Lire des séries mangas comme Naruto ou DragonBalls et jouer à la GameCube : ce sont les deux activités favorites des ados autistes avec qui je travaille. Je me retrouve donc presque toutes les semaines chez Barnes and Noble et ToysRus… pour les produits dérivés!

Le mois d’avril est le mois de l’autisme aux Etats-Unis : je l’ai découvert en me rendant chez ToyRus, partenaire de l’opération visant à récolter des fonds. Aux manettes, l’association Autism speaks et l’histoire personnelle de l’actuel vice-chairman de General Electric, ancien CEO de NBC pendant plus de vingt années, Bob Wright.

In 2004, our grandson was diagnosed with autism. Helpless, we watched him slip away into the cruel embrace of this disorder. There seemed to be nothing we could do. But that heartbreaking moment was the beginning of what has become a very public and heartfelt mission. We launched Autism Speaks in February 2005 to help find a cure for autism by raising the funds that will facilitate and quicken the pace of research, to raise public awareness of autism, and to give hope to all those who suffer from this disorder.

Few disorders are as devastating to a child and his or her family. Instead of Little League games and sleepovers, most people with autism will face lifelong supervision and care, exhausting a family’s financial and emotional resources. The nation’s fastest-growing serious developmental disorder, autism now affects 1 in 150 children in the United States, up more than tenfold from just a decade ago. There are almost 1.5 million cases of autism in this country alone, with 3 children being diagnosed per hour. Yet, despite these alarming statistics, autism remains severely underfunded. We are working hard to change that.

The journey that began a year ago in a doctor’s waiting room is now a march.

Le site web est un modèle du genre et traduit bien l’engagement quotidien. Véritable interface collective pour aider, informer, expliquer, récolter des fonds et préparer l’avenir. Vidéos à profusion, émissions télévisées, organisations d’évènements, l’autisme a trouvé là un porte-voix utile. Ici à Wall Street.

[…] Ce billet a été rédigé naguère par Joël Seguin, éditeur chez Eyrolles. Il vit aujourd’hui près de Minneapolis (USA) […]

Pour mieux comprendre la démarche, voici comment se présente St. Coletta.

We are often asked about our approach to teaching children with autism.
The approach is essentially the same as that for teaching any child.
We do not subscribe to the theory that there is a typical autistic child nor do we engage in the search for a “magic bullet,” some new innovation, that will “unlock” the autistic child. Our approach to each child is a very individual one.
Most of all, we try to be humanistic and inclusive. We accept each student for who they are and work with them using various approaches, focusing on strengths rather on weaknesses. These approaches include using picture communication, sensory diets, positive behavior intervention and construction of environments. It is through accommodations and intensive, often one on one, support that children become successful members of the group.

Et pour la petite histoire, le journaliste rapporte que l’architecte, Michael Graves, a contracté une infection pendant les travaux l’obligeant temporairement à circuler en chaise roulante… Inutile de dire que les installations dédiées à ces véhicules ont été précieusement améliorées.