"Friendly but odd,""medical diagnosis", other myths: ASD for teachers

500 Canal Street,New Smyrna Beach FL 32168

04 May, 2022

Description

A class led by autistic educators FOR teachers. We'll deal with harmful, toxic myths endemic to the professional community regarding autism After a quick review of what led to the settlement between Volusia County Schools and the Department of Justice, with copies provided for each teacher present, we will go over some common myths regarding ASD within professional communities. This will include such terms as "medical diagnosis" (there's no other kind, but the term leads to an assumption that educators can diagnose ASD. We cannot; there is no educational diagnosis), "nonpreferred activity" (and the physical response in the body when presented with aversive stimuli), and a review of a slide presented at a VCS training for new teachers which labeled persons on the Spectrum as "friendly but odd"-not only untrue and non-data or science based, but deeply offensive to individuals present. Then, we will go over the latest research regarding best practices for educating students on the Spectrum. Be prepared to take notes.