Parents drive from as far north as Madison and as far south as Chicago to give their kids a chance to drive a remote-controlled TerraRover, fly drones and measure water quality in the nearby Goose Creek.ĭan Frye, a volunteer with the nonprofit group Taking Autism To The Sky (TATTS), teaches camper Namir Manley of Beloit how to fly a drone as participant Benicio Maximiliano (also from Beloit) looks skyward. The camp’s programming uses learning protocols from NASA’s GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program as a guide. With The Sky’s the Limit, Notaro is working to fix that disparity. While autistic students tend to have a higher interest in STEM fields than neurotypical students, Notaro explains, fewer continue on to STEM degrees or jobs. When it comes to neurodiversity in STEM, support - and representation - are lacking. “Neurodiversity is something we want to support.” “I think a lot of people see autism as a disorder or a disease you try to fix. Notaro’s motivation to create safe and meaningful learning opportunities for neurodivergent kids started withhis son, Hayden, who is autistic. Photo by: Jeff MillerĬreated by Notaro in the summer of 2022, The Sky’s the Limit offers hands-on, exploratory learning experiences for free, thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation’s GEOPaths program. “The best science is done by a diverse set of scientists from different neurotypes, races and genders.”Ĭampers become detectives as they observe and test various samples of water. “Neurodivergence is wonderful,” Notaro reads. Standing in front of the group, he holds several sheets of paper, each printed with a different affirmation. When Notaro starts the day’s activities, he does so with an important message - one he starts each session with. Several campers head straight to an oversized sticky note which, as always, has the day’s activities written out in various colors. Tyler, who came with his grandfather, selects an Angry Birds building-block game from the toy table. Each student excitedly gravitates to something different as they trickle in.įlynn, a 12-year-old (almost 13) from Janesville, makes a beeline for a mesh hamper filled with monarch butterflies. on July 21, 2023, campers and their parents arrive at the Welty Environmental Center in Beloit for the final day of the camp’s six-week session. This is the learning environment created by Michael Notaro, director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Nelson Institute’s Center for Climatic Research, at The Sky’s the Limit STEM Camp for autistic youth.Īround 12:45 p.m. In this classroom, the resources meet the diverse needs of the students instead of uniform pencil cases and workbooks, tables are filled with snacks, games, fidget toys and noise-cancelling headphones. The teacher doesn’t assume you’re being naughty or inattentive, even if you aren’t sitting upright in your chair, scribbling notes with your eyes glued to the chalkboard.
Photo: Jeff MillerīELOIT, Wisconsin - Imagine a classroom where you can move around when you need to or get up and look closer at something if you want to.
Camper Mairead Mulrooney of Rockford, Illinois, learns to fly a drone with the help of volunteer Dan Frye.
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