Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences
I feel so joyful and proud of sharing my students’ FIRST ever conference poster or presentation of their lifetime! I wish and hope that they shine on in the upcoming years and grow as a Speech-Language Pathologist/Audiologist and simultaneously grow our profession!!
Check out some pictures here from the virtual conference which was done so well!!
This podcast episode features our work in developing the ISSAC program. Two of my wonderful students share their experiences as well. Please do listen and let me know what you think.
Although we must recognize and celebrate autistic individuals around the year, April is Autism Acceptance Month.
Despite many strengths, common challenges experienced by autistic college students include:
1. Autistic stigma – both explicit and implicit stigma
2. Social isolation
One way to address these challenges is by increasing our knowledge and acceptance of autism and people on the autism spectrum.
Common misconceptions and explanations:
1. Autistic people don’t like to socialize. They like to be alone.
People on the autism spectrum socialize differently. While some may prefer to be alone (many non-autistic people do as well), many children and adults on the autism spectrum like to have friends. Some people on the autism spectrum may not know how to make friends in a way that appeals to most non-autistic people, but autistic individuals seek acceptance and understanding like everyone else. Some autistic individuals may find socializing in a non-autistic way highly overwhelming because socializing requires a lot of energy. Sometimes, socialization also means masking – masking our social and communication differences. Many autistic individuals try to mask their true nature in an attempt to fit in socially and be understood by non-autistic peers, and masking may lead to anxiety.
2. Autistic students typically enroll in the STEM majors
At Metropolitan State University of Denver and other universities, there are students who enjoy and enroll in a wide range of majors including the Arts, Sciences, Business, Engineering, Education, and healthcare majors.
3. All autistic people are savants
There are many autistic and non-autistic geniuses in our world! The term “autistic savant” refers to autistic individuals who have an exceptional ability in one or more skills. This term has been popularized in our television shows and movies such as “The Rain Man”. In reality, very few autistic individuals are considered savants. Autistic children and adults, like everyone else, have strengths in some areas and challenges in others. For example, one autistic young woman memorized almost all words in the English dictionary but found her college-level calculus class really challenging.
To read and learn more about how to support students on the autism spectrum better, please visit this link: https://www.msudenver.edu/speech-language-hearing-sciences/outreachprogramsincludingissac/integratedsupportsforstudentswithautismincollegeissac/issacresourcesforfaculty/
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, Victoria Plum by Angela Rippon, Swami and friends by R.K. Narayan, and Binya’s Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond – these books saved me from boredom as a child. I read and reread them multiple times reliving those moments and reimagining myself in all those worlds and characters created by the authors. I was Madeline one day, Victoria Plum the other, and Swami on many days. These characters and books were so relatable, and they shaped my thinking as I grew older.
Somehow, in time, I lost touch with these books. Books got bigger, pictures in books became fewer, and many books lost the charm of revisiting. Concepts become more abstract and language in the books more complex. Sometimes, I’ve wondered why all books weren’t written for children. Wouldn’t it be logical to just create all books with curiosity, color, charm, and cheerfulness? Wouldn’t it make sense to write books for the smaller (in size) and happier audience and the larger and less happier folks could understand them too? Just think! All adults can read and understand children’s books, but all children cannot do the same with books for adults. Wouldn’t children’s books brighten all our days and make our lives simpler and more fun?
Children’s books are powerful! They communicate some of the most complex concepts in a logical, fun, creative, and simple fashion. They are usually narrated from the perspective of a precious mini (in size) human being. Some of the concepts I’ve read recently in children’s literature are topics that adults sometimes have no clue how to communicate – social justice, same-sex marriage, alternative reproductive methods, climate change, disability rights, democracy, and many more. Now, I am aware that these books (or at least most books that I’ve read) are written for children by adults; they appeal to people of all ages. The message is clear, well-communicated, and often engaging.
While there may books out there aren’t truly great children’s books; I do not know yet what factors contribute to making a children’s book a good one, a great one, or a sloppy one. I also do not know how many children actually read these books. In times when videos and virtual reality are beginning to dominate our lives, I wonder if children are eager and enthusiastic to read books anymore. I also do wonder if parents have the time to read books to their children. As these questions linger in my mind, I continue to be fascinated by the power and pure magic of children’s literature.
