September 29, 2025 • 23 mins
What does autism really look like in the piano studio? Autism Spectrum Disorder exists on a continuum as varied as the individuals who experience it. We explore why nonverbal doesn't mean unable to understand, why avoiding eye contact doesn't signal disinterest in social connection, and why differences in neurological processing aren't deficits but simply different pathways to learning.
This episode dismantles common misconceptions that limit our expectations and teaching approaches. Through real-life examples and touching student stories, you'll gain practical insights into creating more inclusive and effective piano lessons.
Links
Interested in learning more about the best approaches for teaching neurodivergent learners? Take advantage of the 50% sale on Adaptive Piano Pedagogy 101! Use code FLASH50 at checkout.
Check out Dr. Scott Price's book, Autism and Piano Study
Blog posts on Autism Spectrum Disorder + piano teaching
Need some fidget toys for your neurodivergent students? Here are Elizabeth's favorites! {affiliate link}
Find the full transcript here of this episode and all past episodes!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
This is episode 13 of the Creative Piano Pedagogy
Podcast, and I'm your host,Elizabeth Davis Everhart.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
And I'm sorry about the littlebreak last week.
I have been sick for severalweeks, and last week I could not
talk without coughing.
But today we're back for anotherepisode in the new series,
(00:23):
Deconstructing Myths of Giftedand Neurodivergent Learners.
If you haven't had a chance, goback and listen to episode 12
where I had the incredible TaraMock on the podcast.
She was my first guest I've everhosted, and we had such a great
time talking aboutneurodiversity and how not to
(00:47):
underestimate our students andnot assume anything really.
And it was just a wonderfulconversation.
So I highly encourage you tolisten to that if you haven't
yet.
Today's topic is all aboutautism spectrum disorder.
This has been a little bit of ahot button topic in the
(01:07):
international and national newsthis week, and that was not
planned to coincide with thatbecause I don't really stay
super connected to things thathappen politically.
But I am very excited to sharesome myths and misconceptions
about autism on the episodetoday.
I thought a fun way to start ourepisode would be to play the
(01:30):
guess who game.
If you don't remember, this gamewas really popular probably 20,
30 years ago, and it had all ofthese plastic tabs with very
funny artwork of people's faces.
And they all had names likeRachel, Cheryl, Robert, and
(01:53):
people would take turns askingquestions: do they have blue
eyes or black eyes?
And you you could answer, um,and then you would eventually
guess who the person wasdescribing.
So we're gonna play a littleversion of the guess who game,
and I'm gonna share a couple ofscenarios with you.
And just in your mind, as you'relistening, I'd like for you to
(02:15):
guess which one sounds like anindividual with autism spectrum
disorder.
Here we go.
Our first one is a student whois 10 years old and loves piano.
Uh, they have a great ear andcan play anything very easily
(02:36):
from memory.
They can transpose, really playanything by ear that they've
ever heard and figured out onthe piano.
They have pretty terriblefingerings, um and they really
struggle with um getting easilyoverwhelmed as they're playing
and getting easily frustrated.
(02:57):
So that's our first one.
Here's our second one.
This student is um five yearsold and is basically um has
minimal verbal skills, theyrequire a lot of help in the
(03:17):
lesson to stay on task.
They have a lot of outbursts andum behavior struggles, they
struggle to play through theirmusic and stay focused.
They're always wiggling aroundthe room and have a difficult
time staying on task, and theyhave a lot of issues with finger
(03:38):
control and motor planning, likemoving each of their fingers.
So, which one would you say isthe student with autism spectrum
disorder?
If you said both, you'recorrect.
The reason it's called autismspectrum disorder is because of
that word spectrum.
(04:00):
There is a wide variance in howautism presents and how it is
for many individuals.
There's this really beautifulquote by Dr.
Stephen Shore that I love verymuch.
If you're not familiar with Dr.
Shore, he is a well-knownauthor.
(04:21):
His book is called Beyond theWall.
And he's also a teacher andmusician and just all around
wonderful person.
But his quote summarizes autismreally beautifully, and it is
when you've met one person withautism, you've met one person
with autism.
