TRUE OR FALSE?:  "Video Modeling is a miraculous, new and complex technology credited with spontaneously curing  thousands of people marginalized by autism." 

If you answered “TRUE” you are correct…. at least on one point.  Let's hold up on that for a moment while we review a few misconceptions you might be harboring about video modeling.

POINT #1 - miraculous.    You should have answered "FALSE" because Video modeling isn't a miracle.  It is merely another example of how technology is being successful applied to improving the human condition.

POINT #2 - new.    Fooled you again!  VM isn't new. Researchers have been recommending it for working with autism education since 1971.

POINT #3 - complex. Well it is technology.  But it's not complex.  Heck.  Anyone can pop in a DVD or grab a video camera and capture some great footage of your kids enjoying some time at the playground with you.

POINT #4 - cure.  Bet you forgot!   Autism isn’t a disease... but it certainly places you at a disadvantage in this complex society of clear, comprehensible communication.  Without the ability to experience and understand the world, academic, social and emotional growth are greatly limited.

Spectrum people find it easier to understand the world in visual terms.  So, it makes sense to employ complementary media in their education.  Visuals help the exchange of thoughts.  Just remember, they're not a substitute for thinking any more than using a cell phone can replace a full social life.

POINT #5 - spontaneous, total recovery.  WHAT A GREAT PHRASE!  So melodramatic.  But FALSE for two reasons:  ONE, see Point #4 about "cure" above.  TWO, growth is a lengthy process.  The only spontaneous results you should expect to see is a smile or the sparkle in their eyes.   Video modeling can help reduce symptoms, if not the cause, of autism.

 

POINT $6 - Marginalized.  TRUE. At last your answer was correct....  and deserving of a brief, personal allegory related to being marginalized.

I met Richard when we were both 8 or 9 years old.  He was deaf; I wasn't.  It was a playdate arranged by moms.   Though awkward at first, we soon cobbled together a jargon of phrases and gestures that enabled us to enjoy play together.  We remained friends for several years. I never learned to use sign language; Richard never learned to hear.   

Later on, I learned Richard had fled New York, abandoning family and school; a bad case of terminal frustration inadvertently created well-intentioned people who mishandled his adolescence.  His family insisted on sending him to an "oral" school which frowned on the use of sign language, even when its use was essential to promoting educational objectives.  He missed a lot growing up.  I presume the deficit affects him to this day.

Strange how, in Richard's case, one can be marginalized by the very people who care the most.  I guess being marginalized has less to do with who you really are than with how others perceive you.  

 

Being An Unperson

This clip is a first-hand account by silentmiaow explaining what it feels like to dehumanized.  This video was created from a presentation she gave to staff working with developmental disabilities populations. 

or: Direct link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c5_3wqZ3Lk

 

 

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