as a keynote address.  

Never mind the lessons, it’s the classroom — the learning environment — that’s confusing, especially to gifted students with Asperger syndrome and ADD.  But despite the loud, ticking clocks, buzzing fluorescent lights, and inconsistent classroom procedures, some of those puzzling students grow up to be New York Times best-selling authors.  The key is creating an environment filled with Love, Understanding, Guidance, and an insistence upon Adaptability.  In other words, creating the type of environment that encourages the square pegs among us to develop our unique talents, and which enables us to acquire the social acumen we will need in order to share our gifts and talents with the neurotypical world in which we live. 

Throughout this humor-driven narrative, I relate my experiences of effective and not-so-effective classroom environments, from first grade through college.  I have presented this keynote and workshop to audiences at Northwestern University, the University of Missouri, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, Eastern Illinois University, Ramapo College, Utah Valley University, The College of New Jersey, the University of Miami, the University of Central Florida, the State of Missouri, and a host of other educational institutions.

Given the areas of particular interest described by the Autism Society for your National Convention in Denver — especially Bullying, National Advocacy, and Implications of DSM-5 Changes — this keynote will set the tone perfectly for a memorable Convention with proven inspirational insights, balanced with much-needed levity.

To view a couple clips of a keynote address based on this topic, please visit www.youtube.com/DavidFinchWriter.

(Note: If your keynote presentations have already been identified, I will gladly offer this session as a standard workshop session, open to and appropriate for all attendees.)

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