Jason Dietrich was diagnosed with autiam and hyperlexia at a young age. In this interview he shares his dreams, what it felt like when teachers “saw” him and how STEM can be an area schooling where children like him can thrive.
Table of Contents
- Embracing the Fascination with Words and Letters
- What Does It Feel Like to Be Recognized for Your Talents?
- Dreaming Big: Jason’s Aspirations for the Future
- Nurturing Unique Abilities: A Guide for Parents
- Final Thoughts on Autism and Education
- Full Transcript
Welcome to ‘The Happy Sensory Corner’ – the podcast where we explore the world of sensory enrichment and environmental enrichment to treat neurological conditions.
Through insightful discussions, interviews with experienced experts in a variety of fields, from nutrition to psychology, and inspiring stories of resilience, we uncover the secrets to success in raising a child with complex needs. Discover practical strategies, sensory enrichment protocols, and evidence-based practices that can transform lives one episode at a time.
Anneke Elmhirst is a relationship coach and former behavior analyst. With her we discuss:
– Ethical concerns with ABA practices and how they can impact neurodivergent children.
– The importance of respect and self-regulation in building healthier relationships between neurodivergent children and their parents.
– How parent education can foster acceptance and long-term well-being for children with special needs.
Anneke shares her journey from behavior analysis to relationship coaching, revealing why she left the ABA field due to ethical concerns and how she now empowers families and individuals to thrive authentically.
Claudie explains the brain’s role in self-regulation and the neurobiology behind stress reduction in children with sensory challenges. She also shares sensory enrichment strategies, including specific games to support emotional regulation and build trust between parents and children.
Episode Highlights
@3:37 – Anneke explains why she transitioned from ABA to coaching, citing the need for more ethical, child-centered practices.
@7:28 – Anneke describes her concerns about the societal pressures in ABA, including an anecdote about pushing children toward “age-appropriate” recreational skills that might not bring them joy.
@13:33 – Anneke challenges the idea that parents must “change” their children to fit societal norms and highlights the importance of fostering acceptance.
@15:23 – Anneke shares practical steps for educating parents about behaviors like stimming and how to help them reframe these actions positively.
@24:06 – Claudie explains how serotonin imbalances contribute to anxiety in nonverbal children and describes sensory enrichment activities, like massage and music, that help children self-regulate.
@38:11 – Claudie shares a touching story about how offering alternatives for a child’s unsafe stimming behavior led to mutual respect between the child and parent.
@38:51 – Anneke highlights why respect is a two-way street and shares how children often communicate respect in unique ways.
@40:52 – Anneke discusses how teaching children to respect boundaries fosters emotional growth and independence.
Understanding Hyperlexia: A Unique Gift
Diagnosed with hyperlexia at age five, Jason spent many of his early school years reading at a fifth-grade level but struggling to comprehend complex ideas. Hyperlexia is a condition in which children can read but often have gaps in their ability to understand what they’re reading.
‘Hyperlexia,’ Jason explains, ‘is where a person is able to read very, very well, and at a very early age, but yet can’t comprehend enough of what they are reading.’
The contradiction, for child and teacher alike, can be perplexing and infuriating.
Despite these obstacles, Jason believes it’s important to be aware of hyperlexia.
‘There are a lot of people who know about it, and there’s also a lot of people who don’t know about it,’ he says. ‘But I’m definitely here to help to spread awareness, because it helps for educational institutions and stuff like that.
The Role of Teachers in Early Education
In elementary school, Jason says:
‘My teachers were very much not supportive of my skill sets and abilities, unfortunately.’
That lack of understanding can be devastating, making it more difficult for children to learn and thrive.
But perhaps the most damaging experience for Jason was when a teacher read his assessment and mischaracterised his abilities at the time.
‘My good middle-school teachers,’ he said, ‘looked at that paper and said, you know, who is this kid? This isn’t Jason at all.’
The differences between the Jason the student knew and the Jason the teacher perceived helps to explain why teachers are so critical to developing students’ unique gifts.
Middle School: A Turning Point
Then middle school brought the pivot that so many kids with learning and thinking differences experience – teachers who were willing to invest time and effort to learn who he was.
‘My middle school teachers helped me realise that hyperlexia was this really tiny thing,’ Jason says.
That support gave Jason the opportunity to figure out that he has a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) bent, and that he learns best by doing things with his hands, as he told us:
‘I learn by seeing.’
Not only did it expose the learning style that was right for this 11-year-old, it helped him discover talents he didn’t realise he had.
STEM Education: Unlocking Potential
STEM education became available to him through Jason, and has been life-changing.
‘I liked having the idea that you’re a scientist and you’re trying to figure out how this all works. It was really fun to be able to do experiments.’
Having to figure out how things work allowed Jason to think critically. It was a welcome departure from the memorisation he’d been forced to do to try to understand his classwork.
In addition, it was finally during middle school that he first realised the power of his eidetic memory.
‘It helped me through studying, which allowed me to memorise some more difficult STEM words for the quizzes and tests.’
