Neurodiversity in the classroom : strength-based strategies to help students with special needs succeed in school and life

195 Pages·2012·1.638 MB·English

by  Thomas Armstrong

Thomas
ARMSTRONG
NEURODIVERSITY

in the Classroom
Strength-Based Strategies
to Help Students with Special Needs
Succeed in School and Life
NEURODIVERSITY

in the Classroom
NEURODIVERSITY_V5.indd i 11/2/12 9:41 AM
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Thomas
ARMSTRONG
NEURODIVERSITY

in the Classroom
Strength-Based Strategies
to Help Students with Special Needs
Succeed in School and Life
Alexandria, VA USA
NEURODIVERSITY_V5.indd iii 11/2/12 9:31 AM
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Armstrong, Thomas, author.
Neurodiversity in the classroom : strength-based strategies to help students with special
needs succeed in school and life / Thomas Armstrong.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4166-1483-8 (pbk.)
1. Children with disabilities--Education--United States. 2. Special education--United States.
I. Title.
LC4031.A68 2012
371.9--dc23
2012033785
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and
two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we
also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you
know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years
that have passed, there has never been another child like you. . . . You
may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the
capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.
—Pablo Casals

NEURODIVERSITY

in the Classroom
Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with
Special Needs Succeed in School and Life
Introduction ....................................................................................................1
1 Neurodiversity: The New Diversity ..................................................7
2 The Multiple Talents of Students
with Learning Disabilities ..................................................................28
3 The Joys of ADHD ...............................................................................48
4 The Gifts of Autism..............................................................................70
5 The Strengths of Students with Intellectual Disabilities .......92
6 The Bright Side of Kids with Emotional
and Behavioral Disorders .................................................................116
7 The Strength-Based School ...........................................................136
References .................................................................................................162
Index .............................................................................................................177
About the Author ....................................................................................183

Introduction
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had just been hired for
my first teaching job in Montreal, Canada, as a special education
teacher. My district supervisor wanted to take me around and show
me some model special education programs before I actually began
teaching. We entered the first classroom, where there were about 10
students working (or at least sitting) quietly at their desks. They were
about 8 or 9 years old. I was especially impressed by how quiet they
were—overly quiet, really. The special education teacher welcomed
us into her classroom with a broad smile. Then, in a voice loud enough
to be heard by all the children, she announced, “These are my slow
students.”
My heart sank and I thought to myself, “Is the teacher insane?
Doesn’t she realize that these kids have ears?” I felt embarrassed
standing there, as if I myself was a party to this gross insensitivity.
The moment passed, however, and before long I was taking charge
of my own junior high special education classroom. My students
were not overly quiet. In fact, I had a knack (some might say a curse)
for bringing out in my students whatever shadowy emotions were
swirling around just below the surface. Not infrequently, my students
1