"Autism Speaks" is a slogan used by those working hard to raise awareness for the genetic disorder. Their efforts must be applauded but nothing I have seen about life with autism has struck me like the student-made video below.
Rushton Hurley, the undisputed nicest guy in educational technology shared this link from his NextVista.org website with me a couple of weeks ago. What struck me was that this young man, Michael, was sharing his deepest feelings. People with autism struggle mightily understanding emotions and have an even harder time communicating them. In the footnotes, Rushton shares that this 3 and a half minute video took more than seven months for Michael and his teacher Mr. Lozano to produce. This truly is autism speaking.
I have shown this video to a number of third and fourth grade classes. Each time their is pin-drop silence and very thoughtful reflections on Michael's words. One student stated, "You don't have to have autism to feel like Michael." No buddy, you don't.
Take a few minutes to listen to Michael and please share his great message.
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