The faculty here at the McKay school do such awesome research! On November 14th, one of our very own McKay professors, Terisa Gabrielsen, gave an amazing lecture called "Autism: A
Worldwide Problem or a way to Solve World Problems?"
The title alone provoked my thinking. Is autism a problem? As Dr. Gabrielsen was able to show us, autism is not a problem--it is just a different perspective on life.
Dr. Gabrielsen described studies done on the focus of people with autism. The study was done using eye tracking technology. When watching a movie, a neurotypical individual focuses on the main event at hand. Someone with autism will look around the whole screen and take in lots of details in the background. This gives them a different perspective about what is happening on the screen.
Another study was conducted using MRI technology. Individuals with autism with various levels of verbal and cognitive functions had MRI's done of their brains. Researchers were able to see the differences in brain patterns in these individuals. Not much research has been done in this field up to date, so this study is so important and so cool!
While autism itself is not a problem, it's suicidality rate is. Autistic females have an alarmingly high rate of suicides. How do we combat this? By connecting with autistic individuals one on one. That connection is so powerful and can save lives.
We often want people with autism to change and follow our social norms, but what if we changed too? What if we met them in the middle and allowed them to be the beautiful people that they are. Autism isn't a problem, it's just a difference.
Have any questions?
Come see our ambassadors in the newly-built McKay Commons (180 MCKB) during our Ambassador Afternoons every Monday from 11am-1pm, Tuesday from 1pm-3pm, and
Wednesday from 12pm-2pm. If those times don't work for you, you can schedule an appointment with an ambassador here.
留言