What specific strategies can improve outcomes for these children?
Page 8: Faces of Autism Spectrum Disorder
As we have highlighted in this module, it is important for teachers to be familiar with evidence-based practices for students with ASD and understand how to implement them with fidelity. Equally important is for teachers to understand the needs and strengths of their students. One way to do this is by building positive relationships with those students’ families. By acknowledging the strengths of families (e.g., knowledge about the child’s disability, experience using strategies that are successful with the child at home) teachers can create the basis for a more meaningful partnership between schools and families. For many children with disabilities, parents are actively involved in all aspects of their lives, including education. Teachers can forge increasingly positive connections by remembering to focus on what they and the parents have in common: a desire to see the child succeed in school. When teachers begin to view children’s learning as a shared responsibility with families, they are more likely to meet the educational needs of the child.
Watch the videos below to learn more about four students with ASD and their families. As you will notice, these students vary greatly in their strengths and needs. Also evident is that these parents are experts on their children and provide great tips for working with students with autism.
Tyler
Four-year-old Tyler attends an inclusive pre-K program. Most of the time, Tyler is a happy and energetic little boy, one who is determined to communicate his wants and needs. However, he has difficulty expressing himself verbally, which can result in frustration and aggressive behavior. Tyler has made great gains since he began early intervention services immediately following his diagnoses at 22 months of age. Listen as Tyler’s mom Bethany tells us more about her son (time: 6:23).
Transcript: Tyler’s Mom
Tyler’s Mom: Tyler was late to crawl, late to walk. He was my first child, my only child, but I noticed my friends that had children the same age, their children babbled more and things like that. And their children would look when their name was called. And one day I got on the Internet and did a checklist, and, I mean, he just fell right into… I mean, it said you need to have him evaluated immediately. And so it was more shocking than I even already suspected. And so I, like, I said nobody—even early intervention pediatricians—everybody wanted to wait. And from everything I read, you didn’t need to wait. You know, I wanted to get him all the services he needed as soon as possible. So my ear, nose, and throat doctor here at Vanderbilt referred him, and they diagnosed him at 18 months. Twenty-two months, actually, but they begin the referral process at 18 months.
Tyler’s greatest strengths are definitely his determination. If he wants to do something, if he has his mind set on something, he’s going to achieve it. He’s very intelligent, and that also works against him at times because it causes him to have some aggression because he can’t communicate as effectively as he would like. He can’t verbally communicate. I mean, he has some words, but, you know, he can’t express himself the way he would like and has all these thoughts and opinions, and he can’t get them across, so he gets upset, you know? So his greatest needs, I believe, are his communication needs.
When Tyler gets frustrated, he can go from being the sweetest, happiest, cheeriest, smiliest little boy to just so angry and upset that, you know, he gets aggressive and pulls hair and bites. My biggest fear is, if we don’t get this under control and he doesn’t get an affective way to communicate, it’s just me and him. But if he gets bigger than me, my whole reason for being is my son. The whole reason I’ve decided to give life a real shot, you know, is my love for him. And I get really scared because I can’t imagine my life without him. I want him in my home with me always, unless he ever decides he wants to be in a group home or something, but not because he has to be, but because he wants to be. You know, so, yeah, when he gets really aggressive, I fear that it’s going to get in the way of his life, you know, our life together.
You know, it’s my first introduction to any sort of ABA, and I’m, like, oh, my gosh, you know? It looked so rough, but now I understand that some of the things that she was doing were preparing him and me for the things that I would have to start doing and, you know, to implement any kind of structure, any kind of placing demands, as they say, but, you know, and keep him from running the show, you know, or he would, you know, or he would never do anything, and we have to push him, and at the time he was still my baby, you know. While I wanted him to make it, I didn’t know how to do that, and so it was, you know, he would only eat pureed foods, even at 18 months old.
So it consisted of trying, you know, different types of foods, placing hand over the other hand because he would want to touch food, since you need to touch food while eating. With the other hand, he loved to throw food. We still like to toss it sometimes. Just a lot of it was just so limited in, you know, in time that we’d have to touch a little bit in all areas, you know, functional play. I mean, the first Christmas that he got, like, toys that were, like, you played with functionally, it was really frustrating for him, and I didn’t understand why he’d get so angry at his toys, you know. So it was lessons in trying to play with toys in a functional way, you know, and I wanted to give up, you know, in making him to try because maybe he’s not ready for that, you know? But he may never have been ready if they weren’t, if they didn’t help, and try to push him, to help him to be ready.