And that just speaks to theindividuality of each person and
(04:44):
their individual struggles,gifts, and strengths.
So we really lean into thespectrum on today's episode.
And let me share a little bitabout autism because maybe
you're not super familiar withit.
You may have students that youthink might be on the spectrum,
or you've heard about it, ormaybe you've had students on the
in the past.
(05:05):
But it is a neurologicalcondition that affects how
people experience the world, howthey learn, and it is diagnosed
with a very complex series oftests that assess their
communication, their verbalcommunication, their social
skills and interactions, andthen repetitive and restrictive
(05:30):
habits and movements.
So it you have to score acertain number in each of those
categories in order to beclassified as autistic.
But that is kind of a little bitin the nutshell of what autism
is, and the reason it's aspectrum is because each of
those skills that are assessed,it can be a wide range in any of
(05:52):
them.
So this is where the myth partof today's episode comes in,
talking about the myths andmisconceptions.
Because if I just say someonewith autism, you might think of
something very specific, like akid that you see in the library
that has headphones and isrocking back and forth playing
(06:14):
on a tablet or using a tabletfor communication and is
nonverbal at age 13 or 14.
That might be what you think ofwhen you think of autism.
Or you might think of a seven oreight-year-old who behaves and
seems just like any othertypical student, and they just
(06:35):
have some specific learningstruggles.
So it can vary, very greatlyacross the spectrum.
And when we're talking aboutcommunication, that's one of the
things that can really be a partof the myth of what people think
of autism.
There's a big myth thatnonverbal students cannot
(06:58):
understand instructions orcommunication, and that is so
far from being true.
Even when individuals don't havea lot of verbal skills or don't
communicate verbally, they arestill able to learn and grow and
enjoy music in very creativeways.
So that's definitely not thecase.
(07:21):
You might also have heard ofselective mutism, and this is
when students might choose notto speak or respond verbally
with certain circumstances, likewhen they're under a lot of
stress or they're feeling veryoverwhelmed or they're
frustrated.
They might refuse or choose notto speak verbally or communicate
(07:43):
verbally with you.
And that's something verydifferent.
That's not considered nonverbal,it's just selective mutism.
Another myth about thiscommunication aspect of autism
spectrum disorder is thatbecause students on the spectrum
tend to sort of not love to makeeye contact, that they also
(08:07):
don't enjoy social interactionsand conversations.
That is a definite myth.
Very, very large misconception.
Some of my most gregarious andchatty students in the past have
been not only on the spectrum,but have loved talking.
(08:28):
And in fact, it's kind of achallenge to get them to stop
talking once they start.
I bet you have had students likethat in the past that you kind
of have to gently transitionthem or shut them down in order
to help them actually learnbecause they love talking so
much.
But I have had many students onthe spectrum who love talking to
me.
(08:49):
Another myth is that students onthe spectrum don't have emotions
and they can't share theiremotions.
That is really bizarre.
Um it's a it's a reallyinteresting myth, and actually,
Tara and I talked about that alittle bit on the last episode,
(09:10):
episode 12, and she was able toshare some really interesting
insights about her son.
So again, go back and listen toepisode 12.
But just because someone doesnot have a lot of facial
expressions or doesn't sharetheir emotions on their face and
wear their emotions on theirface with a big smile and making
(09:31):
eye contact, that does not meanthat they don't feel deeply and
that they're incapable offeeling emotion.
Another myth I've heard quite abit or misconception is that
students with autism are alwaysgoing to have terrible posture
at the piano.
(09:52):
Like they they might be a littlebit hunched over in the way they
sit or unable to have reallygood technique with their
fingers.
And again, this is all just verydependent on each student and
what where their gifts lie andwhere their strengths are.
But to just make an assumptionand say that students on the
(10:12):
spectrum will not have goodposture is just kind of doing a
disservice to your studentsbecause you're not sure what
they're capable of yet.
Let them show you and don'tlimit them by something that
you've heard that may not evenbe true.
Something else I've heardteachers say quite often about
students on the spectrum,especially in regards to music
(10:35):
and piano lessons, is that youcannot teach autistic students
in groups.
You can only teach themone-on-one.
