The Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University, Northridge, in collaboration with the Family Focus Resource Center, will hold its biannual Education on the Edge presentation Thursday Sept. 30. The topic of neurodiversity and the importance of understanding it further for educators and families will be discussed.

Barry M. Prizant

Barry M. Prizant, an internationally recognized expert on Autistic Spectrum Disorders and neurodiversity, with over 50 years of field experience, will define neurodiversity, explain the importance of recognizing developmental strengths and challenges and the effects of uneven developmental profiles.

“I think that all educators right now, regardless of whether they are in the classroom or they are supporting in a different type of role, are recognizing that students learn differently,” said Wendy Murawski, executive director and Eisner Endowed Chair at the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Some of us have thrived in the last year, and some have really been struggling to learn, so it just seemed to be a perfect topic to address.”

During the presentation, Prizant’s examples will provide more clarity on the “why” of specific behaviors that could appear challenging or different, Murawski said.

Prizant is an adjunct professor at Brown University and author of “Uniquely Human: A different Way of Seeing Autism.” He has published over 130 papers on neurodiversity and has given seminars and workshops throughout the U.S. and 25 countries.

Prizant’s presentation will be virtual and will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. The Zoom meeting ID is 86547300113 with the following passcode: CSUNCTL. Anyone is welcome to join the presentation, and there will be a short question and answer session at the end.

American sign language interpreters will be present during Prizant’s lecture. The interpreters will be pinned so they may be visible for those requiring the services.

Visit the website https://www.csun.edu/center-teaching-learning/news/education-edge-barry-m-prizant for more information.

Barry M. Prizant, Center for Teaching and Learning, Education on the Edge, Michael D. Eisner College of Education