Patience. Have patience with children with autism. And I’ll tell you, okay, this is my main thing. Don’t underestimate a child with special needs, and don’t let them fool you. Oh, my gosh, I…Tyler will snow you, man! He’ll make you think that I’m just the kid who sits over here and stims because I don’t want you to make me do anything. I’ll let you think I’m the kid that’s incapable to do anything. He’s smart enough, way smart enough, to know that you underestimate him, and he’ll keep doing that so that you won’t challenge him. And then me or somebody that’s worked with him sees that, and we’re, like, oh no, no. You don’t know Tyler. Like, he is way more capable than that. Way more capable.
So don’t ever, ever underestimate, I mean, ‘cause you’re missing out, and he’s missing out. I mean, everybody that Tyler touches ends up telling me that he’s changed them. And they’ve touched him and changed him. I mean, every educator that’s worked with him, I can see what they’ve done with him. And, I mean, everybody gets so close, tells me we’ve all cried with him. We are a team. You know there’s Team Tyler. We are a team. I mean, I still talk to the people that worked with him two years ago, you know. We all care about his progress. Don’t ever underestimate, and don’t let them fool you.
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Tyler uses a tablet with picture communication software to communicate his wants and needs. In the video below, Tyler’s mom discusses how they use this form of communication throughout their daily routines. Next, Tyler and his mom demonstrate how they use this picture communication system during play (time: 6:36).
Transcript: Tyler and His Mom
Tyler’s mom: A little over a year ago, we started with Kid Talk and the Proloquo with his little iPad. Before that, I mean, they tried to do some pictures and some signs and things like that. He has some signs, and he has some words. You know, at one time, we had a whole lot more words than we do now. But he does use it like a picture schedule, and he can use a picture schedule through an activity. But he did not latch onto the PECs. He likes to stim with the cards. If they’re not, like, controlled, like, on a board, on, like, a picture schedule board then he, you know, is not successful with them, and it came out when I saw that big book he’d have to carry around and stuff. I thought that was just, you know, I just didn’t think he wouldn’t be successful with that either. So a little over a year ago, we started with the iPad with the Proloquo, and it’s, I mean, he’s really latched onto it.
You know, when I am consistent with it, he’s consistent with it. The more I’m consistent, he’s consistent with it, the more successful we are, and the less aggression we have. I mean, and the more verbal language we have. I mean, I would see the data, and I’m, like, I don’t care. I want to see it with my own eyes. It just doesn’t sound natural, like, you know, I would think that, you know, my brain tells me, that well, he would become dependent on it, and he won’t want to talk, but it isn’t true. The more we use it, the more we hear verbal language. I mean, it’s really just phenomenal. It’s not something, you know, that you would think, you know.
Before we had Proloquo, Tyler would stand and scream at the cabinets and point. Well, before we didn’t even have pointing, and I remember the days when we would say, “I wish he could just point.”
[Tyler taps the tablet computer’s screen.]
Tablet computer: More!
Tyler’s mom: More soap, okay!
[Tyler’s mom gives Tyler some more soap.]
I remember, you know, saying I wish he would just point. If he would just point, we, you know, we had no idea what he wanted. If he wanted something to drink, you know, so then we reached the day where, you know, you forget how far he’s come. Because I remember the days…Here, baby. There’s your more soap… we reached the days where he would point but then we had no idea what he wanted out of the cabinet. So it was just a guessing game. And I was told don’t just, you know, don’t just pull 20 things out of the cabinet. Well, what do I do?
So then it was we make a menu. We make a menu, so it was, like, you don’t cook 20 things. You’re not a short-order cook. I heard that a million times: You’re not a short-order cook. So we were to…I started making a menu, and I put certain things on there. And that’s the most helpful whatever it is around meal time. I come with…a make…a what I’m willing to make that night and it’s always things that, you know, that he appreciates, that he likes. It’s not, you know, Cheez-Its and peanut butter and jelly every night, or it’s pizza, you know, every night, but it’s stuff that I know he likes, and he gets to choose between those things before I start making food. And so he picks, and once he chooses between, you know, some of these, you know, kind of preferred meals then that those are his choices that night. And then, you know, we don’t have this screaming fit and throwing food on the floor and, you know, angry because he…it’s not what he wants at all, you know. And then when he gets through then I have another menu of what he can have for what kind of dessert-type thing. He can have a cookie. He can have a cookie, or he can have a mini-muffin, or he can have…and it’s cut down on meltdowns big time.