And this is referring to acomment in several comments I've
seen online of teachers who saidthat you cannot teach them in
piano groups or instrumentalgroups or in classrooms, that
(10:56):
they need one-on-oneinstruction.
And of course, there's a littlebit of truth to this.
Don't we all probably do betterwith one-on-one instruction if
we're given the opportunity andthe chance?
But also, people with autism arejust that people.
And people enjoy connecting withothers who have shared
(11:19):
interests.
And I think it's so worth theeffort of trying to get your
students together in groups,whether it's a performance class
leading up to a recital whereyou all get together and
practice performing.
What a great thing for yourneurodivergent students to have
an experience where they canplay their music before the
(11:42):
recital for other people andalso enjoy the social
interaction with other students,probably their age.
So don't be afraid to try thatjust because some people might
caution or say it doesn't work.
You will never know until yougive it a try, and each student
is so different, your experiencemight be really wonderful.
(12:08):
In the news this past week, andhere in the US, there have been
some things said frompoliticians that autism is a
disease.
I saw one post saying that it'sa contagious disease, and one
person said it was infectious.
(12:28):
But let me just reassure you, itis not a disease, it's not
contagious, it's not affectioninfectious, and it's certainly
not a mental health condition.
Just because people with autismthink differently doesn't mean
they think less or are in adeficit.
Difference does not equate adeficit.
(12:52):
Autistic people are so veryintelligent.
And if any of you listening arein the Piano Teachers Book Club,
we are reading a book written byan autistic author and
behavioral animal scientist whois a world-renowned um
individual, Dr.
(13:12):
Temple Grandin.
And reading her book again, Ithink this is the third time
I've read this specific book,Visual Thinking, and hearing her
experiences as an autistic childjust makes me all the more
stubborn and um oh, I can'tthink of the word, but just all
(13:36):
the more persistent anddedicated to teaching students
on the spectrum because theymiss out on so much due to
assumptions or lack ofresources, and it just makes me
all the more dedicated toproviding good things for them
because they're very, verycapable people.
(13:56):
I want to leave you with alittle anecdote about something
that my student told me not longago.
This student is 12 years old.
She is diagnosed with autism andADHD.
Um, sometimes we call that ADHDbecause it's autism and ADHD
together.
(14:16):
And she also has some otherlearning disabilities.
We were having this really greatconversation in her lesson.
She loves to talk.
And she said, Dr.
Elizabeth, are you autistic?
And I was so taken aback by herquestion because it kind of came
out of nowhere.
And even though I teachneurodivergent students very
(14:39):
often, and they're the majorityof my student population, we
don't really discussdisabilities in our lessons
together.
We talk about music, we talkabout things they like to do,
but we don't typically talkabout autism or dyslexia or
ADHD.
So I was really surprised whenshe asked, Are you autistic?
(15:00):
So I said, No, I'm not.
I am ADHD, but I do not haveautism.
So then I asked her, Why did youask me if I was autistic?
And as plainly as she could, injust instantaneous response, she
said, Well, I have autism and uhit makes me really cool.
(15:20):
I'm really good at things thatother people are not good at.
And I think you're cool, sothat's why I thought maybe you
have autism too.
Wow, what a cool thing for mystudent to be able to articulate
her perspective of her autism.
And I know that is verydifferent from how many people
(15:41):
feel about autism forthemselves, for their family
members, for others they mightknow or come in contact with.
But just remember, it'sdifferent for every individual.
When you've met one person withautism, you've met one person
with autism.
And for my student, she thought,hey, my piano teacher is cool,
and I think that me havingautism is cool, so maybe she has
(16:04):
autism too.
I was actually really honoredthat she asked me that question
because it's not something astudent would typically be able
to articulate to me, and it wasa really special moment together
talking about how she feelsabout autism.
And she did share with me somestruggles.
She has a lot of trouble makingfriends because her social
(16:27):
skills are not on the same levelas her intellectual or academic
skills.
I am her friend because we worktogether weekly, one-on-one.
But for her to make friends atschool or other places is very,
very difficult.
So she did share some of herchallenges with me, and I
thanked her.
(16:48):
That was a very vulnerable thingof her to do, to share her
struggles with me, but also toshare her joy and just autism
makes me cool.
