S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. In today's show , find out how Sdsu men's basketball team is looking this season. Then hear about an athletics program helping children with autism learn and grow. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. The ways in which athletics help children who are neurodivergent.
S2: Our goal is much more than becoming the best athlete. It's to use these complex motor skills and social interaction that is naturally happening in the environment of a team sport.
S1: Then we'll have a conversation with Sdsu men's basketball coach Brian Dutcher on the season ahead. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Participating in youth sports has many health benefits for kids. It helps them build important physical and social skills and keeps them off the screens. But for children with autism , participating in youth sports can be challenging. While one local doctor is removing those challenges through a program called Every Child Plays. Doctor Suraj Acar says the program provides an avenue for children with autism to experience the joys of participating in sports. And he joins me now. Doctor Akar , welcome back to Midday Edition.
S2: Oh thank you.
S1: Also joining us is Maddy Spears , whose eight year old son Benjamin participates in the program. Maddie , thanks for being here.
S3: Thank you so much.
S1: And my take our Sia. She is a coach and coordinator with every child plays mighty. Welcome to you.
S4: Thank you for having me.
S1: So glad to have you all here. So doctor , H.R. , I want to start with you.
S2: At the time we thought it was very rare , maybe 0.1% of the population now here in California. Um , 4 to 5% of eight year olds are diagnosed on the spectrum. And this is a condition that's a natural variation. Children with these with this condition have variations but not deficits. In fact , they have they have some out-of-the-box thinking. That's wonderful. They approach problems from unexpected angles. They can excel in certain visual and spatial tasks , and they're often detail oriented focus. However , they do have some deficits , especially in the area of social and language communication and and maybe motor as well. And this this can make it challenging for them to overcome our society where maybe this the the world isn't designed for their special.
S1: Needs , right.
S2: It turns out that genetics play a big role. And there's about 100 genes that we're looking at as a possible link to autism. We know that children who are have a twin with autism , monozygotic twin , have a near 50% chance of this. We also know that there's a link to parent age. So older parents , both mom and father , have increased risk of children with autism. And we know something new as well that the cerebellum is closely linked to autism. So there's rare cases where children are born preterm with disorders where they have bleeding in the brain. And if it affects the cerebellum , they can have a 30 fold increased risk of autism.
S1: And tell us about how every child plays got started.
S2: So my three boys love sports and have benefited tremendously from sports , and it's helped them in so many ways beyond just motor coordination and physical fitness. They've learned , they've made friends , they've connected with the community , they've developed social skills and they've thrived and improvement and self-esteem , mentoring themselves and others. And they may. And then so much improvements with fitness. So I've wanted to start a program to help children , all children with this , especially the most vulnerable children. So in 2016 , we did a small study , a pilot study of children with autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical children playing together together at basketball. And we found that after six months of regular play with a professional coach , not only did they thrive and make friends to this day , still friends to this day , but their social scores improved at school , so their communication ability Inability to raise their hand and answer questions and communicate with the teachers improved by 50% according to teacher evaluation. So later we continued this study at the with the interest of one of my patients who donated money for us to restart. And now we're doing a bigger study and providing an opportunity for children all over the county to have this opportunity to play in a structured environment that's fun and builds friendships.
S1: Wow , that is wonderful. And when you talk about the social skills that are developed through the program , we spoke with Stacy Eastridge , whose son Quentin is part of that program. And here's some of what she told us.
S5: Oh , he's gotten just many things out of it. Friendships is one of them. Being autistic. It's hard to make friends. Confidence. This is the biggest 1 in 6 when you went to sixth grade. His confidence shot to the ceiling. Wow.
S1: Wow. And Maddie , I want to bring you into the conversation because your son Benjamin participates in every child plays before getting in into his experience there. Tell me about your son , though.
S3: Yes , he is very , uh , wonderful. He is social. He loves to be around the kids. He loves animals. That's his superpower. He can tell you anything about any animal , any bug , even , I don't know. Sometimes he surprises me. Teachers. So he has a power. He reads a book in like , a lot. He digs in into specifics. Even. I don't understand that. Sometimes I have to go to library , find that out. So he has a superpower , but it's reading. It's one on one. So it was very hard for us to make friends. And when we heard about this program , our neighbor told us two years ago , we started and now I see a huge difference between two years before and now. He's happy. He made friends. He is excited to go to these programs. He is committed. He knows how to dribble. He knows how to shoot. He's learned how to play in this pressure , in this wonderful , um , empowering environment. Everyone supports coaches. Amazing. Everyone understands. It's hard to be understood in this social environment where everyone is competitive there. You know , there is bullies around. But here he's happy. He's he's thriving.
