ADJ learns about autism

BESSEMER - Students and staff at A.D. Johnson Junior-Senior High School spent Thursday learning about autism in preparation for Autism Awareness Day today.

"The theme for world wide autism is to also work with kindness," said teacher Jamie Stiffarm. "So, the acceptance and kindness towards others."

To help educate students, the school held an hourly contest Thursday where questions on autism spectrum disorder were read every period and students had the time in between classes to drop their answer into a blue box to win a prize.

School secretary Jeannine Simcoe read the questions over the intercom.

Students in Stiffarm's peer-to-peer course staffed a table outside of the school office with the answer box and marked correct answers for the winners to be selected from. The table also promoted awareness of the disorder and offered various trinkets such as bumper stickers, removable tattoos and glow sticks. The bumper stickers were designed by past students in the peer-to-peer program.

Peer-to-peer is a two-year course students can take to learn about ASD and other various disorders in-depth and then offer peer support to students with the various disorders. The first year is spent learning about the disorders. The second is spent as a helper in classrooms. Stiffarm said she has 10 students enrolled in the program this year.

"I chose this class because I thought it was like a really great experience to learn about like different disabilities, and learning how people with disabilities see the world and how you can help," said sophomore, Rylee Sordahl, 16. "It's kind of changed how I see other people with disabilities; like, it's not their fault."

Sisters Alisa, 17, and Britney BeBeau, 16, also said that it was a really great experience. Alisa, a senior who aspires to be a nurse, said that she chose the course because she thought learning about the various disorders and disabilities would be a good "foot in the door" for her nursing career.

"You get to work with other kids that you don't know and you can help them and you can understand them better," said Britney. "I think this class gives you like a different outlook on life completely. You get to see how other people are and you get to understand it even if you aren't that way and you can help them."

Stiffarm said that she sees anywhere from one to four students each year who are on the spectrum.

Blue is the color that is associated with ASD. Stiffarm said she is not sure why the color is associated with the disorder, but presumes that it is because the color is known to be very soothing.

"I know that blue is psychologically, through my studies and dealing with my masters and emotional behavior stuff, that it is very soothing. That's why we have a tendency to go there. It's a calming mechanism," said Stiffarm.

The exact cause of ASD is unknown, but it is thought to be a neurological disorder. The disorder is known to be five times more prevalent in boys, she said. According to autisimspeaks.org, one in every 34 boys is diagnosed with autism every year in the United States compared to 1 in 144 girls.

"Their neurological setup is very different than yours and mine in the way that the neurology in the brain is developing," Stiffarm said. "The best way I can explain this to you is that it is similar to a soldier who has gone over a roadside bomb and had head trauma."

Another project students are working on for ASD awareness is to paint rocks with messages of kindness. The rocks with be marked with a Bessemer Area School District peer-to-peer label and then placed around the community. School officials asked residents who find a rock to go to the schools Facebook page and let the school know where it was found.

Stiffarm said she encourages the community to take the kindness pledge which can be found online at autisimspeaks.org.