Autism Studies Looks Ahead

A Return to the Public Eye

As Michael Waddell rounded out the academic year in May, he did so with an enthusiastic eye on the future. The winter and spring had gone well: the Autism Studies department had just completed an impactful return to public programming, students successfully completed and graduated with their master’s degree, and they’d at-long-last hosted the first Autism Lecture Series guest speaker, none other than Temple Grandin. It was a semester full of excitement.

Waddell is the program director of the Master of Autism Studies program. A 12-year member of the College faculty, Waddell and his colleagues have shaped the autism program into one that is recognized throughout the Midwest as a premier center for both undergraduate and graduate education. Professionals, parents, and caregivers in the region look to the department’s programming as the leader in the field of autism care.

It’s this arena—the community events—that were closed for nearly two years. While students continued with their coursework, workshops for the public sector were suspended, and it was a loss felt throughout the industry.

The Autism Studies program hosts several types of public events. “Autism Studies Colloquia  are a place to discuss new ideas, works in progress, local initiatives, etc. We need that kind of ‘working space,’” Waddell said. “Our autism workshops provide training in autism interventions for professionals, parents, and caregivers. But autism is about so much more than just interventions. We needed a forum to discuss the big ideas in conversation with the most important people in the field.”

So, after many years in the making, the first-ever Autism Lecture Series event was held and  brought a decidedly important mind when Temple Grandin spoke to a packed crowd on April 20. Grandin, a world-renowned professor, animal science expert and best-selling author, was the perfect inaugural speaker, said Waddell. 

“The lecture series gives our students and community opportunities to interact with the giants in the world of autism, and lets both these experts and the wider world know about the work we are doing at Saint Mary’s,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised at how eager Temple was to spend time talking with students, faculty, and members of the community. She truly went above and beyond in this regard.”

Grandin is a prolific author on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), something she herself has. At 74, her lifetime of successes did not come easy, but that night she shared her vision for young adults on the spectrum and how caregivers can help them thrive.

She encouraged a sort of “stretching”, pushing young people on the spectrum  gently outside their comfort zone in order to get used to doing more. She also extolled the value of exposing children to many different things—animals, environments, even vocations. 

More provocatively, Grandin expressed concern that people are sometimes going too far into the "autism box", stating that we should be helping clients learn to live successfully without focusing too much on the label.

“In terms of what she was telling folks, I didn’t find too many surprises because she was promoting ideas we discuss often in the autism studies program,” Waddell said. “I did find it interesting that she expressed concerns about situations in which the autism “label” becomes debilitating—e.g., when therapists, teachers or employers assume that a person can’t do something because they are diagnosed with ASD, or when a parent becomes overprotective and doesn’t give her child the opportunities they need to grow.”

He continued: “In the autism studies program, we don’t just focus on the challenges people on the spectrum face, though; we also study their strengths and think about how their gifts can be developed to help them flourish in all areas of life. In other words, we don’t study autism to disable people on the spectrum; we study autism to empower them. It was kind of nice to have Temple Grandin validate so much of what we are teaching our students.”

A generous endowment gift from the Peter B. and Adeline W. Ruffin Foundation in New York City has assured the Autism Lecture Series will be an annual event.

The Big Picture

Autism Studies at Saint Mary’s is comprised of the Master of Autism Studies program, research initiatives, community programs and continuing education such as the colloquia and workshops outlined above. It also provides undergraduate students at Saint Mary’s access to what it's like to work in the industry.

Joshua John Diehl, Ph.D. is faculty fellow in the department, and also the chief program officer for Child & Adolescent Services at LOGAN, a South Bend-based agency for children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Diehl leads a $3.5 million research project, known as ND-SPARC, in which he and students study communication and relationships in families that include a child with an intellectual or developmental disability.

Diehl is invested in helping the Autism Studies program  at Saint Mary’s continue to grow, both in terms of direct clinical services such as the PEERS Social Skills programs for local youth on the spectrum run by autism studies graduate students, but also in terms of providing resources and knowledge to community members looking for guidance.

His take on Grandin’s visit was of our message for the future of those on the autism spectrum.

“She had a laser focus on the importance of vocation,” he said. “One’s vocation becomes part of one’s identity, and as a community (and country) we desperately need to focus more on vocational development and support for people with autism. She also mentioned the importance of helping individuals with autism desensitize to sensory processing issues, rather than focusing so much on adjusting the environment. This would empower individuals with autism to engage in the community.”

What's the future of autism studies? Waddell has a lot of thoughts on that. 

“Gosh, where to begin? We have a lot of work to do: we need to make society more inclusive and accepting of people on the spectrum; we need to empower people on the spectrum to become their own best advocates; we need to advance research in the basic science of autism; we need to continue to develop evidence-based interventions and get insurance coverage for the full range of existing evidence-based interventions, not just a small subset of them; we need to educate professionals who can work across disciplinary boundaries to offer integrated services; we need to learn more about girls and women on the spectrum; we need to do more to support people on the spectrum as they transition to adulthood, including helping them to succeed in college, find meaningful work, enjoy adult relationships, and live as independently as they want; we need to study how people on the spectrum age and prepare to support them later in life.”

“There’s so much to be done. But we’ve got good people who want to do the work. We just need the resources to make it happen.”

To learn more about the Autism Studies program at Saint Mary’s College, click here. 

June 5, 2022