S1: And just wonderful. And what's the experience of , um , getting him diagnosed with autism ? What was that experience like.
S3: At that time , I was a full time student , single mom , and going through a hard , um , divorce. And then it was very horrible. I heard about this diagnosis. He was , um , two and a half years old because I was not understanding what it is. My mom , she's actually a doctor. She told me I should have to bring him in to the hospital and have assessment. And then we learned about his , um , spectrum disorder. And then I was doing my MBA , and I had I did not stop. Thank you to my family who supported me during that time. And we started we started early intervention , uh , speech language , um , speech therapist , occupational therapy , because he was basically kicked out from the regular preschool. We did not know what to do , why we have this. And then we were able to put him in special ed preschool and he started to survive. Also , thank you to our ABA therapist. And now he's talking. Reading. He's , um , he's showing great skills. Now we just need to fix his social skills. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I'm so glad to hear that , doctor H.R. Is Maddie's experience something you hear of a lot ? Yeah.
S2: It's really challenging for families to receive the diagnosis. It's sometimes overwhelming. Um , they feel alone and isolated , and sometimes they don't know where to talk and get advice and support. And this is they're learning to the parents are learning about all the resources in the county that are available to help their children. And it's a constant process to find ways. It's almost like a full time job to be a mom or dad with a child diagnosed on the spectrum.
S1: In my day. I'd love to hear from you. You're a coach with the program.
S4: Um , with just a soccer coach. So with these kids , I feel like just giving clear instructions and just kind of guided them throughout the way. They do need some one on one attention sometimes , which since we have multiple coaches during the practices , we can totally provide that for them. Um , but just giving them clear instructions , having a positive attitude , coming in and like wanting to help these kids , I feel like that is easy because having these kids just being there , it's so heart warming and just being with the kids , they they want to be there. They're motivated to play. They want to play. They want to go on to the next thing. They want to start with the games. So I feel like just having with a positive attitude , being supportive and motivated to be there , I feel like that's what coaches need to have in this program.
S1: Well , and what can coaches do to make sports more accessible for kids.
S4: I feel like as coaches with kids , you're kind of just trying to be try to be more understanding with them and providing more opportunities. So I've noticed a lot that there's times where in practices you got to improvise a lot. So if one um , like let's say a drill you make isn't working out , you kind of have to create a neutral that you think is going to be fun for the kids and try to create a fun environment , but also try to push them out of their comfort zone a little bit. Um , because when the kids first come into our practice , they are a little shy. So you kind of need to adapt to that a little bit , and it'll be more accessible for the kids since they'll see like , okay , they're they're kind of like easing me into this a little bit. And the more they get comfortable with the other kids and with the coaches , they they start getting more comfortable and start being more motivated to be there. So then they're actually like , okay , I want to do the next thing now and they start being a little bit more social. So that's how , um , Maddie and Stacy kind of explained. They grow their confidence a lot. So I feel like that would be like the best thing for the just being adaptable and making like a positive and motivated environment for the kids. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , and I'm curious what sports are included in the program.
S4: So we do soccer and basketball. So in our practices are Wednesdays and Sundays. The first half is soccer. So we start with like warmups some drills and then we do like a scrimmage. And then we move on to basketball. We also do the same thing like warmup drills and then a scrimmage after that.
S1: And so these are all team sports. How important is that. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Team sports provide a dynamic environment that challenges both our motor and social skills. And it really enhances connectivity in the brain space , particularly in the cerebellum. The goal is to improve the children's ability to understand social cues , communicate effectively and navigate social situations. So our goal is much more than becoming the best athlete. It's to use these complex motor skills and social interaction that is naturally happening in the in the environment of a team sport , to improve other social responsiveness for these children and help them develop confidence and improve their self-esteem.
