As a generally leftist neurodivergent millennial, I never thought the solution to the education crisis in America would be a business. I am now an ambitious entrepreneur ready to make a big impact on our education system. When I say “entrepreneur” I do not mean it in a financial or monetary sense, but in taking a risk by providing a groundbreaking new service. It is a big risk and it will be expensive, but through proper strategy, we can start simple and grow into the complex, multi-professional, neuro-affirming, strengths-based program that we so desperately need. Thus, I am not in this for money , but I am for profit. The profit that matters to me is the success of neurodivergent people. Our success will bring unique ways of thinking and innovations like technology or other discoveries that can deeply impact and help our world. Perhaps a new renaissance will explode on the scene where both the arts and sciences can flourish again. It is thought that Leonardo Davinci was autistic. Can you imagine our world without Davinci?
In fact, we can say the same thing about many of the game changers throughout history- good and bad. Historians strongly suspect Albert Einstein was autistic and ADHD and there is also a high number of people who suspect Adolf Hitler was even autistic. Remember, just because someone is autistic does not automatically make them a good person (believe me, I found this out the hard way). Good and evil is a big part that makes us human, and since autistic people are indeed human, we too can do both good and evil things. Another historical villainous figure suspected to be autistic is Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite the negative things these people did, you cannot deny they had a huge impact on our world. But let’s refocus on the autistic people who have made a major positive impact on our world and society.
In addition to historical figures that are dead and gone, there are plenty of living autistic people who have made major impacts within the past 50 years. Many of these exceptional people were actually diagnosed rather than just suspected to be autistic. While some would consider him a villain, one cannot argue that this guy is a genius and a huge influence on modern society. The autistic I am referencing is none other than Elon Musk. By the way, he is not only the richest person in the world, but also the richest person in history! On the other hand, an autistic person that we pretty much all know and love is Dan Aykroyd, the SNL OG who also brought us memorable cinema such as Ghostbusters and The Blues Brothers. Aykroyd explained that the Ghostbuster concept originated with his special interest in ghosts.
What I am trying to say here is that when autistic people reach their full potential, we can accomplish great things. While this discussion primarily has been focused on autism, the same could be said for all other Neurodivergencies from ADHD to Dyslexia to Schizophrenia. With these exceptional figures added to the equation, it is clear that Neurodivergiencies are not just a disability, but also a strength, as long as we can tap into those strengths and remediate or accommodate the needs that hinders these strengths. This is why I started my business. The education system in America consistently expects students to fit a one-size-fits-all model. This creates an inequity for Neurodivergent people, since not only are we so diverse that we could not possibly all fit in this one-size-fits-all set up, but also because Neurodivergent people tend to learn quite differently than their neurotypical counterparts. Not until recently have researchers started realizing this. A big reason for the increase in attention to this topic is because more and more autistic people are becoming researchers. Our lived experience helps us to explore new avenues that were previously not realized by neurotypical researchers. For example, many autistic people are Gestalt Cognitive Processors. While this concept is still up for debate, I can see this thinking style in myself as well as students I have worked with in the past. We are bottom up holistic thinkers. For example, I have always had a difficult time determining important information from supporting information. While this initially appears to be a disability, I believe it is because I think holistically so everything is important to me. While there may be some room for remediation or implementing modifications and accommodations, perhaps it would be better to focus on my strength of holistic thinking instead of this skill that the education system expects everyone to have in the same way.
Now you may be asking, “what about Special Education? What about IEPs?” IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan, but its name is quite misleading. If you look at Special Education as a whole, it is far from individualized. For example, in my state, all students who are working towards a diploma in public schools must learn the same material in the same way (aside from slight accommodations and modifications), and the same assessments. When assessed on cognitive and educational assessments, evidenced-based for neurotypical people, many of these special education students I have worked with read on a much lower level than is expected for their age group. I once had a whole class of 12th graders in a special education school who were brilliant, but were stuck in a remediation program because they were reading on such a low level. However, with proper instructional design, I was able to help my students make the most progress they had ever made since starting the school in 5th grade! When we expand education to make it more individualized, specialized, and thus, more equitable for special education students, I think a lot of people will be surprised how exceptional so many of us really are*. From my experience and from the experience of others I have spoken with, it is clear that our education system sets Neurodivergent people up for failure in the classroom.