In the last several years, I have made it a tradition to spend at least a couple days a year at the children’s section in public libraries. I walk into the library when the doors open with my lunch packed and water bottle and every other paraphernalia. I browse through books starting with the ones that catch my eyes; I then wander around exploring bookshelves looking for interesting topics. Sometimes, I go in with a topic in mind – flowers, birth of a baby sibling, pet stories, stories of migration, and so on. Sometimes, I am only interested in animal stories – animals that take human forms, animals that talk, think, sing, and dance like human beings. Other times, I spread out 10 books in front of me and begin thinking of alternative illustrations or create branching stories from the existing story. I specifically enjoy books from a variety of cultures that show children’s varied experiences. The influence of cultures on children’s thought process and perceptions are reflected in these stories. Some books make me giggle, some tear me up, some get me thinking, and a few do bore me. But at the end of the day, I have had a chance to relive my childhood, a chance to reflect on my own thought processes, a chance to imagine all the books that I’d be reading to my child someday, and a chance to escape into a different world at least for a little while.
There is something therapeutic about this experience. Reading children’s books takes me away from my reality temporarily and teaches me way more than a 300-page picture less book for adults would teach me.
I wish and hope that anyone reading this article is fortunate to find a little time to read and explore children’s literature. For those multilinguals out there, remember that books don’t have to be in English; they can be children’s books in any language that you enjoy or prefer. The experience is special in any language!
Read children’s books to yourself, to your kid, to your parent, with a partner, with a sibling, as part of a book club or a support group, and think about gifting a children’s book to a loved one! They are special; they are powerful; they are magical, and truly healing! Rekindle that child within you!
I am merely spreading my joy of reading some thought-provoking and refreshing children’s books here. Check out some of them:
The boring book – Shinshuke Yoshitake
I talk like a river – Jordan Scott
I can be anything – Shinshuke Yoshitake
Maya’s blanket – Monica Brown
The oldest student – Rita Hubbard
A story about Afiya – James Berry
You matter – Christian Robinson
Book uncle and me – Uma Krishnaswami
My Dadima wears a saree – Kashmira Seth
Drawn together – Minh Lê
This semester, Fall 2020, unlike any, has been immensely taxing – physically and mentally! Long hours into the night with multitude of hours during the day glued to my computer screens! A goal this semester was to take time for myself, slow down, and reflect. Time for reflection was difficult to come by, but I used every little bit I had to reflect and work on things/skills I wanted to improve.
What truly kept me going was stories of resilience – resilience of my students, my colleagues, and people who I have never met or did not know about! “We keep doing the best we can and that’s all we can do” was the message I kept sharing with my students and they shared with me many many stories of grief, loss, illness, and adversity that propelled them to do “somehow” complete this semester successfully!
I have also noticed that “nothing really stops” for COVID – nothing does! While the virus continues to thrive, we have to survive parallelly in strength and solidarity!
Grateful to be wrapping up this semester and wishing all my students the best in 2021!
One thing (among many things) this profession has taught me is to be a better human being – to be accepting of all abilities and disabilities; to recognize different perspectives, and to appreciate resilience. As a speech-language pathologist, I have begun to realize that I am only a guide, an interpreter of differences in communication, a bridge or a mediator who connects people with different communication abilities and people with differences in communication.
I have, over the years, begun to truly understand the saying, “never judge a book by its cover.”
Hidden behind my sometimes quiet, sometimes awkward, sometimes odd, and sometimes brutally honest clients, are individuals who face many odds each day. These are individuals who demonstrate resilience and never talk about it. These are individuals who put in tremendous effort each day to navigate a world that is not necessarily created for them. And in this process of rising above all challenges (intrinsic and those created by society), they not only become a better version of themselves, but inspire me to be a better version of myself.
There have been days in the past when I fed my ego thinking that I was the person making the contribution – the giving person. I have deluded myself into thinking that I was instrumental in making other people communicate “normally.” I have also erroneously believed that I have given too much to my clients and my profession. The truth is that I have gained ten times more than I have ever given or even thought of giving to my profession.
And when I think, I cannot gain more, the profession and the people I am here to serve, keep giving more…
In deepest gratitude for the opportunity to be of service and to be touched by the many lives I serve each day!