I'm good at things other peopleare not good at.
I wish all of us could seeourselves that way, that
whatever quirks and differenceswe have, it just makes us good
(17:10):
at things that other peoplemight not be good at.
So even for us teachers, we allhave unique gifts as well.
Some of us are really good atthe administrative side of piano
teaching, and we love a goodspreadsheet where we can keep
track of our students' progressand our billing.
Some of us absolutely hate theadministrative side of piano
(17:32):
teaching and would rather bedoing lesson plans or choosing
repertoire or planning eventsand recitals and festivals,
doing anything besidesadministrative work.
I love meeting with pianoteachers because it reminds me
of how unique we all are in ourcollective creativities.
(17:53):
And we need that much diversityin approaches in the piano
teaching world because ourstudents are very diverse
people.
One of my very favoriteprofessors, Scott Price, who is
one of the best experts onautism and piano teaching, has
(18:14):
this amazing quote and it says,The music doesn't discriminate,
and neither should we.
I think that sums it up prettybeautifully.
I have a closing challenge foryou today that I would like for
you to try in your lessons thiscoming week.
This is your parting littleteaching tip for this episode.
(18:36):
If you have a student in yourstudio that you suspect is
autistic or you know is on thespectrum, I want you to make it
your mission in their nextlesson to observe three new
things about them.
Obviously, if you don't have astudent with autism or maybe
you're not even teaching rightnow, observe someone else in
(18:56):
your life.
Observe a family member orcoworker, somebody that you
would like to get to knowbetter.
Observe their body language,responses or reactions to your
questions and teachinginstruction.
What do they do when you givethem new music?
Where do they pause when they'respeaking?
(19:18):
At what point in the lesson dothey start fidgeting or
stimming?
Write those three things downthat you notice.
Because the more we can learnand notice about our students,
the more you learn how theylearn.
I want to leave you with thatchallenge and little teaching
tip today.
(19:38):
It's one of the most powerfulthings you can do as a teacher
to become a student of yourstudent and be the most
observant teacher that you canpossibly be.
Autism comes with a lot ofchallenges, and like we've
talked about today, there are alot of great gifts of people
(19:58):
like Temple Grandin and lots ofpeople I know who are just
exceedingly intelligent andbrilliant, but it also comes
with a lot of challenges.
People experience mobilitychallenges and communication
issues, and some struggle tolive independently.
Wherever your students are onthe spectrum, I hope that this
(20:19):
episode encourages you to seeyour student first rather than
the autism.
We can never go wrong byfocusing on our students and
learning them.
This is episode 13 of the Creative Piano Pedagogy
Podcast, and I'm your host,Elizabeth Davis Everhart.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
And I'm sorry about the littlebreak last week.
I have been sick for severalweeks, and last week I could not
talk without coughing.
But today we're back for anotherepisode in the new series,
(00:23):
Deconstructing Myths of Giftedand Neurodivergent Learners.
If you haven't had a chance, goback and listen to episode 12
where I had the incredible TaraMock on the podcast.
She was my first guest I've everhosted, and we had such a great
time talking aboutneurodiversity and how not to
(00:47):
underestimate our students andnot assume anything really.
And it was just a wonderfulconversation.
So I highly encourage you tolisten to that if you haven't
yet.
Today's topic is all aboutautism spectrum disorder.
This has been a little bit of ahot button topic in the
(01:07):
international and national newsthis week, and that was not
planned to coincide with thatbecause I don't really stay
super connected to things thathappen politically.
But I am very excited to sharesome myths and misconceptions
about autism on the episodetoday.
I thought a fun way to start ourepisode would be to play the
(01:30):
guess who game.
If you don't remember, this gamewas really popular probably 20,
30 years ago, and it had all ofthese plastic tabs with very
funny artwork of people's faces.
And they all had names likeRachel, Cheryl, Robert, and
(01:53):
people would take turns askingquestions: do they have blue
eyes or black eyes?
And you you could answer, um,and then you would eventually
guess who the person wasdescribing.
So we're gonna play a littleversion of the guess who game,
and I'm gonna share a couple ofscenarios with you.
