Asperger's Syndrome and StoryCorps

At ALA Annual of this year, I caught the end of Dave Isay's presentation.  Dave Isay is the founder of StoryCorps.

I've found that I'm still thinking about this particular story in which a twelve year old boy (who has Asperger's syndrome) interviews his mother.  Here is the animated short.

I think about the questions he asks like, "Have you ever lied to me?" and "Was I the child you hoped I would be?"

I think about how his mother calmly responds, never skipping a beat: "You've exceeded my expectations ... You have made me grow so much as a parent. [I've had to learn to think outside the box, and I thank you for that.]"

In my personal life, I think about the people that I'm close to that face such different challenges than myself.

In my professional life, I think about the challenge of sharing stories and information with a group of developmentally diverse children.

I think about how by knowing and interacting with all those who are different from me, I have had such opportunity to grow as an individual.

"Minds, Brains, and Early Learning: How Infants Crack the Speech Code"

by Dr. Patricia Kuhl

Babies are born with neurons, but not connections.
6 months is really a key time in baby brain dvelopment.
At age 3, children have 3 times the amount of synapses than any other age.
At age 14, the neurons have been pruned to strengthen certain connections.
The brain does have critical learning periods where it needs the right information at the right time.

See Evolution of Language
Babies hear distinction in all sounds.  They are citizens of the world.  From 6 months to 1 year, before the baby produces these sounds, the brain is sorting these sounds out.  Mother-ease, the exaggerated "baby talk" we use when talking to babies is brain food.

Children with autism prefer non-speech sounds to the same frequency, human vocalizations/speech.

Learning opportunities in the first five years are critical for children of all social economic status.  Lower SES environments, however, tend to use less complex, less thought-provoking language, and more "do" and "don't" commands.

See NeuroReport journal.

MEG machines show that TV engagement does not equal learning.
This begs the question ... What is social learning turning on in the brain?
What is the social brain?  We know that cognitive aging is slowed by exercise and social interaction.  Language is a social affair

See the Department of Early Learning

ALA's YouTube Channel (Video)

Click here for the "official" ALA Annual 2010 Conference Videos.  (I didn't take these ...)

Kamishibai, Japanese Paper Theater (Video)

Hazuki Kataoka shares the folktale Momotaro the Peach Boy at the American Library Association 2010 Annual Conference using the "Japanese kamishibai format." "Kami" means "paper," and "shibai" means "theater."

 

(Yes, I took this video.)

Notes for creating your own kamishibai taken from Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling by Dianne de las Casas:

• first card’s text goes on back of last card
• second card’s text goes on back of first card
• use 11x15 or 14x22 paper

Storyteller and REFORMA President (Video)

Cuban native Lucia M. Gonzalez shares her noche (night) story, complete with cucullos. After introducing herself this way, she retold Bossy Gallito.  Gonzalez opened for brain scientist Patricia Kuhl, hence Gonzalez's hint at phonological awareness (having the audience repeat the sounds in words).

(Yes, I took this video.)

Mo Accepts the Andy at ALA (Video)

Mo Willems at the American Library Association Annual Conference 2010. This is the introduction to his acceptance speech for the Andrew Carnegie Medal. (Yes, I took this video.)

ALA Annual Conference Schedule (Actual)

Items in italics are committee requirements.

Sunday, June 27
8:00 - 10:30 LNOSCY Committee Meeting
11:00 - 11:30  (end of) Dave Isay from StoryCorps
11:30 - 12:00 (end of) Celebrating the Spoken Word with Poetry for Young People
12:00 - 12:30 Exhibits
1:30 - 3:30 Question, Find, Evaluate, Apply: Translating Evidence Based Practice to Information Literacy Instruction
4:00 - 5:30 Japanese Paper Theater: Interactive Culture for Your Library

Monday, June 28
8:00 - 10:00 Dr. Patricia Kuhl, Co-Director of the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences
10:30 - 1:00 ALSC Awards and Membership Meeting
1:30 - 3:30 Developmentally Appropriate Practice-What is the latest understandings of DAP and how to incorporate them into quality services
4:00 - 5:30 Who's driving the technology bandwagaon - the users or the librarians?