I think we soar when we are rewarded and recognized for all our efforts. As a child, my parents always taught me (they still do) to give my best at what I do. All role models in my life starting from my teachers in pre-kindergarten have always instilled in me the desire for refinement, for personal growth, and excellence. Never settle for mediocrity; that’s what everyone in my life has always told me. Be the best version of yourself and keep growing in every no matter what! Sometimes in life, even if you forget, the words of those powerful people in your life never leave you, and that’s what I believe is the power of positive people. It is always best to surround ourselves with such positive souls.
One such amazing inspiration I have had very early in my career at MSU Denver was Dr. Vicki Golich. She retired in May 2020 from MSU Denver after serving as Provost for a decade. I was fortunate to join her for lunch not once but two times during the last 2 years, and I think positive people like her make a lasting impact on the life of people like me who are eager to learn and serve.
My interest in speech-language pathology stemmed from a summer volunteering I did when I was 14, for children with varied abilities. I completed my undergraduate education in India at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research. At the time, I was interested in the impact of professional singing on the voice of singers. Being a singer myself, this area of study fascinated me. One of my professors got me interested in research as an undergrad, and I cannot thank him enough for that seed that he planted in me very early in my career. In my final year of undergrad, I had the opportunity to complete an internship at a school for children on the autism spectrum. These children fascinated me and I realized that I had more questions than answers. I would spend hours in libraries and internet browsing cafes (that’s right! Ancient times!) reading and learning about autism.
I then went on do my master’s at the same university. Similar to my undergraduate education, I double-majored in speech-language pathology and audiology. Interestingly, my master’s education left me extremely confused about my future. I had a decent foundational knowledge in understanding communication disorders across the lifespan, and thousands of hours of clinical experience (both independent and supervised), but I felt less equipped to work with one special group of children – children on the autism spectrum. Immediately after my master’s, I took up a job at the very first autism center in India. The clinical interactions with parents and children, and the mentoring I received from my interdisciplinary colleagues and supervisors paved the way for my specialization in working with individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. I moved to the United States, not knowing what my future held and most importantly, not knowing anyone except for a short conversation with my doctoral advisor. It was a life-changing move as you can imagine. I completed my PhD at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ohio, and I continue to be immensely grateful to my mentors at BGSU for supporting me in my life and learning. My doctoral experiences led me to an interdisciplinary post-doctoral work at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. This experience made me familiar to Colorado and families in Colorado. My varied experiences working in early intervention, autism diagnostic clinics, and with school-age children and adults on the autism spectrum during the last decade have shaped me into the clinical, teacher, and research that I am today. I now teach full time at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and lead a program for college students on the autism spectrum at MSU Denver; the program is called Integrated Supports for Students with Autism in College (ISSAC), and is one of the first programs in Colorado that serves college-age adults.
My research focuses on two main areas:
1. I am interested in developing and implementing support-based interventions for adults on the autism spectrum. In my life time, I would like to have made a positive impact in the lives of adults on the autism spectrum so they can have a meaningful college experience and continue to lead meaningful lives in what they choose to do beyond college.
2. Being a multilingual myself and as someone who has been exposed to multiple cultures very early in my life, I am interested in promoting equity in access to services and access to communication for children on the autism spectrum and their families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
I have several interests and hobbies outside of my work. I meditate and practice a form of meditation called Vipassana. I am trained in Indian classical music; I sing and continue to learn singing. I paint and do pencil sketches; I love to read non-fiction. I am an avid gardener. My husband and I sustain on home-grown veggies for about 4 months a year. I enjoy playing board games with family and friends, and solving crosswords. I speak, read, and write in Tamil and Hindi in addition to English. I am conversationally fluent in French, and am currently learning Spanish.
I thank all my mentors who have inspired me to be the teacher and mentor I am today!
Ms. Gloria Gunaseelan – 6th to 8th grade English teacher
Sr. Emiliana – 5th grade Class teacher
Mrs. Vijayalakshmi – 9th grade Physics teacher
Dr. Vaidyanathan – Masters, Neurolinguistics Professor
Mr. Kesavan Naidu – Age 6 to Age 16, Music teacher
Dr. Prakash Boominathan – Undergraduate Professor and First Research Mentor
Mr. Muthuswami M.S. – Family friend and guide who introduced me to the field of Speech-Language Pathology
Dr. Lynne Hewitt – Doctoral Advisor
Dr. Susan Hepburn – Post-doctoral Advisor
Dr. Sheila Bridges-Bond – Professional Mentor and Collaborator
Dr. Laura DeThorne – Professional Mentor