S1:
S2: There's four benefits in this programme. Number one is to children. Number two , we're helping provide a great opportunity for parents to get together to talk about their challenges and to share their goals with each other in a supportive environment. Number three , we're training the next generation of doctors , Pas , nurse practitioners. The all the coaches who've gone on to apply to medical school have gotten in. And currently there's a couple students who've applied and gotten interviews at UCSD School of Medicine. And this is the same for PA and nurse practitioner students and speech therapists. So these students now are graduating from our program with an enhanced understanding of the amazing attributes of children on the spectrum and their parents , and the challenge of the parents face. And last but not least is we're trying to do some science to better understand and this and maybe translate this worldwide.
S1: Well , earlier we heard from parent Stacy Eastridge , whose son Quentin is part of Every Child Plays. Here's more from her on what her son's been experiencing in the program.
S5: So when they're on the soccer field or basketball , the coaches are making sure that that they're reading their code player. You know , the way that he's looking , if he's mad that you did that , then yeah , they learn that they're more so than they would on the playground at school not being watched. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , mighty. Let's talk more about what kids are learning in this sports environment.
S4: So I feel like for our kids are learning multiple things. Apart from what Doctor Cha mentioned , the social skills , um , there are so learning , like the sport. So most of the kids , there's the first time going into sports and they have no experience at all because we've had parents talk to us that their kids were turned away from neurotypical teams and they've had like , trouble finding programs like ours. So first of all , they just learned , like the sport rules , like the basic rules how to dribble , how to like , pass the ball , how to connect with the other teammates. Um , they also learn , as Doctor Cha mentioned , the social skills. So they talk to each other more. They grow their confidence or self-esteem. How to be a player in the field and outside of the field as well. So we've had younger and older , um , kids in our program. And as I've been there , my time at the program , I've seen that some of our kids like Quentin and Benny , they've actually started helping the younger kids , which they used to never do when they were younger themselves. So they would incorporate them and kind of taking them under their wing , which is very like , amazing for our kids. and they've like , kind of become like their big brothers in that sense. So they learn social skills , they learn how to be like a part of a community , because we kind of form our own community in our program. And they also learn , just like the rules of the games and other aspects as well.
S1: And Maddie , have you noticed that in Benjamin at all ? Yes.
S3: Um , definitely here , because in our regular , you know , ABA settings , this is our goals how to be social , how to be able to share. And it's okay to lose to support other team members. So all this they learn through the game. They support. They help. They say it's okay , good game at the end. Before it would be tantrums challenging to do that. So they are improving. And at the end of the practice of beginning , they talk about um , each student how they , they are telling each one how great they are themselves telling for example Benitez how Quinton he is a wonderful he did a great passing or other kids so they encourage each other.
S1: That's great. Well , you know there is a research part of this project.
S2: We haven't shown big changes there , but we've noticed that it's helped them interpret social cues like facial expressions and body language. So when you look at Magic Johnson , when he dribbles the ball and makes a no look pass , his teammates know that he's about to do that and they're ready to get the ball and make a slam dunk. Our children are starting to see this. They're developing complex motor skills , but they're also developing this unique social interaction communication that is fun and interactive and fast while they're playing. And this builds resilience and helps them with stress management. They just look happier and thriving. And we're monitoring their improvements and have seen tremendous changes in the software that we give to the parents in the beginning and later called SRS. And the social communication skill changes are powerful that we're noticing.
S1:
S2: So this is more than just a research project. We want to create a charity and then get more donations so we can get a coordinator and have ad professional coaches and speech therapists to our program. In terms of how to get involved , we have a website. We have student groups at San Diego State University to create a program here close to KPBS. And we have student groups at UCSD , and we have 5 or 6 high school student groups that are working with us. So if there if you come to one of our practices , you'll meet wonderful coaches who are trained up on autism spectrum disorder and positive coaching and who are from high school and college and who have wonderful skill sets to share with your children. Um , and if parents can , they can find us on the website and then email us and enroll in the project and come to one practice.
S1:
S4: So that kind of like sparked my interest. And I wanted to go all in into this program. And I've learned so many things and gotten so many opportunities from this program , I feel like it'll help any student , even if they just want to help out the community , if they're , um , pre-health or just love sports. I feel like this is a great program for anybody who's into those three. Wow.
S1: Wow.
S3: Uh , try to be more active. Don't be scared. Um. Spread the word. World word. Um , I invited a couple of our classmates or friends to this program. They are happy. They're all thankful. Because I do see a progress in in Benji's , um , uh , skills , and , um , he made great friends. We do playdates. So I just want to tell to all parents , uh , you can do this. Um , kids loves you , and they will do it.
