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Journey through Life The experiences of a techie aspie. Scott M. Robertson. E-mail : [email protected] AIM : hppalm. About Me. Currently : master’s student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Studying human computer interaction - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Journey through Life The experiences of a techie aspie
Scott M. Robertson
E-mail: [email protected]: hppalm
About Me
Currently: master’s student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh
– Studying human computer interaction– HCI is a multidisciplinary computer science-related field concerned about
designing computing systems to support human needs and usability issues
Upcoming: starting a Ph.D. program at Penn State in late August
– Will study information science and technology– Will be doing research on educational technology for students with
learning disabilities/special needs and assistive technology for people w/ disabilities in general
– AIM: to become a college professor
CMU
Photo by Sebastian Stueker
Penn State
Provided by psu.edu
Family
2 siblings– Older brother (Jeff)=web page developer at ABC News Online in
NYC– Older sister (Lori)=special education teacher at school for students
with learning disabilities (Lab School) in Washington, D.C. Parents run small engineering business that manufactures
heaters for machines (ex. cooking) Parents have 2 yr old poodle called Sam
– Named after Uncle Sam since we got him in November of ’01 2 months after Sept. 11
– He’s the greatest when I do get to see him
Pets make good friends
Growing Up
Grew up in Wayne, NJ– town of about 55,000
ppl. in northern part of state
– my family’s house is in a private lake community called Pines Lake
– Born in Chilton hospital in Pequannock (where
Derek Jeter was born) Photo by Lynn Brescia
Early years
Did not talk much until age 3 ½-4. Then came out in full sentences
Very delayed motor skills– Did not walk until age 2 ½
Did not enjoy interacting w/ ppl.– Did not make eye contact– Did not like to smile or pose for pictures
Hated haircuts
Elementary School
Mainstreamed in elementary school Labeled as neurologically impaired
– Not diagnosed w/ autism, so they used this label– Received pullout services for OT, PT, speech, &
resource/skills room Did well academically but had few friends
– One best friend named Ziggy– We still keep in touch
Provided by wayneschools.com
Middle School: The Evil Empire
Sixth grade at the local middle school was uncomfortable
Got all A’s in classes but picked on & teased constantly
Stopped liking school & became very unhappy Parents didn’t know what to do
Private School Helps
My parents enrolled me in a private school called Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, NJ for 7th grade
30-minute drive meant about a 45 mins-1hr. bus trip each way every day
Still had trouble making friends but teasing largely stopped and I liked school again
MBS
Provided by Morris County Online
MBS (Cont.)
I spent 6 years at MBS (7th thru 12th) Co-editor-in-chief of yearbook senior yr.
– Ironically named “most shyest” as the editor French:
– 5 years of French mostly because of flair for writing and grammar
– Exchange trip junior yr 3 weeks in France w/ a host family & then hosted my exchange
student Inducted into French Natl. Honors Society
Inducted into Cum Laude Society junior yr.
Special Interests->Jobs
My special interest is computers I’ve been messing around w/ computers and
software since my Grandpa took me under his wing when I was 8
Earth science teacher in H.S. taught CS1 jr. yr.– Fostered my love for programming software– Went on to also take CS2 senior yr.
Chose to major in computer science in college
RPI: A good fit
College advisor in H.S. suggested RPI as a good fit for me– RPI=Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY– Has good LD services– Good engineering & computer science programs
Applied early decision to RPI in October– Accepted in December
Bump in the Road
In the summer of ’99 my mom sent to RPI’s LD services office the IQ test I had taken to get the SATs w/ extra time
– Was not classified as LD at MBS, so needed this for documentation
The LD services director believed I would flunk out first semester
– My IQ tests much lower than my real intelligence My mom cried at the news
– I had nowhere else to go since I had been accepted early decision
Bump in the Road (Cont.)
My mom convinced the LD services director that I could make it through
I got straight As through my first year & ½– In fact I received As in all but one class during my
time at RPI (I got a B in Modules of Computation)
RPI: My Home for 4 yrs
Photo by Dustin Kirk Photo by Scott Robertson
The Little Professor Syndrome
While taking class called Minds & machines freshman yr, read a book called Mindblindness by Dr. Simon Baren-Cohen of Cambridge– Research for a paper on the book led me to realize I
had Asperger’s Syndrome– Explained so much in my life– Others out there just like me
Clubs for spare time
In beginning of sophomore yr. I joined student newspaper (The Polytechnic) as a staff writer for news section
News coordinator for most of semester & then an editor thereafter– 2 semesters: Associate News Editor– 2 semesters: Features Editor– last semester: Contributing Editor (third in charge)
The Poly
The Poly become second home of sorts I had office keys so I could study there and
come & go as I pleased Made many good friends Interviewed 100s ppl. for stories
– Administrators, staff, coaches, students, local citizens
– Good for developing better sense of ppl’s viewpoints
Graduation (May ’03)
Worried about tripping at commencement but did just fine
Graduated Summa Cum Laude (3.96 GPA) w/ B.S. in computer science & minor in human factors psychology
Faculty procession gave me congratulations as they left since most knew me from Poly interviews
Sad to leave RPI but needed to move on
HCI program
HCI program focuses on group work Very difficult because requires complex social
& communication skills– Exponentially harder than one-on-one interaction
I see it as a challenge to improve on my social skills
Done well so far in master’s program
My Teaching
Autistic Support Class:– On Fridays I teach at an autistic support class at Langley H.S.
in Pittsburgh– We discuss social skills and work on activities of interest to
them (ex. photography) Summer Computing Workshop:
– I’m a staff instructor at the computing workshop at Carnegie Mellon for young students with cognitive disabilities
– I teach computing and writing skills to the students Kids are really great at both & fun to work with
College Students w/ ASDs
Achieving in Higher Education w/ Autism & Developmental Disabilities (AHEADD) is a new initiative to provide non-academic supports for students w/ AS/HFA at universities & colleges in Pittsburgh
We have a grant from the Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education
CMU will provide meeting space We will start assisting students in September I hope to promote the model nationwide
Contact Me
E-mail: [email protected] AOL IM: hppalm Cell: (973) 464-6315
Questions?