Page 27 - WesternU View - Summer 2014
P. 27
“
We believe that autism, or ASD, is a treatable
whole-body disorder, and it requires an
interprofessional approach.
FACE Chair Gail Singer-Chang, PsyD, MA, MS
Keynote speaker Jeremy Sicile-Kira.
caregivers, and ultimately the culture, the community that doesn’t work well, with no way to communicate,”
“
and society at large. It’s important to focus on what Jeremy said. “Just think of what it would be like to not be
people with autism can do, and build on those strengths able to move your body the way you want.
and skills, and not just focus on what they can’t do.
“Getting out of the darkness for me was not a miracle. It
“We also believe that autism is not necessarily just a was a team effort of lots of work over a long period of
pediatric problem or issue. There are a lot of older people time,” Jeremy said. “The real reason for my success in life
living with autism, as well, and their issues need to be and in college is, frankly, because my mom got good
addressed.” people to work with
me and professionals
The conference that believed in me.
emphasized My success is due to
networking, sharing the many years of
information and learning what the
inspiring each other world is made of.
with new ideas and
resources. The Gradually over the
keynote speakers years, I learned to
were Chantal Sicile- make sense of the
Kira, author and things around me,
founder of and now I want to
autismcollege.com, help others.”
and her son, Jeremy Chantal and Jeremy Sicile-Kira sign books at the Trends in Autism Conference.
Sicile-Kira, author, His mother hired a
artist and Autistic Global Initiative Youth Ambassador. great physical
therapist to help him learn how to move his body parts
Jeremy was diagnosed with autism at an early age. Now and control his body, Jeremy said. He learned about
in his 20s, Jeremy serves as the Autism Research words and their meanings by watching and listening to
Institute’s Youth Representative to the United Nations, his mother talk. And he gained great confidence from his
and as a Young Leader for the Autistic Global Initiative, a tutors.
project of the Autism Research Institute.
“Just the fact the tutors tried to teach me gave me the
He wrote his presentation, “Thank You for Giving Me a confidence to try to pull myself out of nothingness,”
Voice: How I Learned to Communicate,” and delivered it Jeremy said. “If it was not for my nice mom and great
via computer voice output technology. He talked about teachers, my life would not be worth living. They
the true nature of autism. believed in me, and that has made the biggest impact,
more than the types of teaching methods used.”
“‘Severely autistic’ for me means being stuck in a body – Rodney Tanaka
WesternU View Summer 2014 25
We believe that autism, or ASD, is a treatable
whole-body disorder, and it requires an
interprofessional approach.
FACE Chair Gail Singer-Chang, PsyD, MA, MS
Keynote speaker Jeremy Sicile-Kira.
caregivers, and ultimately the culture, the community that doesn’t work well, with no way to communicate,”
“
and society at large. It’s important to focus on what Jeremy said. “Just think of what it would be like to not be
people with autism can do, and build on those strengths able to move your body the way you want.
and skills, and not just focus on what they can’t do.
“Getting out of the darkness for me was not a miracle. It
“We also believe that autism is not necessarily just a was a team effort of lots of work over a long period of
pediatric problem or issue. There are a lot of older people time,” Jeremy said. “The real reason for my success in life
living with autism, as well, and their issues need to be and in college is, frankly, because my mom got good
addressed.” people to work with
me and professionals
The conference that believed in me.
emphasized My success is due to
networking, sharing the many years of
information and learning what the
inspiring each other world is made of.
with new ideas and
resources. The Gradually over the
keynote speakers years, I learned to
were Chantal Sicile- make sense of the
Kira, author and things around me,
founder of and now I want to
autismcollege.com, help others.”
and her son, Jeremy Chantal and Jeremy Sicile-Kira sign books at the Trends in Autism Conference.
Sicile-Kira, author, His mother hired a
artist and Autistic Global Initiative Youth Ambassador. great physical
therapist to help him learn how to move his body parts
Jeremy was diagnosed with autism at an early age. Now and control his body, Jeremy said. He learned about
in his 20s, Jeremy serves as the Autism Research words and their meanings by watching and listening to
Institute’s Youth Representative to the United Nations, his mother talk. And he gained great confidence from his
and as a Young Leader for the Autistic Global Initiative, a tutors.
project of the Autism Research Institute.
“Just the fact the tutors tried to teach me gave me the
He wrote his presentation, “Thank You for Giving Me a confidence to try to pull myself out of nothingness,”
Voice: How I Learned to Communicate,” and delivered it Jeremy said. “If it was not for my nice mom and great
via computer voice output technology. He talked about teachers, my life would not be worth living. They
the true nature of autism. believed in me, and that has made the biggest impact,
more than the types of teaching methods used.”
“‘Severely autistic’ for me means being stuck in a body – Rodney Tanaka
WesternU View Summer 2014 25