The value of personalised education that caters to a child’s unique strengths is reinforced here.
Redefining Hyperlexia: A Superpower
Perhaps his strongest message is the importance of harnessing the unique strengths and abilities that come with hyperlexia. By focusing on the positive aspects of hyperlexia, individuals can explore new opportunities for learning and communication that might otherwise be overlooked. This approach encourages a proactive mindset, where those with hyperlexia are empowered to embrace their differences and leverage their exceptional reading and comprehension skills to navigate the world around them. Ultimately, this message serves as a call to action for parents, educators, and society as a whole to support and uplift individuals with hyperlexia, fostering an environment where they can thrive and contribute meaningfully, rather than allowing them to feel constrained by their unique cognitive profile. In his words, ‘Hyperlexia is not a disability; it’s a superpower.’ He views this as a strong counter to stigmatising attitudes.
Jason encourages others to consider the positives that arise from such experiences; these are positives that ‘I have because of my experiences’, as he says. Hyperlexia had had so much psychological and social value for him – educational value, as it were – that the very idea of removing that value made him initially question his own empowerment. This framing encourages us to think differently about the advantages that are entailed in models of value and ability in educational settings.
Encouraging Creativity and Imagination
As well as recognising the importance of learning differences, encouraging creativity is key for the young with autism. Jason adds:
‘Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.’
This lesson about the importance of encouraging interest-led learning and allowing children to ‘dream big’, and think creatively, is a reminder to all.
He emphasises how important it is to support children’s dreams, however far-fetched they might seem.
‘When you allow children to dream and set high goals, that can provide purpose and concentration for their learning.’
This not only helps to develop the child’s talents, but promotes confidence and resilience as well.
Music as a Calming Influence
Music was a major part of Jason’s world and helped him feel calm. For example, going to the hairdresser’s could be a very stressful experience for him. ‘I used to be able to just go in the room and listen to music to get through it,’ he says. ‘I used to listen to stuff like Celine Dion.’ This ability of music to help individuals with autism regulate their emotions reminded me of the importance of sensory experience and the richness that it can bring.
For example, Jason says: music I found later was helpful in the focus and the anxiety part. This example shows what an important role sensory-friendly strategies can have in school environments when it’s needed to help a student stay on track.
Building a Supportive Environment
Jason’s story highlights the need for an educational environment that can support students with autism according to their individual needs. His story shows us that we need to teach educators, parents and communities alike how to help each other learn. Children like Jason deserve a chance to flourish – let’s give them one.
From Jason, we’ve learnt that every child has a hidden gift, a different way of learning that can help us understand the world. And if we can allow ourselves to look at the world through that child’s eyes, we’ll have a more inclusive world for all learners.
- Autism Awareness
- Hyperlexia
- STEM Education
- Special Education
- Creative Learning
- Music Therapy
SEO Meta Description: Discover Jason Dietrich’s inspiring journey of overcoming challenges related to hyperlexia, a form of autism. Learn about the importance of supportive education, the role of STEM, and how to nurture creativity in children with special needs.
Embracing the Fascination with Words and Letters
Since he was very young he knew that the shapes and forms of letters made sense to him. He was captivated by them. It wasn’t just a casual interest, he said, it was that each letter – the way it looked, the way it was formed – grabbed hold of him, and allowed him to get inside each one, thanks to his eidetic memory.
‘For each letter of the alphabet, it had its own shape, and it had a visual,’ he says. ‘It drew me in, that intrinsic motivation.’
That intrinsic motivation drew him to books, which in turn opened many doors. To stories. To another world.
As a lover of mysteries and adventure, Jason got his reading habit from a book series, Magic Treehouse, that he still remembers today. ‘It was kids who had a mystery, that they had to solve, and it was really interesting, because it was also a collaborative learning thing, too,’ he says. This is a big part of what’s going on for my own kids.
Navigating Sensory Processing Challenges
Jason was a proficient but slow reader. Yet he suffered from sensory processing, especially of receptive language, which negatively impacted his reading comprehension.
‘It’s hard when you’re a slow reader but you’re good, it’s really hard,’ he says of his reading life.
As Jason discusses the frustrations of being a slow but good reader who rereads the same passages over and over again, you must consciously focus on what he says, as you would to a new student in a second language class.
‘I just could… [not] comprehend reading… I would go back just to re-read maybe, once or twice.’ And, when you aren’t being helped by some of your teachers, it doesn’t really feel good. ‘Having those feelings of not being able to, not quite getting it… a little bit frustrated… It [made me feel] kind of inadequate.’
The experience of children like Jason raises important questions: how do we acknowledge individual learning paces, and what is a proper way to support students with similar experiences?
Effective Strategies for Teaching
Jason says:
‘I don’t focus on an exact method of learning, but I think every child has his or her own strengths and challenges. The best learning engages all the senses. For example, multisensory learning can be helpful for children with autism or with learning differences.
There has to be a reason for it … Why are we learning this, and what will it actually do for me?”