S1: Thank you. And , Suraj , do you have anything else you'd like to add ? Yeah.
S2: Sports and exercise is good for all of us. It's not just good for our children who are neurodivergent. It's good for all of us. In fact , I remember fondly my child's third grade teacher would have all the third graders before they start class , run around the the playground two times , and that increased blood flow and delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients help them. So when they came to class and they studied , they were more focused. So this is good for all of us team sports and we should all participate in exercise.
S1: I'm tempted to ask you about the science behind that.
S2: But there is there is some. So obviously exercise improves blood flow to the brain , which is critical. It also improves the promotes growth of new brain cells like neurons , and that it increases the strength connections between them , especially in the hippocampus , which is the brain region that we need for learning and memory. And one last thing that our brain connections is connected through something called a fatty sheets we call a myelin sheath. And this helps the speed of connectivity and the fluency of connectivity and team sports and exercise both improve the contribution and process of myelination of nerve cells , leading to improved speed and efficiency and better communication between different parts of our brain , making us more successful in areas way after the sport and exercise is done well.
S1: Definitely a good reason to get out and exercise.
S2: We also would like to do other studies inside this. So if there's any researchers in the community , they want to join us and participate in our group. We'd love to have team up with them. And last but not least , we do need to create a charity so we can expand the opportunities for children all around San Diego County.
S1: I've been speaking with Doctor Suraj Ashar. He's a sports medicine specialist with the 360 sports medicine program of Rady Children's Hospital , San Diego and founder of Every Child Plays Doctor H.R. Thank you.
S2: Thank you so much.
S1: And also Maddie Esparza , who is a parent of a child in the program. Maddie , thanks for sharing your experience.
S3: Thank you for inviting.
S1: And Miss Garcia also joined us. She is a coach and coordinator with Every Child Plays. Thank you so much , mighty.
S4: Thank you for having me.
UU: I have to know when I'm.
S1: Coming up. Sdsu men's basketball coach on this year's team.
S6: We have good people that are good students. They're good citizens , and they're talented basketball players. And when you have that combination , you expect success here.
S1: More when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back to Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. When people think of men's college basketball powerhouse , teams like Duke and Kentucky often come to mind. But the San Diego State men's basketball team has been giving them all a run for their money in recent years , including a trip to the national championship game in 2023. The team tipped off their season earlier this month. They're facing off against the formidable Gonzaga tonight. Midday producer Andrew Bracken recently caught up with head coach Brian Dutcher to talk about the team's past triumphs and current season. Here's that conversation.
S7: So your new season's just getting underway. How's it going so far ? You know.
S6: We've been practicing since July 8th , so it's almost four months of practice to finally get to a game. We open the season with UCSD , uh , a team that we had to make a buzzer beater last year to win , and we got a victory in our opener. I don't know , it was 4 or 5 point victory , but uh , good way to kick off the season. And uh , we're excited to get this version of Aztec Basketball out in front of the community.
S7: Coach , you've led the program to some milestone moments in school history , back to back sweet 16 appearances and run to the 2023 national championship game.
S6: I came in 1999 with my mentor , Steve Fisher , and we've built a program here. Uh , we're used to being successful and it hasn't come easy. You know , we were such good coaches our first year. We won five games. And so to build it to what it is now is a credit to Steve Fisher , uh , setting me up for success and then recruiting the right kind of people to come play for us at San Diego State. We have good people that are good students. They're good citizens and they're talented basketball players. And when you have that combination , you expect success.
S7: And there , you know , many memorable moments in recent years that , you know , fans will remember , like Lamont Butler's buzzer beater in the Final Four. I think I remember where I was for that shot.
S6: You know , obviously I went to three national championship games when I was at the University of Michigan with Steve Fisher. We won the national title in 1989 , and to take San Diego State to a national championship game and have that Lamont Lamont Butler moment. I think it's the only shot in NCAA Final Four history , uh , that won a game. There have been buzzer beaters , uh , that when the game is tied. But when you're behind a point to win a game , it's the only time it's ever happened. So that's a memory that will all carry with us for the rest of our lives.
S7: And on that , I mean , you mentioned building culture and and the importance of , of of recruiting the right players. And guard Darrion Trammell said something pretty powerful after the 2023 game against Creighton in that same tournament run. Let's hear what he had to say in a postgame interview with CBS.
