On April 29, SoPsyched, the sociology and psychology club for Butler, hosted an event on the Andover campus to raise awareness for people with autism. All Butler students were invited, and pizza was served to those in attendance.
Missa Cordero, a professor of psychology at Butler pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology, gave a lecture on the topic. She personally has autism and a 13-year-old son who inherited the disorder.
However, Cordero sees autism not so much as a disability but as something that can be overcome.
“It's something that defines you, but it doesn't limit you to who you can be,” Cordero said.
“There's so much positivity that comes with autism, so concentrating on just the setbacks is not a good way to go about it, because when you think about it, even your typical [students] have struggles in academia or in daily life.”
Since Cordero herself has autism, she identifies well with others who have it and does her best to support them.
Cordero holds up a book dealing with autism. (Credit Isaac Rich)
“Being different and fitting in most likely is the biggest struggle. College is already difficult for many and doing college with a disability [is] even more difficult,” Cordero said.
“I try to treat everyone equally. I acknowledge that they have autism, but I don't think that this limits them to their abilities in the classroom.”
Michelle Cruze, a sophomore at Butler, attended the talk.
“Just having some knowledge about how the brain functions helps me understand [autistics better]. I have a few friends with autism that might come off as [if] they don't care, even though they do. They just haven't totally processed. And sometimes, they don't really express their emotions with their face,” Cruze said.
“[I hope to] approach kids with an understanding - everyone has their own things that they're dealing with – and approach people with kindness."
Butler student, Kadence Harmon, was another person impacted by the discussion.
“I decided to come to this talk because I wanted to support SoPsyched. I have autism, so I thought it'd be cool to learn more about it,” Harmon said.
“I'm trying to volunteer [at] Rainbows United, and I'm guessing some of those kids have Level Three Autism. I could use [this information] to understand them a bit more and be more kind,” Harmon said.
Cordero believes that her lecture helped raise awareness of autism and bolstered confidence in her students.
“I hope that [people] are more positive about their own abilities even if they don't have autism - that they can learn that what they do is enough and that they have what it takes to be successful - not just in school, but in their professional life as well,” Cordero said.