Today should have seen the start of the 2020 conference of the Israel Society for the Promotion of Classical Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. This is an annual academic conference, and get together, where classicists from all over the world gather to share their work and get together. I'm currently secretary of the organisation so would have been very busy indeed today under normal circumstances. But I find myself alone at my desk, due to the Covid-19 forced cancellation.
This year would have been even busier than usual, since I was due to participate in a panel that I organised, presenting our work on Classical mythology and autism in Israeli schools. The panel was entitled, "The Mythology of Hope: Mythology and Autism", and I paste the panel abstract and my own paper abstract here:
Panel Abstract:
Over recent decades, understanding of autism spectrum disorder has increased ad great deal, and a high percentage of children with special needs are now recognized as being on the autism spectrum. Such children often feel isolated from their peers and have difficulty integrating into wider society. This panel aims to demonstrate some ways in which classical myth can be utilised as an educational tool for such children, helping them improve social and life skills. It gives an overview of the theoretical basis and assumptions behind the development of such programmes, and then presents two case studies, one currently taking place in Israel, and one in the UK
Mythology in the Israeli Autistic Classroom
Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University
This paper presents a case study focussing on a new Israeli initiative that utilises Greek Mythology within the autistic classroom. Building on the work of Susan Deacy of Roehampton University, as part of the Our Mythical Childhood project, a programme has been developed which is currently being piloted with a class of autistic youth in a school in Tel Aviv, under the direction of the class teacher, Tali Almagor. This programme uses the stories of classical myth in order to help the participants develop and improve skills related to complex emotions, an area that provides some of the most difficult challenges for those on the autism spectrum.
Designed as a game, the programme is centred around an interactive story, in which the children progress step-by-step through the quest, learning the mythological stories related to each of the characters they meet. At each stage, they carry out activities that relate to specific emotions, and delve into the emotional and human dilemmas raised by the stories. These activities are heavily experiential, combining imagination, play, movement, creativity and discussion, and place strong emphasis on group work, with each student contributing his or her special ‘heroic’ abilities to the group.
During this paper the programme will be presented, and an analysis given of the lessons learned over the course of running the activities, particularly considering how the scheme has deepened our understanding of autism. Finally other ways are suggested in which the activities could be utilised, both for those with special needs and those without these challenges, demonstrating that the study of mythology can go far beyond the content of the tales, and can also become a tool for developing life skills in young people.
I was to have been joined in this by the wonderful Dr. Ayelet Peer, my colleague at Bar-Ilan University, Shachar Bar Yehuda of the Israeli autism society, who were to speak on "Myth and Autism - the Power of Emotions". Here is their abstract:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder manifested in social-communicational deficits and restrictive repetitive behaviours. The social-communicational deficits characterizing high functioning students with autism (IQ>75) are manifested, among others, in their ability to perceive and express emotions. Therefore, their ability to capture the valence and spectrum of complex emotions (e.g. envy, shame, pride and guilt) may affect their social engagement with others.
Myth offers a plethora of challenges for mortal heroes who triumph against the odds, presenting outcasts and underdogs, who break the social codes, but nevertheless succeed; examples include Atalanta, Perseus, Oedipus and even Herakles, among others. All of these heroes struggle to find their place in the world, fight their way through obstacles and life-changing threats, before finally coming to terms with who they really are. Rather than acceding to societal norms, or succumbing to the pressure of threats or warnings, these characters continue to search, even when the price for the truth was the loss of everything familiar to them.
As a result of these elements, the mythological stories featuring these characters can strongly appeal to students with autism, who also feel misunderstood or rejected by society. The framework of the myths can therefore be utilized to create a social context in which they can be helped to reach out to peers and deal with the ongoing challenges they face.
The final member of the panel was to be my fabulous colleague in the Our Mythical Childhood project, Professor Susan Deacy of Roehampton University, who has pioneered this project. She writes her thoughts today on the matter in her blog. As Susan says, although we cannot meet in person, collaborations continue, especially through the network ACCLAIM: Autism Connecting with CLAssically Inspired Myth.
And roll on next year, in the hope that we can then meet in person at Ben-Gurion University...
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