There is also an option for students deemed “too disabled” to access the main curriculum so they are placed into alternative curriculum classrooms. In my experience, these curriculums are not adapted to age and resources for secondary alternative curriculum special education students are virtually unheard of. Even the ones that claim to be I still believe are far from it. Many educational professions view most of these students as permanent young children, but that is usually not the case. It is important to provide them with age appropriate resources, but also acknowledge that some of these student’s’ interests may not be age appropriate. When it comes to a person’s personal interest, I feel they can like what they want, but as educators we should provide them with age appropriate materials and themes and adapt as needed. Students in these programs graduate high school when they are 21 with a certificate of completion rather than a diploma. The outlook for these students when they become adults is quite depressing, and the topic deserves its own blog post. It is also important to acknowledge that there are some very profoundly disabled students that do well with the alternative curriculum as is, but which students are considered profound varies widely depending on the person. This is why even with the most profound, we should presume competence because a lot of times those students will really surprise you.
The point is, there needs to be more options in the schools rather than one universal way. Due to big ed (eerily similar to big pharma) making big profits, the research on developing curriculum for students that learn differently has been greatly neglected most likely because it is not viewed as profitable enough, but that is where they are wrong. Investing in neurodivergent people will be more profitable in the long run than only shorter-term monetary gain. We need equitable education for people who think and learn differently, and that is where Autonomous Hippopotamus comes in.
I wanted to create a service that can be truly holistic and individualized to give Neurodivergent people what they really need to reach their full potential. If we deprive Neurodivergent people of this, we will lack the exceptional people in our world that move our world forward. Imagine a world without Sir Isacc Newton or Benjamin Bannaker (both suspected autists)? What would a world without Albert Einstein be like? I started Autonomous Hippopotamus to prevent this great tragedy. With a truly individualized and holistic approach, we aim to create the opportunity for Neurodivergent people to be exceptional yet again.
Help us start a revolution in education and be sure to check out our website in the link below.
https://autonomoushippopotamus.my.canva.site/who-are-we
*You find articles that discuss special education and also federal law that says special education is individualized and not a one-size-fits-all education. In my personal lived experience, I do not find this to be true. Even when looking at their arguments, you can see flaws and inconsistencies. Check out this resource directly from Maryland Public Schools for more information on this. Keep in mind, this publication is mainly discussing alternative curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Despite what they claim, you will see that they still learn the same material but on a simplified level. Therefore, they are learning the same material and still need to take (simplified) state assessments. https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Special-Ed/AltEducationFrameworkGuidanceDocument-2082023_A.pdf
The Neurodivergent Educator- Certified Special Educator in Maryland, advocate, entrepreneur, and Educational Therapist
Further Reading
https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/famous-people-with-autism/
https://hes-extraordinary.com/famous-people-with-autism
https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/c.php?g=484442&p=3463428
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-that-Adolf-Hitler-had-an-Asperger-s-syndrome
https://dianapaulin.domains.trincoll.edu/locating-black-autism/research-guide/black-autists-1700s-present/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353325370_Napoleon_Hitler_Dictators_Psychopathy_and_autistic_psychopathy
https://www.getinflow.io/post/autistic-celebrities-adhd
https://education.purdue.edu/2024/01/what-is-special-education/
https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Special-Ed/AltEducationFrameworkGuidanceDocument-2082023_A.pdf
https://www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/meet-the-autistic-scientists-redefining-autism-research/
https://www.amazon.com/Autistic-Thinking-Brains-Think-Remember/dp/B0D55NRKYD/ref=asc_df_B0D55NRKYD?mcid=d981bd0c8b883d3e87bf6b62b80bf723&hvocijid=8956514745735365785-B0D55NRKYD-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8956514745735365785&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007901&hvtargid=pla-2281435177818&psc=1
https://companiesmarketcap.com/education/largest-education-companies-by-market-c
In fact, we can say the same thing about many of the game changers throughout history- good and bad. Historians strongly suspect Albert Einstein was autistic and ADHD and there is also a high number of people who suspect Adolf Hitler was even autistic. Remember, just because someone is autistic does not automatically make them a good person (believe me, I found this out the hard way). Good and evil is a big part that makes us human, and since autistic people are indeed human, we too can do both good and evil things. Another historical villainous figure suspected to be autistic is Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite the negative things these people did, you cannot deny they had a huge impact on our world. But let’s refocus on the autistic people who have made a major positive impact on our world and society.
