Where in the World is Dr. Stephen Shore?...well Dr. Stephen Shore is apt to be anywhere in the world, but almost always performing the same service:
“Improving life for people on the autism spectrum....
Kathleen: Hello Stephen, thank you for joining me again for this installment of “Where in the
World is Dr. Stephen Shore?”.
Stephen: It’s a pleasure to be back. I am here in New York, but not for long. Bangkok and Dubai are on tap in the coming weeks.
Kathleen: This evening let’s talk about your visit to Abilene, TX and upcoming talks in Bangkok and Dubai.
This past Thursday, February 2nd, you were a speaker at the Greater Abilene walk for Autism Speaks. What was your topic and how was the event?
Stephen: It was a great event. Specifically is was a four-hour workshop with a lunch walk kick-off embedded in the middle. For this workshop I used an autobiographical structure in which to address sensory issues by having the audience experience what sensory overload might feel like for people with autism. Other topics covered including comparing different approaches for educating children with autism, special tactics in developing and implementing socially-based academic accommodations, and learning techniques for effective self-advocacy. These were the focal points of this event.
Kathleen: Understanding the sensory concerns of individuals on the spectrum is something that everyone would benefit from understanding.....comparative approaches as well since flexibility is key to ‘best’ approaches.
Stephen: It certainly is. I have yet to meet a person with autism who does not have some sort of sensory issue.
Kathleen: Were there some memorable moments from this particular event in response to the sensory awareness training?
Stephen: People experiencing the sensory overload made all kinds of funny faces. More importantly, many had a new found, deeper understanding of how sensory issues can affect a person. On a related note, I used this exercise when giving a workshop at Shema Kolainu http://www.hear-our-voices.org/school in Brooklyn, NY.
Kathleen: Excellent. Isn’t it interesting how a little added awareness can make huge differences in the quality of interaction between “neuro-typical” people and those on the autism spectrum.
Stephen: It really can. This awareness can explain why people with autism may engage in certain behaviors as well as having a different perception of the world.
Kathleen: On February 16th-18th you will be a keynote speaker at the SENIA 10 conference held in Bangkok.
Stephen: That’s right. At the SENIA 10 conference my keynote will focus on how we can promote success for individuals with autism by using strengths - just like everyone else. Most people try to focus their careers towards doing things they like and are good at. For people with autism, this concept is critical. The strengths people with autism have can go through the proverbial roof in terms of ability. However, on the flip side, the challenges may go through the basement. One way to look at autism is that it is a way of being which includes having a very wide range of proficiencies.
Kathleen: I know that certain programs, such as The Boston Higashi School, seem to maximize the potential of these proficiencies partially through the enthusiastic participation of instructors in the program. Do you feel that this concept is already universally understood by the larger autism community.....or is this something that has yet to be explored by the larger community?
Stephen: And then there is Daily Life Therapy at the Boston Higashi School. This was one of the 5 approaches examined in my doctoral dissertation. One interesting aspect of this approach is the amazing amount of enthusiasm on the part of the instructors as they education children with autism in leading a balanced lifestyle. This use of enthusiasm in educating children both on and off the autism spectrum is something that I’d like to see being used more often in the educational part of the autism community.
Kathleen: Will there be any other presentations at the SENIA 10 conference that will be of particular interest to you and that you will be able to attend?
Stephen: Yes there will be. In addition to my presentations on sensory issues and comparing best practices, I will be interested in what other presenters have to say about cross cultural issues, Response To Intervention (RTI), iPad apps for students with autism and other special needs and interventions for students with Asperger Syndrome.
Upon returning from Dubai on February 24th I will hope a plane directly to Chillicothe, OH to present at the Autism Symposium: A Team Approach conference at the PACCAR Medical Education Center. http://a3.acteva.com/orderbooking/loadEventRegistration.action?skuId=3211253B013418BE176268360076A0B6&catalogId=B8497228012A5C8536789E0D00828C56&catalogGoWord=pmec&emailAttendeeId=where I will talk about addressing sensory issues for children on the autism spectrum.
Kathleen: The team approach sounds a bit like SCERTS....if I’m not mistaken. Do they share some similar philosophies?
Stephen: I’ll have to find out more about their teamwork before determining how much it is like Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support (SCERTS). The SCERTS approach is unique in that a practitioner will begin with an extensive assessment of the individual with autism. The results from that assessment will then guide interventions that are assembled using existing approaches and techniques.
Kathleen: The next and final event that we’ll look at this evening is the one to take place in Dubai on February 22nd at the Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome & Sensory Processing Disorder Conference, sponsored by ISHARA Consultants.
Stephen: That’s right. I will partner with my colleague Olga Bogdashina, an expert on sensory issues, to talk about reframing obstacles as open doors to opportunities. Other presentations will focus on developing skills in self-advocacy and educating individuals with autism on the “Hidden” Curriculum” as written about by Brenda Smith Myles.
Kathleen: Re-framing obstacles as open doors sounds like an excellent philosophy in general.
Stephen: I agree. There are so many interventions, techniques, and procedures used for individuals with autism and other special needs that are merely just extensions of good teaching practices. What is good for people with autism tends to be good for everyone else as well. For example, visual supports such as closed captioning is helpful to many people.
And then there is my work at Adelphi University. In addition to teaching my courses in autism and special education my colleagues and I are very busy assembling our 4 course series in autism spectrum disorders. This series of classes will be of great assistance to educators and others supporting students on the autism spectrum.
Kathleen: By the sound of this series, it could well become part of a standard for autism education course requirements.
Stephen: That’s very possible. Perhaps the course will become part of a certificate extension program and/or lead to a degree from Adelphi University.
I also met with the director of the Bridges to Adelphi program which focuses on supporting individuals with autism achieve success at our university. We are considering a study on the changes of self-esteem from when a student with autism enters the program and when they leave. A lot more work is needed to design the study and it should be very exciting.
Kathleen: There are many exciting things going on at Adelphi and I know that your travels bring an extra added dimension back to all the programs that you touch there in New York.
Stephen: Indeed they do. Another possible study could examine the similarities and contrasts in how autism is conceived and addressed in different areas of the world
Kathleen: There really is a huge variance isn’t there. Following your trips to different regions....there is quite a disparity from location to location in the amount of awareness, understanding and support.
Stephen: Indeed there is. In some places, it is thought that having a child with a disability is a means of punishing the parents for a misdeed they committed in the past. In other areas, there is work being done that is superior to what we see in the United States. No matter where I go I can always find something to learn from what people are doing. In some cases, I’ve see where even there are no resources of any kind, parents will band together to assemble a clinic or a school. Then they will read material on the Internet, and perhaps send a single person as a scout to a conference. Finally, by using plywood, plastic, and handwritten sheets of paper, they will develop a small center of best practice where they are making significant positive changes in peoples’ lives.
It’s all very exciting and I feel honored to be able to do this work.
Kathleen: These stories are incredibly inspirational. We have so many resources of support and information that are easily accessible here in the West. It makes one very enthusiastic to find ways to share. Thank you so much, Stephen, for all the things you do...every day...to help make life a little bit better for everyone on the spectrum and their families as well.
Thank you once more for your time, and I look forward to our next segment of “Where in the World is Dr. Stephen Shore?”
Stephen: It’s been a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward to when we meet again.
I’ll be updating as Stephen makes the rounds at various autism spectrum conferences, presentations and related functions. To catch our conversations, watch for the next: Where in the world is Dr. Stephen Shore!”
It is my privilege and pleasure to follow along with Stephen while he is:
"Improving life for people on the autism spectrum....one trip at a time!"
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