I mean, it’s been a life saver and then also just for giving him a choice, you know, we used to…he just went…wherever I needed to go, wherever we had, you know, had baths when I wanted to give him a bath. He has opinions, too, and choices. I mean, maybe he don’t want to take a bath every night at 8:00, you know, and he likes to have a choice if he wants to take a bath, you know, or does he want to eat supper right now, or does he want to take a bath right now?
And I began to be able to give him that choice, and, you know, people are real big on routine, routine, routine. Well, he’s not a really, really, really big routine-oriented kid. He likes to have a choice of when he wants to do certain things, and I give him that choice, and then he appreciates it. I mean, the smile on his face and, he’s like, you get me.
You know, when people understand I call it his foreign language—that might be awful—but when someone recognizes what he says verbally, he’ll do this to his teachers, he’ll do this double-take: You get me. You know, you understood me. I love to see that because… and then they…the verbal language will increase when somebody actually listens to his random pushing. They think it’s random, but no: When he pushes buttons on those things, he does want that dinosaur. He does want these things. He doesn’t push it just to push it. He pushes it because that’s what he wants at that moment. He may only want it for two minutes, but he wanted a dinosaur at that moment, you know. So, yeah, I try to really pay attention to what he says when he, you know, pushes buttons on there.
You know, I think that with his potty training, that’s going to be the most important thing is that we listen to him when we pushes “potty” on there. You know, for right now he goes and stands at the bathroom door because he has no other way to tell me he does have to go potty.
[To Tyler] What do you want? What do you want?
[Tyler taps the tablet computer’s screen.]
Tablet computer: Help! More!
[Tyler’s mom gives Tyler more soap. Together, they play in the soap on the tabletop.]
Tyler’s mom: More! Let’s…Whoa! Let’s rub the soap, rub the soap. Rub. Rub it around. Yeah. Rub it around. Can you rub that one around? Rub it around. More?
[Tyler taps the tablet computer’s screen.]
Tablet computer: More!
[Tyler’s mom gives Tyler more soap.]
Tyler’s mom: More soap.
[Tyler plays with a toy dinosaur.]
Tyler’s mom: He needs a bath.
[Tyler’s mom takes the dinosaur from him.]
Tyler’s mom: What do you want? Dinosaur?
[Tyler taps the tablet computer’s screen.]
Tablet computer: Dinosaur!
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Dylan and Mia
Dylan is an extremely bright thirteen-year-old boy who enjoys playing games on his computer. He was initially identified as gifted and having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At age 10, however, Dylan was diagnosed with ASD. One of Dylan’s strengths associated with his ASD is his exceptional ability to recall past conversations, things he has seen, and things he has read. One of his biggest challenges is his inability to stay focused on a task at hand, including his school work. Watch as Luz and Tim, Dylan’s parents, describe their son in more detail (time 3:32).
Transcript: Luz and Tim Binn describe Dylan
Mom: He was typical until we noticed that he was a little bit more hyper-active and not focused. And this was when he was ten. So they gave us the diagnosis of gifted, which he is, with ADD. But then we kept noticing some other things as he is growing, so we had him diagnosed as well. And he has autism, but he is completely…if you talk to him, and if you just see him, he’s just like any typical peer, but, you know, he has some problems with executive function. He repeats the conversations, you know, and just wants to talk about things that interest him.
Dad: Dylan is a very bright child. He is very active, active imagination, has a lot of trouble staying focused on, especially school work. If it’s something that he really enjoys, like playing games on the computer, then he’s a little more focused on that. But just getting him to stay still and concentrate on a task that we ask him to do is difficult to say the least.
Well, like I said, he’s quite intelligent. I mean, he soaks up material like a sponge if he’s interested. I mean…and I’m not saying just video games…I mean science. I mean, he can tell you about anything, pretty much, that he reads. It’s almost…not a photographic memory…but I mean if he reads it, he will not forget it. If you say it, he’s going to remember it forever. So those are his strengths.
So the weaknesses, again, concentration, staying on task, and in social situations knowing when to say a certain thing, when not to speak at all. That’s definitely a weakness.