It’s a question students can relate to, and when they can tie lessons to real-world applications, it becomes more meaningful for them. Adding visual representations and hands-on opportunities can boost the learning process.
The Transformative Power of Music
It was during the scary, loud, threatening ophthalmologists’ office that it first helped me by focusing my attention on something different from the tension of my surroundings’ Jason utilised music for calming purposes in his life, too. For example, he explains how he would listen to Celine Dion during haircuts. ‘Celine Dion – her music … was very calming,’ he said. ‘Her voice was very pleasant. Her music is very pleasant. Their sound together is very pleasant.’ Jason utilised his heightened sensitivity and focus to hear the resonant and pleasant voice of Dion over the cacophony of his surroundings.
As an adolescent, Jason began to use music to cope with anxiety, too. He now listens to sounds such as ocean waves as a relaxing strategy. ‘It’s nice and relaxing … to help me to get a good night’s sleep,’ he says. ‘[It] helps me to calm down my emotions, like if they are tense.’ This focus on experiencing musicianhip and emotional wellbeing emphasises the value of bringing more music therapy into the educational classroom for children with autism.
Building a Supportive Learning Environment
Jason’s story highlights the importance of a caring, accepting, inclusive and supportive educational environment. He encourages parents and educators to promote an environment of empathy, appreciation and support for students.
‘The support and the mindset as well – once you have that and then you can go a long way,’ he says. His statement is so simple yet so powerful. He highlights what support can do to lift the spirit of a child, and help that child soar.
Encouraging Imagination and Dreams
Even though this is Jason’s view toward all children, I feel it is particularly important when speaking about our children with autism:
‘If you let the kids dream big, then it will impact the way they learn.’
‘Your imagination is everything; it’s the preview to life’s coming attractions,’ Jason says.
And so, by nurturing children’s dreams – whatever shape, flavour or form they may take – we help them to find meaning in the learning process, which in turn fosters confidence and resilience for the bumps along the road of life.
- Hyperlexia
- Autism Advocacy
- Multisensory Learning
- Music Therapy
- STEM Education
- Creative Teaching Strategies
SEO Meta Description: Explore Jason Dietrich’s insights on nurturing creativity, the role of music in learning, and effective teaching strategies for children with autism. Discover how to create a supportive environment for unique learners.
What Does It Feel Like to Be Recognized for Your Talents?
Recognition can be a game changer for many children. Jason Dietrich remembers the first time that his middle school teachers told him that they noticed that he was different in a good way.
‘It made me feel needed. It made me feel special’ was enough to change the course of his schooling.
He contrasts it with his previous education, where he felt unseen. ‘I was just … um… invisible, like … even though [I] was here.’ The emotional pain of invisibility can deeply affect a child’s confidence and sense of worth.
There is a power in educators taking the time to not only see but also to encourage a child’s strengths. Jason insists: ‘If I didn’t have that support… I’m not sure where I would be today.’ As such, teachers hold a vital key to unlocking the limitless potential of our young people.
Dreaming Big: Jason’s Aspirations for the Future
Jason’s dreams are aspirational as well. He wants to be an astronaut, but at least that is grounded in reality, since he loves science and exploring.
‘I hit brick walls. I hit dead-ends.’ He is clear-eyed about the difficulty of chasing a dream like his: ‘But if you are determined and have the right network, you can.
‘If you want it bad enough… you’re gonna get there,’ he asserts, emphasising the need to excel in the face of adversity.
He urges others to follow their own dreams, no matter how unrealistic. ‘Sometimes you have to go through that to actually get to the real, you know. It’s the stepping stones.’ I love this reframing of failure — as a necessary step on the way to succeeding.
Nurturing Unique Abilities: A Guide for Parents
It is important for parents to help children discover their interests and talents, and Jason outlines useful steps for inspiring creativity and imagination.
‘Encourage your child … to exercise their imagination.’ A small suggestion that is potentially very liberating.
He quotes Albert Einstein: ‘Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.’ It is the importance of saying to a child: ‘Follow your dream. If that’s what you love to do, you should do that.
Jason stresses that parental involvement in their children’s passions is critical: ‘If a child says, “I want to be a pilot”, then the parent needs to say, “Yes!” Then spend the next hour telling them all the good things that a pilot can do in this world. How it has helped people, and how it has helped families.’ The link between dreams and real-life application can spur children to master the skills that would help them reach their goals.
Final Thoughts on Autism and Education
Jason’s story provides valuable lessons for those of us in the autism/education world about generating an environment of acceptance for a child with autism. He says: ‘I want to share our family experience so that other educators and parents dealing with children on the spectrum will open their hearts and minds to be able to accept and understand a child with autism.’
If you’re hearing that you have to conform into society … that’s gonna really take away from your gift and your passion,’ he cautioned. ‘If you wanna have your own voice, you better not conform yourself, because that’s what keeps you into your own lane.
He ends on a hopeful note: ‘Everybody has a dream. They have something they want to do.’ When we educators appreciate and respect those differences, we’ll see that our classrooms can be more caring places.
