Ridge Park Elementary School students show off their stripes
Ridge Park Elementary School students show off their stripes
The themes of embracing differences and staying true to one’s own “stripes” were prevalent at Ridge Park Elementary School during Autism Acceptance Week, which was observed April 6-10.
The activities for students were meant to tie back to the book, “All My Stripes,” a copy of which was provided to each classroom courtesy of the Colonial School District Education Foundation. The story centers around a zebra who struggles at school because he feels that his “autism stripes” set him apart from his classmates. When his mother explains that his stripes are what make him unique, he begins to embrace what makes him different.
During the week, students took part in projects that prompted them to think about what makes them special. One activity was to pair up with a classmate to decorate a human shape with colorful paper stripes. Each stripe was meant to represent a different quality that makes the person unique.
Students also learned that neurodivergent people might experience stress due to their sensitivity to noise, light, or other sensations. To cope with that stress, some might be comforted by using a fidget.
Third-graders in Megan Pavlik’s class made their own fidgets toward the end of the week by wrapping textured tape around a popsicle stick in keeping with the stripe theme. Students could also add velcro dots to the ends of the sticks for a different kind of sensation.
Gianna Peterson, a third-grader, explained how the fidget can be used.
“If you’re like, mad, and you don’t really want to (do something that’s really hard), you can stop, take a pause, and just feel your fidget,” she said.
Supplies for the fidget activity were also supplied by the Foundation. At the end of the week, students participated in a sensory walk meant to help them understand how a person with autism might be more sensitive to certain feelings, sights, and sounds. They collected a “stripe” for every station they visited, and were asked to reflect on their experiences following the walk.
