FYS?brings children with autism to the Big Event
Maeghan Ciampa '11
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: News
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The night began with a greeting and snack time for the participants from 5:30 until 6:00 p.m.. Guests, their parents, and the coordinators then moved into the field house for the fun portion of the evening: play time.
While not all activities were set up at the time, the guests had fun with the giant inflatable slide and moonwalk.
"[The Wheaton Athletic Mentors] have put so much time and effort into that night, so it's great to share it with people outside of Wheaton," Kara Ganssle '08, president of the Wheaton Athletic Mentors, said in an email to The Wire.
Patricia Goth, whose son attended the event, agreed. She said that she and her husband took their son, Robert, to a similar event at Tufts University.
She said that the the giant slide and the moonwalk helped her son's sensory output stimulation. If the event becomes annual, as Goth hopes it will, she suggested that the coordinators put up picture signs that show "wait your turn" and "don't run" to help keep the event calm and smoothly running.
Lillian Jones '11, a student in Professor Baron's First Year Seminar, also expressed interest in making Visualizing Autism at the Big Event an annual program. She said that the idea for the event was first brought up by Dean Sue Alexander and Provost Molly Easo-Smith at the First Year Seminar's dinner with the Provost a few weeks ago.
"We jumped at the opportunity, and so did the parents of the children with autism when we asked them if they would be interested in attending the Big Event," Jones said.
Jones said the event increased the class's understanding of autism and appreciation for the parents of children with autism.
"We had all been reading stories about parents struggling with children who had tantrums consistently and stories about children who were nearly uncontrollable,"?Jones said.
"So, when we saw how calm, collected, and smart these kids were, it was certainly exciting. I thought it was a very meaningful experience, and it definitely gave us an idea of how big the spectrum of autism really is."
Professor Baron was also very happy with the success of the event. She was especially pleased that her students had a first-hand opportunity to interact with the autistic community of the area.
As she told The Wire, "there's nothing like taking a ride down an inflatable slide together to help bring together people from different worlds!"
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