If we can come to understand what childhood autism is really like for those who experience it, then educational practices can be radically restructured such that we can offer all learners a more respectful experience of schooling. So Jason’s story might inspire those with autism to hope that things can indeed be different.
- Autism Awareness
- Hyperlexia
- STEM Education
- Special Education
- Creative Learning
- Music Therapy
SEO Meta Description: Explore Jason Dietrich’s inspiring insights on autism, the importance of recognizing unique talents in children, and practical strategies for parents and educators to nurture creativity and ambition.
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Transcript
Kim:
Welcome to season two of the Happy Sensory Corner podcast. At Mendability, we want to help everyone, especially when they feel vulnerable, to feel happier, more comfortable in their own skin, more confident so that we can all journey together through life more happily. And to do that, we stimulate the brain’s self-healing mechanisms with short hands-on activities that you can do at home that are based on the neuroscience field of environmental enrichment. As our brains grow stronger and healthier, all of us benefit.
And so we are experts in boosting brain development, but we are not experts in everything. For example, we’re not experts in what you eat, physical activity, advocacy, education, job training, recreation, travel, caregiver support. And so today, I’m excited to introduce you to Jason, Jason Dietrich.
Jason is a communication specialist at Science Systems and Applications Inc, and he has an incredible journey to share with us. Diagnosed with hyperlexia, which is a form of autism, at a young age, Jason faced many challenges in his academic life. However, he discovered his passion for STEM education, which transformed his life in extraordinary ways. And today, Jason is not only an advocate for critical thinking, problem-solving, and idea exchange in STEM, but also a mentor and a role model for many. And he’s here to share his story, his insights on turning perceived disabilities into superpowers, and his work on sensory inclusion and STEM education. Jason, thank you for being on our podcast.
Jason:
Kim and Claudie, it’s great to be here. It’s an honor to be on your podcast. So thank you so much for inviting me on.
Kim:
And we are also here with Claudie, Claudie Pomares, the creator of Sensory Enrichment Therapy. She’s the chief science officer and our brain development expert at Mendability. And I’m your host, Kim Pomares, CEO at Mendability. And for those of you who are paying attention, yes, I have the same family name as Claudie, and that’s because she is my mom. Hi, mom.
Claudie:
Yeah. Good team, aren’t we?
Kim:
Very good team. So, Jason, what’s your why? What’s your story? How I like to understand the journey a little bit, and it’s interesting for me to ask that because your journey is essentially what you’re here to share. And so it feels funny for me to ask, hey, let’s start with your journey because your journey is what I want to hear about. And I think all the learnings from your journey are going to be filled with golden nuggets for our audience. And so how far back do you want to go with your journey?
Jason:
Well, I was gonna say the furthest back I could go is when I was five years old. I can’t go back fifty, sixty years ago because I wasn’t born at that time, but I could go back about twenty-three years or so. So it definitely, you know, all started back when I was five years old. At five years old, I was diagnosed with a form of autism known as hyperlexia. And, for those of you, audience members and viewers who are currently listening in listening in who might not be as familiar with hyperlexia, hyperlexia is characterized by someone’s ability to read at such a very high level.
Like, for example, when I was in kindergarten, my parents noticed that I was reading words equivalent to a fifth grader. They were just absolutely in shock. They couldn’t believe that I was reading big words at such a high level. And so they decided to take it up a notch where they said, well, if he’s reading at such a high level, he’s able to comprehend what he was reading. So then they started asking me these questions where they asked me, hey, Jason. What does this particular word or phrase mean? And, very often, I would come back and say, I don’t know. I don’t know. So hyperlexia involves someone’s precocious ability to read at such a high level, but yet struggles with reading comprehension.
And even though hyperlexia is involved with the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which I know was signed by former president George Herbert Walker Bush and then expanded on by his son, our forty third president George W. Bush. Some people know about hyperlexia, and some don’t know about it. And I am definitely here to help to spread awareness, about hyperlexia. And, I have to tell you, you know, Kim and Claudie, over the course of, you know, my experiences with hyperlexia, in elementary school, my teachers, unfortunately, were not very supportive of my skill sets and abilities.
I often struggled a lot because they never really showed me the time, nor the effort that I needed in order to thrive both personally, mentally, emotionally, and even physically, in the classroom. And, you know, I had this one teacher who wrote a completely wrong evaluation about my skill set levels and my abilities. That when I transitioned on to middle school, my poor middle school teachers, including my learning support teacher, took a look at that paper and said, you know, who is this kid? This isn’t Jason at all. This is a totally different kid that they just wrote about. So it was very difficult for me in elementary school.
But then when I transitioned on to middle school, my middle school teachers helped me to see that hyperlexia was a very tiny thing. And they sat me down. They saw that I struggled with reading comprehension. They worked with me, and they actually got me introduced to STEM, which was very fascinating. And STEM, for those of you that might not be as familiar with the acronym, that primarily stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And they’re including the A, the arts in as well. For those of you that are musically inclined, I’m musically inclined. I’m a singer and a clarinet player as well. They’re definitely incorporating STEAM into it, which is wonderful.