In addition to historical figures that are dead and gone, there are plenty of living autistic people who have made major impacts within the past 50 years. Many of these exceptional people were actually diagnosed rather than just suspected to be autistic. While some would consider him a villain, one cannot argue that this guy is a genius and a huge influence on modern society. The autistic I am referencing is none other than Elon Musk. By the way, he is not only the richest person in the world, but also the richest person in history! On the other hand, an autistic person that we pretty much all know and love is Dan Aykroyd, the SNL OG who also brought us memorable cinema such as Ghostbusters and The Blues Brothers. Aykroyd explained that the Ghostbuster concept originated with his special interest in ghosts.
What I am trying to say here is that when autistic people reach their full potential, we can accomplish great things. While this discussion primarily has been focused on autism, the same could be said for all other Neurodivergencies from ADHD to Dyslexia to Schizophrenia. With these exceptional figures added to the equation, it is clear that Neurodivergiencies are not just a disability, but also a strength, as long as we can tap into those strengths and remediate or accommodate the needs that hinders these strengths. This is why I started my business. The education system in America consistently expects students to fit a one-size-fits-all model. This creates an inequity for Neurodivergent people, since not only are we so diverse that we could not possibly all fit in this one-size-fits-all set up, but also because Neurodivergent people tend to learn quite differently than their neurotypical counterparts. Not until recently have researchers started realizing this. A big reason for the increase in attention to this topic is because more and more autistic people are becoming researchers. Our lived experience helps us to explore new avenues that were previously not realized by neurotypical researchers. For example, many autistic people are Gestalt Cognitive Processors. While this concept is still up for debate, I can see this thinking style in myself as well as students I have worked with in the past. We are bottom up holistic thinkers. For example, I have always had a difficult time determining important information from supporting information. While this initially appears to be a disability, I believe it is because I think holistically so everything is important to me. While there may be some room for remediation or implementing modifications and accommodations, perhaps it would be better to focus on my strength of holistic thinking instead of this skill that the education system expects everyone to have in the same way.
Now you may be asking, “what about Special Education? What about IEPs?” IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan, but its name is quite misleading. If you look at Special Education as a whole, it is far from individualized. For example, in my state, all students who are working towards a diploma in public schools must learn the same material in the same way (aside from slight accommodations and modifications), and the same assessments. When assessed on cognitive and educational assessments, evidenced-based for neurotypical people, many of these special education students I have worked with read on a much lower level than is expected for their age group. I once had a whole class of 12th graders in a special education school who were brilliant, but were stuck in a remediation program because they were reading on such a low level. However, with proper instructional design, I was able to help my students make the most progress they had ever made since starting the school in 5th grade! When we expand education to make it more individualized, specialized, and thus, more equitable for special education students, I think a lot of people will be surprised how exceptional so many of us really are*. From my experience and from the experience of others I have spoken with, it is clear that our education system sets Neurodivergent people up for failure in the classroom.