He is very kind, though, and can be extremely sweet. I mean, it’s not that he lacks empathy totally. It’s just, I guess, kind of choosing when to use it? I don’t know if that makes any sense. He just…I think that just goes along with the social issues that he has. I mean, he’ll say things that people would think might be cruel. But it’s almost, he’s trying to…it’s a joke, and he wants you to understand him, and that’s his way of, I guess, forming friendships or trying to in his own way. But he is very kind.
But as far as getting him to do whatever we want, I mean, it’s truly a battle of attrition. I mean, who can, you know, are you going to sit there and tell him to do it until he finally does it, or are you just going to give up? Which most of the time, I just say, okay, forget it. It’s just, it’s draining. Because, I mean, it’s difficult.
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Mia, Dylan’s eleven-year-old sister, also has autism. She was diagnosed at the early age of two because she was not meeting developmental milestones. Mia is a sweet young girl who enjoys spending time creating detailed artwork and playing with her pets. Although Mia recognizes facial expressions, she still has difficulty understanding the intent of others in social situations. Mia likes predictable routines and experiences extreme frustration when those routines are changed unexpectedly. In the video below, Mia’s mom shares more about Mia (time 4:54).
Transcript: Luz Binn describes Mia
Mom: Well, with Mia it was…she was early diagnosed at two years old. She was not meeting any of her milestones. So we got worried, and then we, you know, went to TRIAD, and then they gave us the diagnosis. And we were doing interventions since then.
Mia is very inquisitive. She is a wonderful artist. She loves to paint and to draw. She has beautiful drawings. She likes to learn. She loves animals and farms, you know, everything that has to do with science. For a child with autism, she is very loving. She eats ice cream every day. And she is very smart. She likes her horses. She’s in gymnastics. I think, right now, she’s just going through what every child goes through when she’s in middle school: a lot of changes, you know, a lot more challenges, especially socially. She doesn’t understand many things, but she’s growing up, and we are just putting all the efforts to try to give her as many skills as possible.
She started talking when she was five. So, right now, she communicates her needs and wants in simple phrases. She keeps repeating and repeating the same thing, the same thing over and over again. And she wants you to repeat the same things at the same time. She’s not aggressive. She’s very loving, and she recognizes facial expressions, and that’s really, really good. But she sometimes has really severe meltdowns, especially when her routine is changed or something has changed and nobody has taken the time to explain to her why and that she will have an opportunity later to go back to it.
Her ability to communicate through her drawings is her biggest asset. Her biggest challenge at this time is just the socialization part. She doesn’t know how to be friends. She doesn’t know when somebody is either being a bully or is making fun of her, and not enough opportunities in the community for her to be with a typical child that will have the patience to teach her a skill or how to be a friend and how to not do certain things that are not appropriate. I think is my biggest challenge just to find a social group. I haven’t been able to do that.
I think that, right now, Mia has been able to go to a typical classroom, be integrated in a typical classroom with an aid and follow the school curriculum after fifth grade. At sixth grade, it’s becoming difficult because of that comprehension, and I think that educators should realize when the child needs to be pulled out and then have a discussion with the mother and say, “Okay, so this child is really bright, and she can learn. Are you interested in geometry or do you want her to learn to go to the cash register and be able to pay for something she bought?” I think that if we put more real-life situations in the classroom and opportunities for these children to actually, you know, do what they can do out here in society, they’d be more independent, more sociable. Their social skills will grow. And it would be just easy to just transfer what they learn from class to outside. And that’s what we want. We want them to be independent and be able to do it correctly.
So I think that I would encourage them to also, you know, use the children that they have in class to try to be that support group that this child needs. Not taking from academic time but, you know, encourage them to at lunch time or at recess time, why don’t you go and play with this child and then teach them that, you know, we live in a world that is different and to be kind to one another?
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Watch Dylan as he shares his perspective on what teachers can do to better help students with ASD. Unlike many students with ASD, Dylan tends not to demonstrate many of the characteristics commonly associated with autism, in this instance addressing his preference for more loosely structured activities and environments. Next, Mia and her mom using social narratives, one of the 27 evidence-based practices for students with autism (time 3:11).
Transcript: Dylan (age 13) Shares His Perspective
Dylan: Well, I consider that they may give out less homework and classwork, and maybe be a little more open with their students. You know, that’s all I really have to say about it.
Interviewer: Okay, that’s good. Tell me how you learn best when you’re at school.
Dylan: How I learn best? I just learn best when it’s, like, for example, in English-language arts when writing something, I don’t like writing, like, transcribing from something. I just like free verse. Know I just like the classroom to be open.