But my middle school teachers, they helped me to see that by getting introduced to STEM or STEAM, it was very hands-on, which I really appreciated because, you know, I learn best through visually. And I know that everybody learns in different ways and at different rates. However, some people might not know that. And again, I’m trying to spread awareness of that, and it’s important for people to be aware. But I like the concept of being a scientist, and I really enjoyed, you know, trying to figure things out and trying to critically think my way in terms of solving a problem. Because the traditional method of rote memorization, through the use of a textbook, that doesn’t work anymore.
Technology has advanced so much over these last several decades that it’s very important that we introduce our next generation of students to hands-on learning, especially through technology. But thanks to my middle school teachers, they helped me to discover hidden talents that I never even knew I possessed. I discovered I had an eidetic memory, which helped me through studying, which allowed me to memorize some complex STEM terms for quizzes and tests. In addition to that, they helped me to discover that I am very talented in music as well, and I’m very good at motivational speaking and acting as well.
And they helped me to see, you know, Kim and Claudie, most importantly that I wanted to express to your audience that hyperlexia is not a disability. It is in fact a superpower. And that’s definitely something I wanted to express to anybody out there who’s listening that if you have a disability, there’s no such thing as that. This is often negative, and I am trying to change society’s overall perception of someone who they might look at and they might think, they have a disability. You know, look. Just because I might, you know, read a little bit slow or it takes me some time to comprehend, you know, that doesn’t mean that I’m not important.
It’s, you know, all of the positives that I have as a result of my experiences have pretty much outweighed hyperlexia. So everybody has a gift. Everybody has a superpower, and it’s important to harness that. So I just wanted to thank my middle school teachers for helping me to recognize and understand that hyperlexia is a superpower, not a disability.
Kim:
That’s wonderful. I wrote down a few things while you were talking. I didn’t want to interrupt you, but I’ve got lots of questions. And I want to ask you very soon what advice you would give to parents and teachers so they can help identify and nurture those superpowers. But I also feel like we’ve got a golden opportunity here, and I don’t know why it just came to me to talk to someone who’s on the other side of every… We so often we talk to therapists, we talk to parents, we speak to teachers, but we don’t get to speak a lot to the kids. I mean, formerly known as kids. I mean, you’re like mid-twenties, thirties, I’m assuming now.
Jason:
I’m mid-twenties, so I’m twenty-eight, to be exact. So I’m gonna enjoy it now before I get to thirty.
Kim:
And so, you know, so I want… when you were five and you were reading those big words, why… how did it come to you? Like, did it feel… did you just… were you attracted to books or attracted to letters? Did you see things like, can you tell what it was that drew you to words?
Jason:
Yeah, that that’s a great question, Kim. I would say in terms of what drew me to words, I know especially with hyperlexia, there’s a big fascination for individuals with hyperlexia, and they’re very fascinated with letters, numbers, and then, you know, also visual aids as well. So I was definitely someone, you know, who was
immediately hooked. And I think primarily, it was because of the fact that for the letters, for example, of the alphabet, they each had a unique shape and they each had a unique visual, which, you know, really drew me in to them and to know, you know, what exactly they were.
And because of the fact that I was able to, you know, look at the letter and then see eventually with my eidetic memory what it actually stood for and what it represented, that, you know, later translated into the eidetic memory, which I didn’t know I had until middle school. So I think it was because of that and because of the fact too that, you know, with books in general, I’m definitely an adventure guy. So I like mysteries, and I think a very popular book I remember reading in elementary school, Kim and Claudie, you might know this, it’s Magic Treehouse. I don’t know if you’ve heard of that, but it was a very popular book series where it involved kids who were tasked with a mystery.
I think they were given, like, a card or something like that somewhere. I don’t exactly know. But what happened was they went up into their treehouse with the task, the treehouse spun around like a tornado, and then it would transport them to some place where they would have to solve a puzzle. And it was very fascinating because it involved mystery. It involved collaboration, as well. So again, I was definitely hooked on that series. I remember reading that all the time and, you know, for the times that there were power readers. I remember my elementary school did that where I think you had to read, like, twenty-one books or something like that, a marking period.
And I was definitely a power reader a few times, which was great. That was definitely, like, my series. So in relation to the question in terms of being fascinated with, you know, letters, words, and then also symbols as well besides the shape. But then if you add in the adventure aspect and the mystery aspect, then I was definitely hooked with that.
Kim:
Claudie, what are your thoughts on this fascination with the shape of letters and anchoring that with adventure when maybe you start with lower self-awareness?
Claudie:
Yeah, I was gonna ask Jason about any sensory processing issues. Did you have any sensory processing issues, which is what we see a lot in children on the spectrum or with ADHD? Because you definitely have a beautiful mental image, which is also rare. So and you’re also a musician. So your auditory processing must be pretty fabulous. So anything that was annoying you, like tactile or visual, you were fascinated and you knew what to do with your excellence. But what else? Was there something that annoyed you?
