College students at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall who are planning careers as social workers, child welfare advocates, educators and other professionals will get a unique opportunity to hear from a renowned Minnesota autism advocate.
Sheletta Brundidge, the mother of three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, will headline a free “Lunch and Learn” event on Tuesday, Oct 6 from 12:00-1:30PM. Sponsored by the Title IV-E Child Welfare Scholars Program, the event, to be held in the Conference Center Lower Level on the SMSU campus, is open to the community.
“We want our students working in the field of child welfare to understand that an effective practice begins with listening to families and valuing their lived experiences,” said Amber Kinner-Alahakoon, assistant professor of Social Work at SMSU. “Sheletta offers a perspective students can’t get from a textbook.”
An Emmy® Award-winning broadcaster, business owner and radio show host at WCCO Radio in Minneapolis, Brundidge hosts the “Taking Authority Over Autism” podcast and has become known as “The Autism Mom” for her high profile advocacy efforts.
She has written and published four bestselling picture books that feature Black children with autism as lead characters.
“When my daughter was in kindergarten, we asked the librarian for a book about a little girl like her. I was shocked when the librarian told me that there were no books about Black children with autism,“ Brundidge explained. “So I decided I better write one myself.”
She went on to author four bestselling picture books with Black children with autism as lead characters. Teachers and librarians have praised them for providing representation for neurodiverse students of color and also helping their neurotypical classmates to better understand them.
“Now my kids are in junior high and I see many different areas where their needs are not understood or recognized. That’s why I’m focused on educating the educators, the next generation of professionals,” Brundidge said. “I want to help them find ways to improve our kids' quality of life.”
Prof Kinner-Alahakoon hopes Brundidge’s perspective as a Black mother will
provide students with food for thought as they eat their lunch.
“It will be beneficial for them to get the perspective of what people of color have to deal with,” she said. “Students are driven to make changes and make the world a better place. They need an honest understanding of the system and the inequities that many people face.”
Brundidge has been a leader in raising awareness of the dangerous inclination of autistic children to wander; national statistics show that eight autistic individuals die following wandering incidents each month. Drowning is the leading cause of death associated with wandering. Children with autism are 100 times more likely to die from drowning than neurotypical children.
Brundidge created and sponsored a national effort that gave away more than a thousand internal combination door locks to improve safety for families with children on the spectrum.
“I want college students choosing to work in this field to hear my experience before they begin their careers. I want to give them tools they need to talk to parents and help children in our autism community,” Brundidge said.
Brundidge’s speaking appearance will be streamed for SMSU’s online students. In addition to SMSU students, the campus event is open to the community, with a special invitation extended to local professionals and educators working in the child welfare field who would benefit from Brundidge’s message.
“My hope is that individuals who hear her will think about how they can better partner with and advocate for children with autism and their families,” said Prof Kinner-Alahakoon.
For more information, go to childwelfare@SMSU.edu.