There is also an option for students deemed “too disabled” to access the main curriculum so they are placed into alternative curriculum classrooms. In my experience, these curriculums are not adapted to age and resources for secondary alternative curriculum special education students are virtually unheard of. Even the ones that claim to be I still believe are far from it. Many educational professions view most of these students as permanent young children, but that is usually not the case. It is important to provide them with age appropriate resources, but also acknowledge that some of these student’s’ interests may not be age appropriate. When it comes to a person’s personal interest, I feel they can like what they want, but as educators we should provide them with age appropriate materials and themes and adapt as needed. Students in these programs graduate high school when they are 21 with a certificate of completion rather than a diploma. The outlook for these students when they become adults is quite depressing, and the topic deserves its own blog post. It is also important to acknowledge that there are some very profoundly disabled students that do well with the alternative curriculum as is, but which students are considered profound varies widely depending on the person. This is why even with the most profound, we should presume competence because a lot of times those students will really surprise you.
The point is, there needs to be more options in the schools rather than one universal way. Due to big ed (eerily similar to big pharma) making big profits, the research on developing curriculum for students that learn differently has been greatly neglected most likely because it is not viewed as profitable enough, but that is where they are wrong. Investing in neurodivergent people will be more profitable in the long run than only shorter-term monetary gain. We need equitable education for people who think and learn differently, and that is where Autonomous Hippopotamus comes in.
I wanted to create a service that can be truly holistic and individualized to give Neurodivergent people what they really need to reach their full potential. If we deprive Neurodivergent people of this, we will lack the exceptional people in our world that move our world forward. Imagine a world without Sir Isacc Newton or Benjamin Bannaker (both suspected autists)? What would a world without Albert Einstein be like? I started Autonomous Hippopotamus to prevent this great tragedy. With a truly individualized and holistic approach, we aim to create the opportunity for Neurodivergent people to be exceptional yet again.
Help us start a revolution in education and be sure to check out our website in the link below.
https://autonomoushippopotamus.my.canva.site/who-are-we
*You find articles that discuss special education and also federal law that says special education is individualized and not a one-size-fits-all education. In my personal lived experience, I do not find this to be true. Even when looking at their arguments, you can see flaws and inconsistencies. Check out this resource directly from Maryland Public Schools for more information on this. Keep in mind, this publication is mainly discussing alternative curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Despite what they claim, you will see that they still learn the same material but on a simplified level. Therefore, they are learning the same material and still need to take (simplified) state assessments. https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Special-Ed/AltEducationFrameworkGuidanceDocument-2082023_A.pdf
The Neurodivergent Educator- Certified Special Educator in Maryland, advocate, entrepreneur, and Educational Therapist
Further Reading
https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/famous-people-with-autism/
https://hes-extraordinary.com/famous-people-with-autism
https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/c.php?g=484442&p=3463428
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-that-Adolf-Hitler-had-an-Asperger-s-syndrome
https://dianapaulin.domains.trincoll.edu/locating-black-autism/research-guide/black-autists-1700s-present/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353325370_Napoleon_Hitler_Dictators_Psychopathy_and_autistic_psychopathy
https://www.getinflow.io/post/autistic-celebrities-adhd
https://education.purdue.edu/2024/01/what-is-special-education/
https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Special-Ed/AltEducationFrameworkGuidanceDocument-2082023_A.pdf
https://www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/meet-the-autistic-scientists-redefining-autism-research/
https://www.amazon.com/Autistic-Thinking-Brains-Think-Remember/dp/B0D55NRKYD/ref=asc_df_B0D55NRKYD?mcid=d981bd0c8b883d3e87bf6b62b80bf723&hvocijid=8956514745735365785-B0D55NRKYD-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8956514745735365785&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007901&hvtargid=pla-2281435177818&psc=1
https://companiesmarketcap.com/education/largest-education-companies-by-market-c
Comments
Post a Comment