Jason:
Well, Claudie, that’s a great question. I think one of the big things that annoyed me the most was, you know, in elementary school, even though I was able to process, you know, words or read words at such a high level, it took me some time to be able to comprehend what they meant. And, you know, I was often a slow, but very proficient reader. And, you know, even though I struggled with reading comprehension, what was difficult was that some of my other classmates were not struggling with reading comprehension. They were able to read words, and they were able to understand exactly what was mentioned in the book.
Whereas for me, I had to go back just to reread maybe once or twice and, you know, maybe even three times at first. But then on top of adding in with my elementary school teachers not being very supportive of my skill sets and abilities, that made it even more challenging and frustrating because I wasn’t getting the support. I wasn’t getting the resources that were needed. I think I had two good elementary school teachers. The rest, you know, not so good. So it was the combination of those things that impacted my ability to discover that I had a strength with reading.
And because of some of the struggles that I had early on in elementary school, I remember telling my parents that, you know, I’m a stupid reader. I’m never gonna read a book again. And I just look back on that experience, and I just reflect on how far I’ve come. But it just goes to show you, once you have the support and once you have the mentality, then you could really go a long way. But to answer your question, that’s with my sensory processing issues that I had in terms of comprehending what I was reading and on top of the lack of support that I had. That’s why I struggled.
Claudie:
It’s fascinating. I’m working with a little girl who’s four and is able to read and is doing math and is basically four years ahead of her peers, but she has more difficulty making friends. She had a poor mental image, like being able to see things before they happen to imagine. And I’m usually teaching parents to teach the alphabet in a very different way so that we connect other parts of the brain than just the visual information because you are so clear on the drawing, the shape of letters was something that you really absorbed and were really proficient with.
In fact, today, I had a meeting with parents, and I taught them how to use multisensory processing for the alphabet because they were absolutely certain that their kid is able, like that little girl, to… she knew her alphabet. But really, it’s not enough, and you’re telling us there is a meaning to it. So what I do with those families, I tell them, okay, if we’re talking about the letter O, first, we do phonetics as well as the shape because of what you’re explaining. People learn so differently. So it’s good to have all the aspects of learning. So I have them, for example, smell an orange, then look at an image of an orange, then touch an orange. And so gradually, the letter O is connected to different parts of the brain.
And that is helping in the multiple learnings that may be easy for that area but so difficult with others. So building connections in the brain that will then be used for the other types of learning. So it’s really fascinating to listen to you because you’re an adult telling us how it happened. So, hopefully, multisensory involvement for the listeners, involving other senses as they are teaching their kid who knows very well about one aspect of things, could be helpful. What do you think, Jason?
Jason:
Yeah. Well, Claudie, I was gonna say I appreciate you going into depth in terms of how you’ve been working with parents and showing them the phonetics, like you’ve been saying. And I think, you know, with smelling an orange and showcasing a picture as well, that really connects to the individual even more because then another thing to add on is there has to be a purpose behind it. You know? Why are we learning this, and how is it going to benefit me? I think that’s definitely something that is often complex in terms of teaching today.
You know, because students often ask, you know, why are we learning this? Like, for example, math. I hear it all the time, you know, I’m not very good at math. You know? I hate it. You know? What am I gonna do with this? And it’s important to have a purpose behind it. And I love the fact that you are including a nice visual aspect. It’s a great hands-on aspect, as well. And like you said, that really connects parts of the brain because, you know, when I started to get introduced to adventure as well, that just showcased so many connections. And I realized that I was starting to find out my identity and what I was passionate about.
So I just wanted to applaud you for that. I think it’s great. I think we definitely need to spread more awareness about that. And by incorporating purpose into our learning, then I think the next generation of learners will really be able to go even further.
Claudie:
That’s wonderful. There is another aspect of your talents, which is music. We use also music a lot and with Mendability therapy to help kids or adults. We’re listening to orchestral music. We’re not focused specifically on classical, but it has to be beautiful and harmonious. So kids who are very, very busy, have difficulty to sit or focus on something, are able to just be mesmerized by the beauty of sounds or the beauty of art, like what I have behind me. So art and music are really crucial. When you just blossomed into music, how did it start? Did it start with just your parents playing music and you got fascinated?
Kim:
Yeah, I was gonna ask that.
Claudie:
How did you? Tell us!
Jason:
Yeah, that’s a great question. I believe I’ll go actually back, you know, even further when I was a baby, since I was born in nineteen ninety-six. So I remember when I was a baby, now I don’t remember this, my mom told me this story. But there were some instances in terms of when I was getting my haircut. She would cut my hair. And there was a song that I would listen to, and I would settle down. Otherwise, my mom wasn’t gonna be cutting my hair. And the song was actually from Celine Dion, one of the famous Canadian musicians. And I remember she played a song by Celine Dion, and it was for a couple of minutes. So my mom knew that she only had like, probably three, maybe four minutes to cut my hair. Otherwise, that was it.
