I spent one summer in Salamanca, Spain, taking Spanish courses. My sweet mom sent me a care package, and one of the items was the book by Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go!  

Inside, she wrote, “This is your last Dr. Seuss book, promise! Filled with lots of wisdom for you!” Of course, I have kept it all these years.

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And
you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll
decide where to go.

You’ll get mixed up,
of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with
many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great
tact and remember that
Life’s A Great Balancing Act.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE
MOUNTAINS!”

–Dr. Seuss

Thanks to neuroimaging, we are starting to learn more about how the autistic brain is similar and how it differs from the neuro-typical brain. Here are a few items I gleamed from Dr. Temple Grandin’s book, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum.

• There is evidence of accelerated brain growth spurts in some children on the spectrum that seems to affect brain development, and about 20% of people on the spectrum have enlarged brains (mainly males). Statistically, however, current brains scans show brains of neuro-typical and autistic people are for the most part similar when it comes to anatomical differences, and fall within a range of what is considered normal. The difficulty lies, in that most all brains vary from one to the next within certain limits. (Grandin’s brain does show many statistical differences.) Brain scans do show, that for some people on the spectrum, different areas of the brain are activated for certain tasks than neuro-typical brains.
• Some scans show inter-connectivity differences in various parts of the brain in people on the spectrum. Over or under connectivity can affect various functions of the brain and how the brain regions communicate and work.
• One commonality in scans is that people on the spectrum often react in an atypical way when viewing pictures of people versus objects. The brains of people on the spectrum show more activity when looking at inanimate objects rather than faces. The opposite is true of neuro-typical brains.

As we work with our students on the spectrum, whether in our mainstreamed class or as a special educator, let’s keep in mind that there are real brain-based learning differences to take into account. As Grandin writes in her book, “It’s in your mind? No. It’s in your brain.”

This week I quoted Claude Monet as saying “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”

Can you think of a time when you felt inspired, or a particular event that occurred that placed your life on an entirely different path?

For me, that happened with my teaching career. After graduating from college, I decided I would start substitute teaching, and enroll in a teaching credential program to teach English. I grew up loving reading and writing, and thought it would be a good fit.

After subbing for a time, I realized that maybe I would rather get an elementary credential, and work with that age group; but I also remember thinking teaching elementary school wasn’t entirely a match as well.

And then, on a fateful day… I was asked if I would substitute teach in a special education class.

It is hard to believe, but I actually grew up without any exposure to special education, and really did not know what it was.

When I went to sub, I was placed in a class with students on the autism spectrum, and somehow, I knew I had found my fit as a teacher. I then began subbing exclusively in special education, and switched my credential program (once again) to become a Learning Specialist.

Now, over ten years later, I am still thankful for that fateful day, and the opportunity to work with all different types of learners. I realized, not too long after I began teaching, it is the mind and how it works that I am particularly drawn to; that is why I mostly read and recommend books about the brain on the blog!

I would like to end the post with this thought:

As teachers, we don’t entirely know the sort of impact we are having on our students. Perhaps you are inspiring your students, and fanning the flame for a certain calling/future career. It may be that you are creating a fateful season in your students’ lives where they too discover a new love.