And just in your mind, as you'relistening, I'd like for you to
(02:15):
guess which one sounds like anindividual with autism spectrum
disorder.
Here we go.
Our first one is a student whois 10 years old and loves piano.
Uh, they have a great ear andcan play anything very easily
(02:36):
from memory.
They can transpose, really playanything by ear that they've
ever heard and figured out onthe piano.
They have pretty terriblefingerings, um and they really
struggle with um getting easilyoverwhelmed as they're playing
and getting easily frustrated.
(02:57):
So that's our first one.
Here's our second one.
This student is um five yearsold and is basically um has
minimal verbal skills, theyrequire a lot of help in the
(03:17):
lesson to stay on task.
They have a lot of outbursts andum behavior struggles, they
struggle to play through theirmusic and stay focused.
They're always wiggling aroundthe room and have a difficult
time staying on task, and theyhave a lot of issues with finger
(03:38):
control and motor planning, likemoving each of their fingers.
So, which one would you say isthe student with autism spectrum
disorder?
If you said both, you'recorrect.
The reason it's called autismspectrum disorder is because of
that word spectrum.
(04:00):
There is a wide variance in howautism presents and how it is
for many individuals.
There's this really beautifulquote by Dr.
Stephen Shore that I love verymuch.
If you're not familiar with Dr.
Shore, he is a well-knownauthor.
(04:21):
His book is called Beyond theWall.
And he's also a teacher andmusician and just all around
wonderful person.
But his quote summarizes autismreally beautifully, and it is
when you've met one person withautism, you've met one person
with autism.
And that just speaks to theindividuality of each person and
(04:44):
their individual struggles,gifts, and strengths.
So we really lean into thespectrum on today's episode.
And let me share a little bitabout autism because maybe
you're not super familiar withit.
You may have students that youthink might be on the spectrum,
or you've heard about it, ormaybe you've had students on the
in the past.
(05:05):
But it is a neurologicalcondition that affects how
people experience the world, howthey learn, and it is diagnosed
with a very complex series oftests that assess their
communication, their verbalcommunication, their social
skills and interactions, andthen repetitive and restrictive
(05:30):
habits and movements.
So it you have to score acertain number in each of those
categories in order to beclassified as autistic.
But that is kind of a little bitin the nutshell of what autism
is, and the reason it's aspectrum is because each of
those skills that are assessed,it can be a wide range in any of
(05:52):
them.
So this is where the myth partof today's episode comes in,
talking about the myths andmisconceptions.
Because if I just say someonewith autism, you might think of
something very specific, like akid that you see in the library
that has headphones and isrocking back and forth playing
(06:14):
on a tablet or using a tabletfor communication and is
nonverbal at age 13 or 14.
That might be what you think ofwhen you think of autism.
Or you might think of a seven oreight-year-old who behaves and
seems just like any othertypical student, and they just
(06:35):
have some specific learningstruggles.
So it can vary, very greatlyacross the spectrum.
And when we're talking aboutcommunication, that's one of the
things that can really be a partof the myth of what people think
of autism.
There's a big myth thatnonverbal students cannot
(06:58):
understand instructions orcommunication, and that is so
far from being true.
Even when individuals don't havea lot of verbal skills or don't
communicate verbally, they arestill able to learn and grow and
enjoy music in very creativeways.
So that's definitely not thecase.
(07:21):
You might also have heard ofselective mutism, and this is
when students might choose notto speak or respond verbally
with certain circumstances, likewhen they're under a lot of
stress or they're feeling veryoverwhelmed or they're
frustrated.
They might refuse or choose notto speak verbally or communicate
(07:43):
verbally with you.
And that's something verydifferent.
That's not considered nonverbal,it's just selective mutism.
Another myth about thiscommunication aspect of autism
spectrum disorder is thatbecause students on the spectrum
tend to sort of not love to makeeye contact, that they also
(08:07):
don't enjoy social interactionsand conversations.
That is a definite myth.
Very, very large misconception.
Some of my most gregarious andchatty students in the past have
been not only on the spectrum,but have loved talking.
(08:28):
And in fact, it's kind of achallenge to get them to stop
talking once they start.