But what was definitely nice about, you know, Celine Dion especially was the fact that her music and her style of music was very calming. Her voice was very pleasant. So that was a start in terms of helping me to relax and settle down and just unwind. You know
? Being able to hear such sweet tunes like Celine Dion, that really helped in terms of my focus. And then I think, you know, growing up later on, when I struggled with anxiety, especially, what was nice was whenever I started listening to the sounds of a river at a beach, just those calming waves really helped me to relax and to just take a breather and to help with my anxiety even further because I actually, believe it or not, nowadays listen to ocean waves and music when I sleep.
So it’s not, you know, music that gets you up and gets you singing, but, you know, still, it’s nice and relaxing. And that I found to help me get a good night’s sleep. It calms my brain patterns and my breathing patterns, especially when I’m anxious. So over time, by listening to those types of songs and also even doing guided meditation as well, that has really helped with my anxiety, and I’m able to handle situations that might be complex throughout my lifetime.
Claudie:
That’s great that you felt it and you knew it and your mom knew it. So I’ll bring the neuroscience little addition to that. It’s typical normal because when we listen to beautiful music, to harmonious music, or to sounds that are familiar, and even mom’s voice, our brain releases serotonin. And serotonin is the calming component in our lives, in our brain. So we can definitely tell people who are listening. If they have difficulty with sleep, they should follow your suggestion and what you’re doing already, which is listening to beautiful sounds. And, yeah, being Canadian, I totally agree with Celine Dion.
Jason:
That’s great. Well, I was gonna say, I know, definitely, Celine Dion over the last several years. As a side note, she’s been through a lot, and I’ve felt sorry for her and for her diagnosis that she’s had, but she’s had a remarkable career. And again, her voice is very soothing in my opinion. I know I can’t speak on behalf of everybody. There might be somebody out there that might not be as fond of Celine Dion, but it’s just…
Claudie:
Too bad for them.
Jason:
Right. I mean, everybody’s different, but, you know, at the same time, you know, when I was little and, you know, she helped me to settle down. So, you know, that was just my story.
Kim:
Do you remember what it felt like when the first person treated you as a superhuman rather than a disabled kid? You know, the first time somebody said, “Oh, hang on a minute. You can do this? Hang on a minute. Maybe if we do this and this, then all of a sudden…” Do you remember what it felt like? Or did it feel special to you, or was it just the grown-ups having some conversations about you and you didn’t really care what they were thinking?
Jason:
Kim, that’s a wonderful question. So I do have to say that, you know, when my middle school teachers helped me to recognize and see that there’s so much that can be done with hyperlexia and that the struggle with reading comprehension was just a very tiny thing, it made me feel valued. It made me feel important. But then also, it was a huge blessing because, you know, to be honest with you, from my experiences that I had in elementary school, where I only had two good teachers and the rest, not so much, from the wrong evaluation that was pretty much written from one of my teachers in elementary school, I felt like I didn’t belong. Like I was just someone considered to be invisible, like, even though I was present.
And I’m just kind of thinking, you know, what exactly is my purpose for being here? But with someone recognizing my gifts and recognizing my talents, like my middle school teachers, I got very emotional, and I’m starting to get a little misty-eyed now as I’m talking about it, but it’s very important, and it’s very meaningful. I just, you know, I thank them so much because, if I didn’t have that support and that encouragement, especially from middle school on up, then, to be honest, I’m not sure where I would be today. I’m sure I would have found a way, but I’ve heard of instances where there have been parents who have pulled their kids out of school, particularly in a public school. I know someone at my work at SSAI, who has autism. I believe they’re sixteen years old, but one of the workers had to pull their son out because, again, they were not getting the support that was needed or required, which is awful. It’s a huge shame. But they went to a different cyber school. They’re doing much better.
But getting that support was just so heartwarming, and I finally felt like I belonged. I finally was able to use my talents and my abilities to pursue such great and bold opportunities. And despite some of the setbacks that I might have had, you know, Kim and Claudie as well, sometimes, I did want to express to your audience that sometimes, even though the experiences that I have had over the course of my lifetime, I struggled in elementary school, sometimes you may need to have those experiences in order to get to your true potential. And that’s something very important. If you’re someone who wants to dream big and wants to go for it, you’re gonna face setbacks.
It’s not easy going from point A to point B because otherwise, everybody would do it. But in terms of my dream of being an astronaut, I’ve faced roadblocks. I’ve faced setbacks. But as long as you have the determination, the skill, and you surround yourself with like-minded people, you’re going to get there. And it’s not going to be on your timetable, but you’re going to get there. You are going to be successful, but you just have to keep going. And there were times where I cried, and I was alone by myself, but being alone as well, it was a great way for me to understand who I was and what dreams I wanted to pursue. So I just wanted to put that message out there too.
