Stephen Wiltshire is a talented man with autism. In this video he visits New York City and is able to draw it in exact architectural detail as he has done in every major city of the world. It is an amazing reminder in April--which is Autism Awareness Month--that when one area of the brain is impaired very often another is exceptional. More on that in my other blog, Autism Unplugged. For our purposes here, Mr.Wiltshire gives a new twist to the frequently visited observation decks of New York. If you're headed to New York, have your children take a sketchbook and see how much they can draw from memory back at the hotel that night. Mr. Wiltshire has been nicknamed, The Human Camera.
Have you read the Cam Jansen books by David Adler? Cam is short for camera and has become the nickname of the girl heroine who has a photographic memory and uses it to solve mysteries around school and town. My son has autism and a strong visual memory system. He loved this series of early chapter books because he could so readily identify with how her mind worked. Check them out!
While we're on the subject of New York City for kids, be sure to find Madlenka by Peter Sis. His books are incredibly well designed and this one is in the shape of a city block. Reading it puts you in the shoes of a young NYC resident who knows each one of her multi-cultural neighbors quite well and shares her daily life with them. His website offers a Teacher's Guide as well as an animated excerpt which is will give you the feel for the book.
Enjoy for now. There is always more to say about New York City.
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