S8: I think , again , it's just it's just a game. I'm doing this for my family. And people back home. My grandpa , my brother who I lost. I'm just doing it for them.
S7: And you really kind of get a glimpse there of of what this all means to the players.
S6: And I know it's a bit cliche in athletics , but we truly feel that way. And when they come here , we tell them they represent three things. They represent themselves. first. Don't do anything to embarrass yourself. You represent your family. Second , represent them in the classiest , classiest of ways. And then you represent this basketball program in this university. Third , and do it with great character. Do it with great emotion. Do it with great play. And so we got kids that represent themselves , their families in this university with great class.
S7: And you kind of keep coming back to this importance of culture here to bring us to the current moment in college athletics. There's a lot of change happening. This recent shift toward allowing Nil deals has had a big impact on college sports.
S6: I think players should be compensated for their name , image and likeness , but it's evolved almost into a pay for play situation in a lot of universities , no pro sport would have a market where there's unlimited free agency , which is college athletics now and no salary cap. And so I don't think it's a sustainable model. I think it will change. There's some things in the court systems now that will change nil. The way we approach it here at San Diego State is we try to do a lot of community outreach for our Nil opportunities. Uh , we do the ALS walk , uh , we do camps for underserved populations. We're involved with the blood drive at the university. We do challenge athlete situations and and camps here on campus. And so I feel good about nil as long as we're giving back to the community we live in. And we're invested in San Diego as a city , and we try to give back in every way possible in order to deserve our Nil opportunities.
S7: So you're starting your eighth season as head coach , but as you mentioned , you've been with San Diego State for far longer. I'm curious how you've changed as a coach since you first arrived here on campus.
S6: I'm 65 years old , and so as much as I thought I knew more in my 30s , I knew more in my 40s. As much as I thought I knew in my 40s , I knew more in my 50s. And now I'm in my 60s. And so I'm just taking all these life lessons I've learned throughout my career and giving back to the kids , giving back to my assistant coaches , and trying to be the best version of myself. And so I think right now , I'm at the best level I've ever been at as a basketball coach.
S7:
S6: We want to continue to play in the NCAA tournament. That's the ultimate goal of any year , is to have a season where you can make it to the NCAA's , and we've done that here at San Diego State. In a way , we're a bit spoiled. Some teams go 20 , 30 years without being in the NCAA tournament. I think we've been maybe 11 out of the last 12 or 13 years. So that's an incredible run. And then once we've got there now we're having success. We went to the sweet 16 a year ago , uh , went to the national championship game two years ago. And so we're making the most of our opportunities and want to continue to have that type of success.
S7: I mean , you kind of alluded to your success in the tournament. And if there's one thing that really defines college basketball , it's March Madness.
S6: Everybody's involved the university , our students , our faculty , our alumni , and then the city of San Diego. It's it's playoff basketball. It's like any playoff situation , but it's greater than that. The NCAA tournament is a one and done. So you're sometimes the best team doesn't win the national championship. It's not a best out of seven series. It's one game with everything on the line. And that's why people love the incident. AA tournament. It's the lower seeds upsetting the higher seeds , and it's that Cinderella moment that everybody loves.
S7: Your team started the season by playing another San Diego team , UC San Diego. How do you feel the environment of college basketball in the San Diego region is changing ? We're seeing some some more teams come on. The scene in the Division one ranks , right ? Yeah , I mean , we've.
S6: Got good Division one basketball here in San Diego. Obviously San Diego State where I'm at , we've got the University of San Diego that plays in the WCC under Steve Lavin building themselves up again. And then UCSD has made the the transition with Eric Olin from Division two to Division one. And this is the first year they've reached a status where they can play their way into the NCAA tournament. There was a transition period. When you make that move from Division two to Division one , you can't play in the tournament. Now. They're tournament eligible , and I think that's exciting for the city of San Diego to have such good programs to choose from.
S7: And on that , I mean , another change in affecting college basketball is with Conference realignment.
S6: I like it because it keeps us regional. I think some of the conference realignment makes very little sense for student athletes. It's good for money , but I don't think it's good for student athletes. When you're a player at UCLA and you have to go across the country and play a conference game at Rutgers in New Jersey , or you're a player at Stanford , you got to go to class , then get on a plane and play a conference game in Miami , Florida. I don't think that makes any sense at all. And so I think sports other than football should find a way to realign down the road and play regionally. I think it's better for the student athlete. I think it's better for the game , it's better for rivalries. So I understand the money. But I think , uh , if we're most concerned about the student athlete , we should be playing more regional games.