Claudie:
That’s really amazing. And what I like is the gratitude that you know who started to help you. And for us, whether we work a lot with teachers in the classroom or special needs children, we know how many of them are ready to help. And sometimes they may not know how to help, but listening to you is just the road, right? Observe the child and be positive. You are the demonstration. I want also to mention someone we love very much, Temple Grandin. And her discourse is always to find the passion and then help the kid follow the passion, and there will be success and no sadness like you expressed you had some.
Jason:
Yeah, absolutely. And I loved how you mentioned Temple Grandin as well. You know, I’ve read her book, and I’ve watched her movie, and about her and her story. It was, you know, very sad to see because I know she was picked on, she was bullied because of autism. But at the same time, she persevered. Once she got the support, she did the things that worked best for her. And, you know, something else I wanted to bring to your audience as well, there’s all this talk as well about blending into society. And, for me, I don’t see how we all could blend into society. I mean, what exactly does that mean?
Because if we’re blending into society, that means that we’re all the same, that we all think alike, and that we all have the same aspirations. And no, that is not true whatsoever. Each and every single one of us is born on this planet with a given purpose and a given dream and a given skill set. And it’s important that we harness that. But in terms of blending into society, I just want to encourage your audience that if you’re hearing that you need to blend into society, that’s really gonna take away from your gift and your passion. And I think that often distracts the younger generation, especially those in the classroom who are being told they have to blend into society. I don’t think that’s true whatsoever because everybody has different dreams and aspirations.
And if we were to be like a chameleon, let’s say, where they blend into the surroundings to protect themselves from any predators, well, that’d be a different conversation. But everybody’s here for a purpose and a mission. We’ve got to learn to express that, and then we’ll definitely go a longer way.
Kim:
To go back to what Claudie was saying and to what you’re saying, what do you think is the one piece of advice—this is the most important part of the podcast almost, I think. What advice would you give to parents who want to give a superpower to their child or to the teachers who are there and are called to help students thrive and fulfill their potential? Then identifying a superpower in a child who’s typically considered less abled, that that’s sort of flipping the paradigm. Is it simple?
Jason:
Believe it or not, Kim and Claudie, in relation to that question, it is simple, yes, but it can be difficult to implement. And I’ll tell you the solution or the way that parents and also teachers can really look at their children in the classroom or at home, and it’s very simple to implement. One of the things that I would encourage the parents and teachers who are listening is to really encourage your child in school or at home to use their imagination. Their imagination is very, very powerful. There’s this one quote that I remember, Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is everything, and it’s the preview to life’s coming attractions.”
And if you think about that, that’s a pretty true statement because in relation to your imagination, some of those thoughts and ideas that come inside your head, they specifically come from God. Because God, again, has put you on
this earth for a significant purpose, for a vision, and also for a reason that He values you. And whatever comes into your imagination, it’s very important to act on it. For example, if there’s a student who’s very passionate about wanting to be an airplane pilot, what you as parents and teachers should do is talk to the child about how cool it is to be a pilot. You could go internationally. You could go to the states. There’s so many different cool places out there.
But if you really teach them about all the good things that a pilot can do, then maybe they’re going to be encouraged to go to math, to go to science, to learn engineering, to do all of those key things because they want to be a pilot. And if somebody also wants to be like an astronaut, like myself, then what you would have to do is you’d have to talk to them about all the cool places you could go. You could go to the moon or potentially Mars. I know there’s this overall talk about going to Mars next. All these great space exploration companies are promoting going to Mars. I know my company does some great work in terms of these great missions that are out there.
By encouraging others to follow their imagination, that makes all the difference. But in relation to that, you also have to encourage the next generation to write their vision and make it plain. That is actually something from the Bible. Once you write down your vision and you make it plain, what’s going to happen is you’re going to run to that vision. And even though it will take a long time, for surely it will come at an appointed time. That’s key. So as long as you write your vision down and as long as you’re patient, it’s not going to come on your timetable. It’s going to come on God’s timetable. His timing is perfect. You just have to be patient and enjoy the journey.
But most importantly, don’t get distracted by all the noise. With social media and especially with all the advances in technology, the problem is that you sometimes get sucked into something, and you can get distracted. And especially from what you see on the news. They’re talking about the war in Russia and Ukraine and also Israel in the Middle East. Despite all the negativity out there, you really need to not get distracted, don’t get sucked into all of that, but spend some time by yourself, get to know your skill sets and your abilities, keep your visions to yourself, but surround yourself with like-minded people and tell them. Don’t tell everybody you know because they might not see it.
If you do those couple of things, you’re really going to encourage them to go to the next level. After writing things down, you will be amazed at what God will do for you. You’ll just have to cross it off your list every year. I’ve crossed things off my list as well, and I just read the vision every day and every night. By doing that and hearing what the next generation has to say, they will really go far. So I would definitely encourage those tips because then you will definitely be successful.
Kim:
Oh, that’s a really good point to end on, I think.
Claudie:
Yeah, I agree.
Kim:
Thank you, Jason, for helping us understand what it’s like to be you and for the powerful words of encouragement. On behalf of our audience, thank you again. And to our audience, see you guys next week. Bye.