Three of the Ways that a "Fully Included Academic Education" Prepped David for College Success

First, for an introduction to the D.M. Nisson, PhD story, click HERE to see my blog post of June 15, 2020.

For today's post on the topic of the advantages of a "Fully Included Education", here are three of the many ways that I feel my son's inclusive education contributed to his later college success:

1. Access to an academic curriculum

Not everyone has as high an IQ as David's, but when it comes to children's brains which are still developing, we should never "judge a book by its cover", and exclude a seemingly low IQ student from access to academics. Kids' brains can change a lot between kindergarten and grade 12! Had I gone along with the public school's insistence upon denying my son an academic education based upon his superficial appearance of "a hopeless case" at age 4, he would have lacked the proper foundation in math and science to study a STEM major in college.

2. Appropriately modeled behavior

It's always important to have a least one child in every group who follows the classroom rules so the other students can witness someone being rewarded with smiles and esteem-building words of appreciation from the teacher. In a class filled mostly of children who understand classroom behavior basics, those who have disabilities challenging them in this area will learn appropriate behavior more quickly than children segregated into a classroom filled entirely with children who share behavior difficulties. My son was able to learn how to function properly in a college classroom because he was surrounded by non-disabled peers who helped the teacher teach him how to behave in his K-12 classrooms.

3. Preparation for future college and/or professional teamwork

College requires teamwork, in class and in research groups. By high school at the latest, teachers need to be noting into student "Cumulative Files" and other records the teamwork strengths and weaknesses of each student. Who are the leaders, and will someday play the roles of future Project Coordinators, CEO's, or Principal Investigators? Or, which elementary students now shining in their current roles of "getters", or of "double-checkers", will grow up to succeed as Resource Investigators, or Completers-Finishers at college and beyond. Self knowledge in teamwork awareness is absolutely crucial to success in a college level research group, and this might be the single most important gift that my son's "fully included education" provided him.

These are just a few of the ways that my son's inclusive education contributed to his dramatic college level success. In conclusion, if you are the parent of a child with a disability, I encourage you to take the steps needed for your school district, or private school, to include them in an academically-based classroom. Bear in mind, however, that 'inclusion" is a relatively new idea, and each child's needs are unique, so even the best administrators and teachers often benefit from professional inclusion guidance. Are you UK-based? If so, I recommend that you consider contacting Inclusivity Consultant, Nazia Ansari of Inclusivity Education.

Intro to the D.M. Nisson, PhD Person-Centered Planning Success Story

So, what's the big deal? Many colleges are welcoming "autistic" students into their programs, right?

What's different about the story of David M. Nisson, PhD?

Actually, the difference is quite significant!
Autism is on a spectrum, but a lot of people don't realize this. So, most of the college programs are only set up to help "ASD" students who function independently at the mild end of the spectrum (Level 1), and exclude those Level 2 and 3 students with classic autism who require protective supervision. But, that fact didn't stop me from backing my son's dream, nor did it scare off the boldly open minded team at UC Davis Physics and Astronomy.

Because most parents are unable to locate the resources to do as I did, David is the first American diagnosed by the late Dr. Darold Trefffert with aide-dependent, Level 2-3 "Savant Syndrome Autism" to earn his doctorate in physics from a top ranked United States university. I am Mary Nisson -- the mom who helped him get it done. During the years I spent at David's side while he studied at UC Davis, I recorded this blog. To begin at the beginning, scroll down to 2009 and enjoy reading!  🎓 😊

Curious how our partnership succeeded?

The key was to 

[A] Reduce David's stress level and,

[B] Keep David's genius free to focus on his schoolwork and research, by letting me "sweat the small stuff" (that is often the cause of autistic students dropping out). 

So, while David was a lower division undergrad student at the respected Cosumnes River College (CRC) in Sacramento, California, and later upper division and grad school student at the world-renowned UC Davis Department of Physics and Astronomy (UCD), 

I:

• provided him basic Protective Supervision from such dangers as cars in parking lots and chemicals in laboratories; 🚗🚗 ⚛️

• advised and troubleshooted with counselors, professors and other staff in how to accommodate David’s unusual classroom communication and health-related needs; 

• served as David’s career, academic and Social Skills Coach
• 
  
• furnished financial aid advice and FAFSA instruction, executive level Secretarial and Personal Assistance, and more. 

These were a few of the supports that I provided so that David was able to produce scientific work good enough to receive scholarships, fellowships and grants to fund his bachelors and masters degrees.  ＄＄  🎉

Ready to follow in my footsteps?

As I said earlier, even with the new Self Determination Program and Person Centered Planning, most parents won't be able to follow in my footsteps all the way to the top of "the mountain", but I hope some can at least make it partway. 

Humanity and the planet upon which we depend need us to provide profoundly disabled, IHSS-requiring students an academic curriculum to prep for college so that we can access the potential in every potential scientist’s mind!  🌎 

My books are on the way; in the meantime, head back to the posts in 2009 and start reading. And, please feel free to ask me questions in the "comment" section, or to email me at nisson1 @ outlook dot com.