Details — Faculty Lecture Series Talk by Monali Chowdhury — December 5
| Date: 12/5 | Time: 7 pm |
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The December talk in the Karl W. Weiss ’87 Faculty Lecture Series for 2018-2019 will be held on Wednesday, December 5, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center 301/302. Monali Chowdhury, assistant professor of psychology, will present “LEGO Club for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Community Project.”
Developmental disabilities like autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include individuals with a wide range of needs, symptom severity, and different abilities. While school-based programs for children with ASD are certainly on the rise, community support programs are still lacking particularly in smaller towns. This talk describes a support program called the Allegheny Crawford LEGO Social Club for kids and teens with ASD in the local community. This is a program built in collaboration with Autism Speaks of NW Pennsylvania and local school districts. This club utilizes the platform of LEGO building to encourage and teach social interactions, teamwork, and self confidence in kids with ASD. An unique feature of this program is the inclusion of neurotypical siblings and friends of kids with ASD which allows for peer mentoring. Chowdhury’s talk describes the goals, set-up, and benefits of this program, and shares qualitative data along with LEGO models built by club members that speak to the fascinating creativity of these children who are often stereotypically labelled as lacking imagination.