I bet you have had students likethat in the past that you kind
of have to gently transitionthem or shut them down in order
to help them actually learnbecause they love talking so
much.
But I have had many students onthe spectrum who love talking to
me.
(08:49):
Another myth is that students onthe spectrum don't have emotions
and they can't share theiremotions.
That is really bizarre.
Um it's a it's a reallyinteresting myth, and actually,
Tara and I talked about that alittle bit on the last episode,
(09:10):
episode 12, and she was able toshare some really interesting
insights about her son.
So again, go back and listen toepisode 12.
But just because someone doesnot have a lot of facial
expressions or doesn't sharetheir emotions on their face and
wear their emotions on theirface with a big smile and making
(09:31):
eye contact, that does not meanthat they don't feel deeply and
that they're incapable offeeling emotion.
Another myth I've heard quite abit or misconception is that
students with autism are alwaysgoing to have terrible posture
at the piano.
(09:52):
Like they they might be a littlebit hunched over in the way they
sit or unable to have reallygood technique with their
fingers.
And again, this is all just verydependent on each student and
what where their gifts lie andwhere their strengths are.
But to just make an assumptionand say that students on the
(10:12):
spectrum will not have goodposture is just kind of doing a
disservice to your studentsbecause you're not sure what
they're capable of yet.
Let them show you and don'tlimit them by something that
you've heard that may not evenbe true.
Something else I've heardteachers say quite often about
students on the spectrum,especially in regards to music
(10:35):
and piano lessons, is that youcannot teach autistic students
in groups.
You can only teach themone-on-one.
And this is referring to acomment in several comments I've
seen online of teachers who saidthat you cannot teach them in
piano groups or instrumentalgroups or in classrooms, that
(10:56):
they need one-on-oneinstruction.
And of course, there's a littlebit of truth to this.
Don't we all probably do betterwith one-on-one instruction if
we're given the opportunity andthe chance?
But also, people with autism arejust that people.
And people enjoy connecting withothers who have shared
(11:19):
interests.
And I think it's so worth theeffort of trying to get your
students together in groups,whether it's a performance class
leading up to a recital whereyou all get together and
practice performing.
What a great thing for yourneurodivergent students to have
an experience where they canplay their music before the
(11:42):
recital for other people andalso enjoy the social
interaction with other students,probably their age.
So don't be afraid to try thatjust because some people might
caution or say it doesn't work.
You will never know until yougive it a try, and each student
is so different, your experiencemight be really wonderful.
(12:08):
In the news this past week, andhere in the US, there have been
some things said frompoliticians that autism is a
disease.
I saw one post saying that it'sa contagious disease, and one
person said it was infectious.
(12:28):
But let me just reassure you, itis not a disease, it's not
contagious, it's not affectioninfectious, and it's certainly
not a mental health condition.
Just because people with autismthink differently doesn't mean
they think less or are in adeficit.
Difference does not equate adeficit.
(12:52):
Autistic people are so veryintelligent.
And if any of you listening arein the Piano Teachers Book Club,
we are reading a book written byan autistic author and
behavioral animal scientist whois a world-renowned um
individual, Dr.
(13:12):
Temple Grandin.
And reading her book again, Ithink this is the third time
I've read this specific book,Visual Thinking, and hearing her
experiences as an autistic childjust makes me all the more
stubborn and um oh, I can'tthink of the word, but just all
(13:36):
the more persistent anddedicated to teaching students
on the spectrum because theymiss out on so much due to
assumptions or lack ofresources, and it just makes me
all the more dedicated toproviding good things for them
because they're very, verycapable people.
(13:56):
I want to leave you with alittle anecdote about something
that my student told me not longago.
This student is 12 years old.
She is diagnosed with autism andADHD.
Um, sometimes we call that ADHDbecause it's autism and ADHD
together.
(14:16):
And she also has some otherlearning disabilities.
We were having this really greatconversation in her lesson.
She loves to talk.
And she said, Dr.
Elizabeth, are you autistic?
And I was so taken aback by herquestion because it kind of came
out of nowhere.
And even though I teachneurodivergent students very
(14:39):
often, and they're the majorityof my student population, we
don't really discussdisabilities in our lessons
together.
