plus. Budapest is a great Eastern European city
with excellent food and architecture.
ROBISON: What similarities and differences do
you see in parenting AS kids across the world?
DR. SHORE: I find that people on the autism
spectrum, their parents and teachers are the
same wherever I go. The differences come from
levels of awareness, acceptance and appreciation of people with autism combined with the
resources of knowledge, methods and materials
to support them.
Dr. Shore on peak in Hong Kong
modating for noise means wearing noise cancelling headphones, waiting in airline lounges
whenever possible, and making sure I wear
comfortable clothes.
Arriving in a foreign country when I don’t
know the language is difficult. When in another
country, I arrange for someone to meet me at
the airport or drive me to events.
ROBISON: How do you make travel, teaching
and marriage work? Can you tell us about your
wife? Do you travel together?
DR. SHORE: It’s all in the organization. Daily
contact with my wife, Yi Liu, helps greatly.
After 9 years as principal harpist of the Beijing
Symphony, my wife came to Boston University,
where we met as students. She now teaches
music in a public school, so we travel together
during summer vacations, usually around conferences where I’m speaking.
ROBISON: What are the most memorable cities
you’ve visited and why?
ROBISON: How is autism perceived in the
countries you are familiar with, and how do cultural conditions affect this?
DR. SHORE: In cultures where there is great
shame in having or being associated with people who have disabilities, I find the most difficulty in recognizing and providing supports to
people on the spectrum.
The recent United Nations Convention on
People with Disabilities established education
as a human right, causing several countries to
enact laws and regulations in special education,
often modeled from the United States.
Executing new procedures can be challenging
due to lack of experience in teaching students
Dr. Shore at the Taj Mahal with Fazil Azeem
with disabilities. I find it very encouraging that
educators are seeking support across the globe
from people with experience in the implementation of special education.
ROBISON: What is your life vision and purpose? How and when did it become apparent to
you?
DR. SHORE: To empower
people on the autism spectrum to achieve as fulfilling and productive a life
as possible – as defined by
them. My mission is to offer back to the community
what my parents, wife,
friends, and some key professionals gave to me. This
idea of serving occurred to
me during my mid-30s as I became aware that
even though I was in my doctoral studies, being
on the spectrum affected my studies and made
me the person I am today.
DR. SHORE: My heroes are the children and
adults with autism who, despite significant
struggles to sometimes even just communicate,
still find ways to reach out and interact with
others.
“My heroes are the children
and adults with autism who,
despite struggles to even
communicate, reach out and
interact with others.”
ROBISON: Who’s your hero?
Maripat Robison is an international speaker and writer, leading
workshops on loving someone with autism. A retired television
executive and magazine publisher, Maripat has raised two neurodiverse kids and is married to John Elder Robison. Maripat is
the author of the popular blog and forthcoming book, I Married
a Geek.
COLLECT PEZ?
KNOW SOMEONE
WHO DOES?
LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT GIFT?
SEARCH NO FURTHER.
DR. SHORE: Jerusalem is at the top because
there’s such a rich confluence of history there.
Shanghai also has an abundant history, and Yi
and her family are from there, which is a big
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ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
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