S7: Finally , I'm curious , can you tell us what are some new players that Aztecs fans should be keeping an eye out for this season.
S6: Well , you can just , uh , take your pick. We have eight new players , and that's a lot. We have , uh , three true freshmen , Tahj Dargaville and Pharaoh Compton from Las Vegas that both played in the opener. Uh , we have uh , boar who were redshirting. Uh , we have transfers in the program. Jared Coleman Jones , uh , Wayne McKinney , Nick Boyd and Kimo Ferrari all transferring into San Diego State. And they're going to be exciting to watch. And then we have a redshirt freshman in McGrath that's taken the floor for the first time at seven foot for his Aztecs. So a lot of new pieces. Uh , it'll take a while for us all to get on the same page. But we have great talent and we have great enthusiasm. And I'm looking forward to being with this team and seeing what the future holds for us on the floor.
S1: That was head coach Brian Dutcher speaking with Midday Edition producer Andrew Bracken. Still to come how neurodivergent book characters help children feel seen.
S9: It's my mission now to try to populate the world with as many neurodivergent characters and children's literature as I can.
S1: KPBS Midday Edition returns after the break. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. At the top of the show , we explored how a local youth sports program is looking to help autistic children grow and learn through athletics. We now take a listen back to a conversation with a San Diego children's author who is also an advocate for autism acceptance. Sally J Platt is an author of several books featuring neurodivergent characters , including The Fire , the Water and Marnie McGinn. I spoke with her last year about her work and what led her to telling stories featuring neurodivergent characters.
S9: Neurodiversity itself means the wide spectrum of different kinds of brains that we all have , from what's considered just the more normally functioning brains to brains that may be autistic or have ADHD or OCD , anxiety , even dyslexia , dyspraxia. Um , there are many different ways that our brains can vary from the norm , and the term neurodiversity is meant to welcome all of those different kinds of brains under the one same umbrella , and realize we are all human. This diversity is natural among us.
S1: All right. And tell us about your newest work , The Fire , the Water and Morty McGuinn.
S9: Oh , yeah. Well , it's a very , very San Diego book. I live in Encinitas , and we often love to walk by car out of State Beach just along there. You know , take that walk along the beach. It's so beautiful. We bless ourselves to be so lucky to live here every time we walk. And sometimes we'll cut through the state campground there and you know it. Just my mind. It just got my mind thinking , seeing the , you know , little , little signs of the community , you know , in the RV trailers there and how people talk and laugh with each other and to see the surfers out on the water and feel that longing in me as an old , unathletic person that wishes she could get out in the water and be a surfer , I always look at them and think , oh gosh , that must be amazing to be able to do that. I'm like , so filled with admiration for people that have the ability to to be so graceful out there in the waves and just walking through and seeing that on our daily walks made the idea come in my head. Well , what if that was the setting of a novel , a community , and how community can really save us ? I think we're at a time where we're so split and full of strife these days. But isn't it all down to community ? Um. And I wanted to write a book about a girl that really needs community and finds it in a place like that. And , um , I had also been reading a lot of mindfulness. And there's a wonderful quote by John Kabat-Zinn. He says , um , you can't stop the waves of change in your life , but you can learn to surf. And I just thought , that is just that's perfect. That's just what I want to get across , is just that sense of resiliency and learning how to deal with all those tumultuous waves of change and how that feels when you're an autistic girl , you know , 13 that coming of age , age , you know , when everything is changing around you to realize that you have resilience and strength and that those are the things that that the story really gets at. You know.
S1: I'm wondering if you can read a few lines from the book.
S9: Oh , I'd be so happy to. This is a little selection that's not far from the beginning , and it's about how Mahdi is keeping a secret about what her life is like with her mom and her stepdad , which is a very dysfunctional life. And she's been warned by her mom , not to mention it to her dad. So she's talking about this , and she says , I've never talked much as a rule , but this past year I've really gone silent. See , I have this secret I'm supposed to keep now , and it feels like I've swallowed a burning lump. And I'm trying to keep it locked away. Like behind a tiny door in my chest when I speak , sometimes I can feel the door rattling. I know I need to someday get to the point where I can talk about the things that are too hard to think about , even though I've kind of promised not to , if that makes any sense.
