It is safe to say that most people know someone or know of someone with Asperger’s. It is a disorder that affects real people everywhere. University Day, which took place at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on April 20, gave one group of presenters the chance to educate people about this. The presentation itself was on Asperger’s and how people with this disorder can benefit from proficiency-based education. Brittany McPhail, Arianna Bard, Natasha Ponder and Loretta Coty for a little less than an hour. The first three women are education majors at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Coty has worked with people with special needs for a number of years, but is now currently a student at UMPI.
These women described how difficult the traditional learning style could be for someone with a disorder such as Asperger’s. They helped the audience to understand that these children are often seen as “problem children” and are compared to children without disorders. This can at times be unfair to them and can make them a target for bullying. The women used a Power Point as well as interactive activities. This managed to incorporate a quiz for the audience. Everyone competed to see who could answer the fastest.
These women succeeded in engaging the audience in a way that was interesting as well as unique. This also included team building. Ponder said, “We had to learn collaboration and cooperation.” They helped the audience to understand that proficiency-based education puts students at their own levels, so even if a child with Asperger’s has difficulty getting to a point that someone without a disorder might not, they are still given the equal opportunity to do so. This has given these children the opportunity to become “lifelong learners” as opposed to simply getting good grades for the time being.
For each of these women, this has been quite the learning experience. Even though it was a presentation that started out as a requirement, they have walked away with something new under their belts. It was at times nerve wracking, but, McPhail said, “Yes, I would do it again.” It was obvious that this was a positive outcome for these women. Bard remarked upon the positivity of the experience, “It really is. It’s a valuable experience for the future of teaching.”
Every person deserves the chance to be educated. This presentation made it clear that there are people in this world who may have different challenges than others. But when given an equal opportunity, everyone is able to succeed.
