[TPIN] RE: autistic student advice

[Matthew Hilgenberg]

This is a great topic, and one that I have a special attachment to, 
being both a college music teacher and brother in law of an autistic 
man.  Great stuff has been said already, so I don't want to repeat any 
of that.

Autism these days is generally diagnosed and treated at much earlier 
ages than even ten years ago, and it's amazing what type of jobs 
autistic people can perform.  One of the highest functioning autistic 
people I have ever seen is named Temple Grandin, and if ever someone 
was the poster child for autism, she's it.  She's done all the talk 
shows, and written many books on her condition (Thinking in Pictures, 
Animals in Translation, etc.)  And she shows the same traits as David's 
student- lack of humor, extreme literalism, etc...  My point is she is 
able to do extraordinarily difficult things for normal people (get up 
in front of TV cameras or huge rooms full of people and talk about her 
life) even with her condition.
I'm sure, David, if you did some research you would be able to find 
many documented autistic professionals, and I would encourage your 
student to do whatever it is she wants to do with her life.  If there's 
one thing I've learned about autism, it's that often times it's very 
similar to OCD, where an autistic person can be extremely driven to 
achieve their immediate goals, whether it's unplugging anything plugged 
into a wall outlet, like my brother in law, or something more positive, 
like learning how to paint well or play a scale.

Remember, she's autistic, and unlike other mental handicaps, there's no 
plateau to what she can learn, and it sounds like she's pretty high 
functioning to begin with.  My guess is that she could end up being a 
successful teacher, albeit a little "odd."  But then again, how many 
odd teachers did you have growing up?  I think almost every one of mine 
would qualify.
Matt

> I have a just finishing 10th grade autistic trumpet student who just
> informed me that she wants to major in music (music ed).  She is 
> extremely
> intelligent, plays well for her age and autism, but has all of the
> idiosyncrasies that come with autism, e.g. an inability to tell when
> someone is kidding her, a strict adherence to literalism, an ability to
> play technically but not expressively, among other typical issues.
>
> My question is for all who teach but specifically for those who teach 
> at
> the college level. Does this kid have a chance?  I'm skeptical, but 
> have
> an open mind.
>
> If this topic is more autism related and not trumpet related enough,
> Michael please advise and it can be discussed offline.
>
> David Anderson