We talk about music, we talkabout things they like to do,
but we don't typically talkabout autism or dyslexia or
ADHD.
So I was really surprised whenshe asked, Are you autistic?
(15:00):
So I said, No, I'm not.
I am ADHD, but I do not haveautism.
So then I asked her, Why did youask me if I was autistic?
And as plainly as she could, injust instantaneous response, she
said, Well, I have autism and uhit makes me really cool.
(15:20):
I'm really good at things thatother people are not good at.
And I think you're cool, sothat's why I thought maybe you
have autism too.
Wow, what a cool thing for mystudent to be able to articulate
her perspective of her autism.
And I know that is verydifferent from how many people
(15:41):
feel about autism forthemselves, for their family
members, for others they mightknow or come in contact with.
But just remember, it'sdifferent for every individual.
When you've met one person withautism, you've met one person
with autism.
And for my student, she thought,hey, my piano teacher is cool,
and I think that me havingautism is cool, so maybe she has
(16:04):
autism too.
I was actually really honoredthat she asked me that question
because it's not something astudent would typically be able
to articulate to me, and it wasa really special moment together
talking about how she feelsabout autism.
And she did share with me somestruggles.
She has a lot of trouble makingfriends because her social
(16:27):
skills are not on the same levelas her intellectual or academic
skills.
I am her friend because we worktogether weekly, one-on-one.
But for her to make friends atschool or other places is very,
very difficult.
So she did share some of herchallenges with me, and I
thanked her.
(16:48):
That was a very vulnerable thingof her to do, to share her
struggles with me, but also toshare her joy and just autism
makes me cool.
I'm good at things other peopleare not good at.
I wish all of us could seeourselves that way, that
whatever quirks and differenceswe have, it just makes us good
(17:10):
at things that other peoplemight not be good at.
So even for us teachers, we allhave unique gifts as well.
Some of us are really good atthe administrative side of piano
teaching, and we love a goodspreadsheet where we can keep
track of our students' progressand our billing.
Some of us absolutely hate theadministrative side of piano
(17:32):
teaching and would rather bedoing lesson plans or choosing
repertoire or planning eventsand recitals and festivals,
doing anything besidesadministrative work.
I love meeting with pianoteachers because it reminds me
of how unique we all are in ourcollective creativities.
(17:53):
And we need that much diversityin approaches in the piano
teaching world because ourstudents are very diverse
people.
One of my very favoriteprofessors, Scott Price, who is
one of the best experts onautism and piano teaching, has
(18:14):
this amazing quote and it says,The music doesn't discriminate,
and neither should we.
I think that sums it up prettybeautifully.
I have a closing challenge foryou today that I would like for
you to try in your lessons thiscoming week.
This is your parting littleteaching tip for this episode.
(18:36):
If you have a student in yourstudio that you suspect is
autistic or you know is on thespectrum, I want you to make it
your mission in their nextlesson to observe three new
things about them.
Obviously, if you don't have astudent with autism or maybe
you're not even teaching rightnow, observe someone else in
(18:56):
your life.
Observe a family member orcoworker, somebody that you
would like to get to knowbetter.
Observe their body language,responses or reactions to your
questions and teachinginstruction.
What do they do when you givethem new music?
Where do they pause when they'respeaking?
(19:18):
At what point in the lesson dothey start fidgeting or
stimming?
Write those three things downthat you notice.
Because the more we can learnand notice about our students,
the more you learn how theylearn.
I want to leave you with thatchallenge and little teaching
tip today.
(19:38):
It's one of the most powerfulthings you can do as a teacher
to become a student of yourstudent and be the most
observant teacher that you canpossibly be.
Autism comes with a lot ofchallenges, and like we've
talked about today, there are alot of great gifts of people
(19:58):
like Temple Grandin and lots ofpeople I know who are just
exceedingly intelligent andbrilliant, but it also comes
with a lot of challenges.
People experience mobilitychallenges and communication
issues, and some struggle tolive independently.
Wherever your students are onthe spectrum, I hope that this
(20:19):
episode encourages you to seeyour student first rather than
the autism.
We can never go wrong byfocusing on our students and
learning them.
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