After
teaching students with autism for several years
at Fairview Elementary, Christine Lee joined
our team as an Assistive Technology Resource
Teacher this year. Although she said that she
is not a computer guru, Christine shared how
natural it has been for her to use visual strategies
and assistive technology in her classroom.
She stated that augmentative and alternative
communication devices have always been vital
tools in teaching her students with autism.
Christine also shared that the best way to
understand one's needs is to hear directly
from the person. She quoted from Temple Grandin,
an assistant professor of animal science at
Colorado State University, who shared in one
of her books about what it is like to live
with autism.
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"I
THINK IN PICTURES. Words are like a second
language to me. I translate both spoken and
written words into full-color movies, complete
with sound, which run like a VCR tape in
my head. When somebody speaks to me, his
words are instantly translated into pictures."
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Christine
can't imagine having to set up her visually
structured classroom without having the software
program, BoardMaker, available to her. Christine
recalls, " I remember Rita Mars, from ITS,
came out to my classroom in my first year of
teaching in the county with all the necessary
software and equipment for me to use. Although
I was already overwhelmed with information
overload as a first year teacher, I quickly
learned that these multimedia tools made significant
differences in my students' interest in communication.
I was so thankful for all the assistance she
provided."
Although
Christine misses her students and colleagues
at Fairview, she is very excited and thankful
for this opportunity to work with so many
teachers and students as an Assistive Technology
Resource Teacher at ITS. She is thrilled
that she can now be a resource to FCPS teachers.
Yes, Christine may sound like she can talk
about her job without ceasing, but she does
have a life outside of her exciting new job.
She is involved with her church praise band
as a keyboardist, loves spending time with
her niece and nephew, enjoys playing tennis
and is also working toward a black belt in
Karate (not quite there yet). |
