“Going the Distance” Event Review: “The Man Behind the Curtain: An Educational Sto
- Jeffrey Snyder
- May 14, 2024
- 3 min read
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For the second time this month, I brought my expertise and knowledge to another satisfied customer and the customer comes from a market that will prove to a valuable market for the future of “Going the Distance.”
I am of course referring to colleges and universities that have programs in psychology and psychiatry training those who will one day work with neurodivergent/developmentally different individuals. On Friday May 10th, I hosted my keynote training “The Man Behind the Curtain: An Educational Story” for the Health and Wellness department at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island.
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Presenting for aspiring or professionally trained medical professionals in the field of neurodiversity is especially essential in the ever growing ratio of 1 in 36 autism diagnoses. During my training, it was discussed that there are many families that are still in denial over their children or loved ones being neurodivergent. Being that they work with the individuals directly, this information proved somewhat valuable and once again brought up the message that neurodiversity should be embraced, not ignored.
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I mean, look at this way. I go to a psychologist and a psychiatrist who both specialize in working with neurodivergent/developmentally different individuals. You’d be surprised out of all the patients that they see, most likely 90% are families that are in denial about neurodiversity in their lives. The people who attended my training on May 10th most likely have a hard time reaching out and what I hope that they gain from this is the understanding that you can run but you can’t hide.
In reality, you can’t force a leopard to change its spots because the leopard is what it is…a cat with spots. The same can be said with neurodivergent individuals. But, I think that the fear many families face is whether or not the child can live to his or her fullest potential. While this is somewhat true, no success is too big or too small. That’s the message that seems to have a hard time hitting bullheaded parents or guardians.
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Now, part of the reason why I did the educational version of “The Man Behind the Curtain,” is because a lot of the issues that are bothering special education students that are also neurodivergent are often frowned upon by the school administrators or teachers ranging from school safety drills, to school assemblies, to school lunch periods.
Psychologists and Psychiatrists are responsible for a student’s overall well-being and if something is bothering them, then the psychologist and psychiatrist needs to intervene on the child’s behalf. Much like in the original “Education Version,” I bring up the importance of flexibility because school personnel need to have an open mind when it comes to special education/neurodivergent students. Many school personnel are very regimented and stuck in their ways, particularly those on the public school level. Of course, talking to someone who is rigid is like talking to a brick wall and it doesn’t matter if you have a masters or not, a human is a human and a neurodivergent student is a neurodivergent student.
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What I hope that my small audience of 5 to 6 walked out of Friday’s training is that they can go to their client or patient’s school and have the courage to say that the child can have the edge taking off of them by getting that advanced notice that there is going to be a school safety drill; the option that they don’t need to be at a school assembly if they don’t want to or they don’t have to sit in the cafeteria because it will be noisy.
Finally, I also want RISD and any other schools that I train in the future to understand that neurodiversity doesn’t end when a child goes into school or into the real world. They have it for life and a psychologist/psychiatrist can be the child’s best advocate in more ways than one.
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Catch you all later!!
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