S1: You know , can you tell us more about your main character , Maddie McGinn , I mean , and how she sees the world and processes the things around her ? Yeah.
S9: Marty is as hypersensitive , sensory avoider , kind of autistic kid. There are many different kinds of autistic kids that just really run the gamut of all kinds of different , um , attributes and symptoms and syndromes , and but Marty tends to be just very gentle , very kind , very thoughtful , very nervous of doing the wrong thing. And she has , you know , anxiety really , really affects her. I think she she has a sense of her loss. And that's true a lot with autistic girls. They they are more aware of their lack or their loss or their social Uh , challenges then boys are. And oftentimes they do have a lot of anxiety , like Marty does. Uh , compounded with her problem is , during the school year and most of the year she's spending with her mom , who she's always had a kind of struggling relationship with her. Her mom likes to use Maddie's autism on social media , as , you know , something that she can talk about on social media to get more followers. And this makes Marty cringe and feel embarrassed and feel a bit exploited , quite frankly. And now her mom has married a stepfather who is very frustrated with Maddie's behaviors and doesn't quite understand them. Because Marty has stims , Marty forgets directions sometimes if things are told to her ordinarily and not written down , she tends to forget them. Um , these are symptoms that were in my family that I. I know well the challenges of. And I gave them to Maddie And all these costs are a lot of problems with a stepfather who cannot control his anger at her , and a mom who is not standing up for her. So she's having a very , very difficult time with her home life there. And that's the that has a lot to do with the secrets that she's , you know , she she doesn't feel like she could talk about that with her dad when she goes for the summer to spend with him. And now , of course , dad has all kinds of other worries with the , you know , with the losing the cabin and trying to find new work and living in an RV trailer that one of his high school buddies have given to them for the summer. And Marty is blossoming in a lot of ways in this new , changing life. But it's also very challenging.
S1: And you're also part of an online community called a novel mind. It's a it's an online space for children's literature and neurodiversity. Tell me about that. Yes.
S9: Yes. I created a novel , mind , along with my friend and colleague Miriam Saunders about four years ago now , and it's grown to be this huge site. It's a resource for mental health and neurodiversity representation in children's literature. We have a database with over a thousand books that you can search by issue or type of book. So say you wanted to find a book about eating disorders for pre-teens. You could enter those search parameters and it will spit you out a list. Or if you wanted to find a book about ADHD for preschoolers , a picture books , you know you could enter that in. Um , besides the database , we also have a weekly blog where today's foremost children's authors are writing about their own personal issues with mental health or neurodiversity , and how that affects their writing and their their books. And we also have tons of resource pages that were created by Adriana White , who is an autistic librarian in Texas. And she's created for us really wonderful resource pages for teachers and librarians to use as well as families and parents. So it's at a novel , mind. Com all the information is there. It's just a labor of love. Great.
S1: Great.
S9: And I think the answer is yes , even though really it's only been , you know , with 6 or 7 years since I first started , I see a great difference. And I'm really hopeful that we're going to see a lot more representation in the future. And we need all those stories. I mean , the rates of autism since the year 2000 , I think have gone up 178%. And it's kind of good news because it means we're getting better at diagnosing and finding the kids. I don't think it necessarily means that there's any type of epidemic going on there. We're just finding the kids that were struggling before without help , and we're giving them the help. But the rates are highest in California , higher than any state in the nation. Um , autistic kids are , I think , at one , at 22. So basically , go into any classroom in the state of California and there's at least one kid , probably two , if you include ADHD and other types of neurodiversity that are on the spectrum. You know , there's so this is it's just huge. So , you know , if you think 1 in 22 every single classroom in the country really , uh , you know , where are the books ? We need a lot more books and a lot more stories for these , for these kids to and for everybody , so that we realize that this is just part of this great umbrella we're all under. All of our brains are human brains were all this is all behavior that we need to respect and accept and be more aware of all and accommodate all the different ways that we learn and grow. Yeah.
S10: Yeah.
S1:
S9: I understand that this model is just is a lot like me. I feel this too. Resilience and courage and strength and hope and community and all those good things are at the end of this book , and they are all possible for us.
S1: That was Sally J. PLA from a conversation last year about her book , The Fire , the Water and Maddie McGinn. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose. Everyone.