Interviewer: That’s good. Can you describe a little more about what you mean? I mean, like, I might have an idea of “open” that’s different from what you mean. Can you describe that a little more?
Dylan: Well, what I mean about “open” is that, you know, they let us do our own thing instead of, like, sticking to, you know, guidelines. Like, you have to do this, this, and then this. Like, we can do something that’s relevant to it but not exactly like it. Just, like, in our own way.
Mia, age 11
Mom: Uno, dos, tres.
Mia [reading]: I see two people talking to each other. I know they are busy, and I shouldn’t interrupt. I can tell they are busy because they are standing close.
Mom: Uh huh, and the other one?
[Mia moves small cut-out pictures around the page.]
Mom: Now read it.
Mia [reading]: I can tell that they are busy because they are standing close talking only to each other.
Mom: Very good! So they’re talking to each other, and busy because they are talking to each other. That’s good.
[Mia’s mom flips to the next page in the workbook.]
Mom: Let’s see what else is a story. So this is the story. This is the page three.
[Mia yawns.]
Mom: Oh, I’m sorry. You are sleepy, but we are going to finish in a minute. Okay, so the next one is…
Mia [reading]: When I want to talk to someone who is already talking to someone else, a bad choice will be…
[Mia chooses some of the small pictures and moves them around the worksheet.]
Mom: A bad choice. What is that?
Mia [reading]: Yell, whine, interrupt, and start talking.
Mom: Okay, so now read it.
Mia [reading]: When I want to talk to someone who is already talking to someone else, a bad choice will be yell, whine, interrupt, and start talking.
Mom: Very good! Very good! So we do not interrupt or start talking because they are busy talking to each other, right? That would be a bad choice. A bad choice is to interrupt because that would be rude. Rude. Not good.
[Mia starts engaging in a repetitive behavior and yawns again.]
Mom: Okay, we are going to go to bed in a minute. Look at the faces. Let’s choose the right one. Okay.
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Michael
A seventeen-year-old high school student with autism, Michael spends much of his free time creating art on a computer and making crafts with beads. He enjoys math computer programs and indicates that math is his favorite school subject. Although Michael was not diagnosed with autism until age five, he received early intervention services beginning at age three because of developmental delays. Michael performs well when his routines are predictable, but he tends to become frustrated if unexpected changes are made to his schedule. In the video below, Michael’s mother Dana, who is also a high school teacher, tells us more about Michael and offers some tips for other teachers who work with students with ASD (time 5:59).
Transcript: Michael’s Mother Dana
Michael’s mother: Michael was diagnosed late, but he received early intervention at three, which was wonderful, and I would like to back up just a bit. When he was 18 months old, I thought, okay, there is something not right here. He wasn’t speaking, and we actually thought he was deaf because I would say his name and he wouldn’t respond. Now we know that’s a sign of autism. Of course, back then we didn’t know that, and so we took him to get his hearing tested, even had him put to sleep. There were, like, you know, tubes in his ears, and his hearing’s fine. And then I wouldn’t say he stopped speech; he just didn’t really go further. You know, I think he was four when he said “momma.” You know, and so our intervention came at three for speech therapy, and that helped, that helped; it really did and also a blessing, a wonderful thing is our high school had an early childhood education program. And so he was in early intervention from three to five. Getting those interventions, getting the speech therapy, getting the physical therapy, and interacting with typical kids, that was huge, and I really think that’s made all the difference. So, early intervention is key.
Michael was diagnosed at five, and I do need to talk a little more about that. We went to Vanderbilt at three. He had some of the characteristics but not all. Come back in a year. We went back in a year. He had some of the characteristics but not all. Come back again. So at five we finally got the official diagnosis, and I understood that. Let’s not put a label where we don’t need to put a label. Characteristics now are the eye contact. You know, it’s okay, but it’s not like it should be. You can tell by his speech that it’s not quite normal. He can answer back and forth, but it’s not what I call a normal conversation. I’m used to his movements, but I’m sure his movements are a little awkward. His walking is a little awkward.
Michael’s greatest strength is his ability to love, which may not seem like a great strength, but I think it is. He is a loving child. He reads well. He reads with feeling. I think his strength that maybe is not typical for autism is he will adapt. You know, he might hesitate at first if something is not in the routine, but he quickly adapts. And I think that is a good thing. Some things that are weaknesses: He’s not where he needs to be academically. You know, he’s getting there, but, you know, he is behind grade level. But he does work so hard, and socially, even though he’s come so far, you know, that’s hard when you can’t make friends. And when you don’t know how to use those cues, those social cues, and you know that’s a difficulty, I think.
