So Many Examples of Success
I was startled by the reminder of just how much a child can grow from an initial diagnosis when I read the story of Montel Medley, valedictorian of Surratsville High School. And a young man with autism.
I nearly jumped out of my chair and started clapping. Then I thought about my husband in the kitchen who might come in and wonder what I was clapping at. I thought I might be challenged to explain that, though I never met this child, I could have. He could have been any one of the many boys with autism I have had the privilege to teach!
Social and language skills offered this young man a significant challenge, and he overcame it. If you've ever known any one on the autism spectrum, you will adore his explanation for how he did it, “I followed directions, I paid attention to my teachers, and I did the work. And I’m planning to do well in college, too.” Yep, kids with autism usually excel in the areas of rules and directions, and apparently he decided to excel to the point of “Valedictorian” status. I'm sure he will do great in college, as he studies applied mathematics at Towson University.
I was once specifically instructed it might be best to guide the parents of my students with autism away from college dreams. Few would ever graduate high school, I was reminded. I ignored those instructions.
The thing is, Medley, while amazing, isn't alone. There's also Christopher Gross, who graduated from Augusta State University as class valedictorian in 2009. Gross has dyslexia and dyscalculia, and his brother has dyslexia and an auditory processing disorder. Gross's mother took both her sons to be tested at an area learning center when they were small. In addition to their official diagnoses, “experts” at the learning center told her, “neither boy would ever develop the intellectual capacity to attend college.” Both graduated from Augusta State together, with Christopher as valedictorian. Thankfully, they had a tenacious mother who convinced them that a diagnosis did not define them.
In 2014, Jalen Pope likewise defied the odds and early expectations set on him.His academic problems began in preschool, when he struggled to follow directions or understand class activities. He was diagnosed with literacy issues, speech problems, comprehension issues, and eventually ADHD, which seemed to be the crux of the problem, according to his mom. Regardless, he was set on an academic path that rarely leads to success. His mother tried everything, including medication, but none of it was working. In fifth grade, Pope was ready to be off the medication, and his mother and teachers came up with a plan to push Pope. Finally something worked. Amazingly, Pope also graduated Valedictorian from Josey High School. He reported that he hoped to study veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia.
If you're not tired of these amazing valedictorians with learning disabilities, Dustin Henderson is yet another positive example of refusing to be defined by a disability. In first grade, it became clear that he was different, when his classmates all began to read, but he did not. In second grade, the humiliation of spelling tests began. His mom reports, Henderson had a pretty important discovery in third grade however: one day for a project that “had something to do with math or science”, all of his friends kept asking him for help and thought he was smart. Though it took years of practice, effort, and help for Henderson to learn some of the language arts that other kids learned in lower elementary and still more years for Henderson to admit to his dyslexia. Hard work, however, led him also to becoming valedictorian of his high school and now to study at Oregon Tech University.