[calm droning music]

- [Mary] It is a school

designed to provide the
regular school curriculum

to students on the
autism spectrum.

It's really strange,
it was actually

when I was in grad school.

I had all these
autistic behaviors

and no one picked up on it.

And then I was reading
about it because it relates

to emotional
behavioral disorders.

I was reading about it and
there are so many things

I was reading about
that made me shudder

because it felt
so familiar to me.

A lot of mix of feelings,

like one was kind of like
that denial, but academic,

like curious, like what?

[calm droning music]

Isn't there a story where he
tricks someone to marry him?

Like a really beautiful goddess?

- [Student] Yeah, he gets
married to Aphrodite.

- I heard that on a
Neil Gaiman story.

Well, I've been teaching
for a long time.

So there's that.

I actually have
had an easier time

teaching a group of students
with same disability as I

because we almost
have a mind lock

like we're the
Borg of Star Trek.

Now I'm showing my geekiness.
That's very common.

[students chattering]

We actually have this thing

at the school called
follow the group plan,

which is if a child
is doing a behavior

which doesn't fit the class,
we say follow the group plan.

And we call it on a
class as much as a group.

And the purpose is to teach
the child to move toward

independence and be
able to work in a team

so they can have
successful employments.

Neurotypicals or non autistics
should not have to feel

like you have to walk
on eggshells.

It's a time and age now
where a lot of people are

coming out with all sorts
of things about themselves.

Like I have anxiety,
I have depression.

I'm LGBT, I'm this, I'm that.

And trying to figure it
out and trying to say

you should accommodate me
for this, but you know what?

Like everybody's got something.

Or should it be like a monster
of plastic surgery disasters.

I, like everybody,
wanna have a job

and have meaningful life.

And I can't walk into a room
and be like,

"Y'all stop. I have autism."

I really believe that
humans are social beings

and they naturally
want other people.

And that's why I believe
so many people with autism

are depressed and anxious

because we're not getting
that social interaction.

We don't know how,
we really want to.

I just have to do it,
get over the shyness

and to know when to interject
or just be around people

because it's such a huge thing.