We’ve had to change our strategies over the year for dealing with Michael at school and at home. When he was younger in school, I mean, I have drug him literally across the parking lot in pajamas. I mean, he was just overwhelmed by the noise. He was overwhelmed by just the students, and I think having smaller classrooms. He was in a cdc class, and then putting him slowly into regular class has helped, educating those teachers and letting them know what works with him. You know, for example, he is not one of those kids who you can, like, oh, here’s a piece of candy, and be, you know, of course, he’s like other kids. Oh, here’s a sucker. You got your hair cut. Good job. But he likes praise. He always likes praise. Good job! Good job, Michael! And that would let him get the job done. Keeping a routine, I mean, when he was little, keeping that routine helped a lot. It helped him at school, and letting him know at school when he was younger this is what’s going to happen. You know, letting him know maybe thirty minutes ahead of time, okay, in thirty minutes we’re going to P.E. We’re going to, and I do have to do that now as a 17-year-old. Okay, in 45 minutes, we’re going to go to the mall. We’re going to the store, you know, and letting him know, and then he’s ready.
As a teacher and as a parent of someone on the autism spectrum disorder, it is very, very important, the number one thing, all children are different. And I’ve heard that so many times from educators as a parent: Oh, I had a student with autism, so therefore I’ll do this with Michael. Well, that’s just not true. No, every child is different, every child has his or her quirks, like we all have our quirks. I’ve taught for 28 years. Every child is different. And, you know, that is the first thing to learn. I think the second thing I would say is give clear…the second thing I would say, give clear, precise rules, and you can do that with any kid, but I think kids with autism are so literal. Get those rules, and then also, I’ll just go ahead and say, make it literal. You know, realize that they’re literal and maybe be careful what you say.
I will say this to teachers, especially of younger children, there is so much hope, there is so much more than this child ever, you ever dreamed they could do. Just have faith, be patient, which is hard sometimes when they’re stimming or when they’re having a meltdown, but just know that there’s good stuff there. Just hold on just a little while longer, and you’re going to get there.
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Sitting between his mom (right) and his educational assistant, Ms. Lola (left), Michael talks a bit more about what he likes to do when he is at home and at school. Note that Michael gives clipped responses and appears frustrated, and repeatedly attempts to end the interview with a standard response, “I’m out! Bye!” This behavior is likely due to him being asked to leave a preferred activity, in this case computer time, to participate in the interview, a non-preferred activity (time 1:40).
Transcript: Michael
Miss Lola: Wasn’t that Mario what you made with that paper thing? Remember?
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Dana: Well, well…
Michael: I’m out! Bye!
Dana: Just a minute okay?
Michael: Ggggrrrrrrrrr!
Interviewer: So, Michael, tell me some of the things you like to do when you’re at home.
Michael: Play the computer.
Interviewer: What do you like to play on the computer?
Michael: My MS Paint stuff. Cool Math.
Interviewer: Can you talk a little bit about that?
Michael: I play the computer all day, and I play Cool Math, and that’s it.
Dana: Cool Math, what is that?
Michael: It’s a…it’s a computer…aaaaagghhhh…it’s a play…it’s a play. It’s for playing games.
Miss Lola: It’s mostly school, isn’t it?
Michael: Uh huh.
Miss Lola: Yeah.
Michael: I’m out! Bye!
Dana: And, listen, what about the pictures? ‘Cause, what was the first thing you said?
Michael: My…my bag of papers.
Dana: What was the first thing you said you watched on the computer?
Michael: My…my YouTube channel.
Dana: What’s the name of it?
Michael: I…I…IDX [inaudible].
Dana: IDX. Okay.
Michael: I’m out! Bye!
Interviewer: Michael, tell me a little bit about what you had to do at school. What’s your favorite thing at school?
Michael: Doing math.
Interviewer: You sound like you are a math wiz. Math on the computer, math in school, is that your favorite?
Michael: Yeah.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Michael: I’m out! Bye!
Interviewer: Are you about ready to show us some of your stuff in a minute, aren’t you?
Michael: Oh, okay, yeah.
Interviewer: Would you like to do that?
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Interviewer: Okay.
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