A girl with autism shocked her mom and her school by giving her entire grade a lesson on autism. Clearly, the girl was ready to put an actual face on the disorder. So often kids don’t get to tell their own stories. Her move is being seen as brave, and we have to agree.
The girl is making a very large step forward in destigmatizing autism. Even if it’s only within her own community right now. Talking to her peers about her diagnosis gives her a level of autonomy with the group. And it’s always great to see kids taking charge.
The girl’s mom shared the video.
Mom Stephanie Hanrahan shared a video of her daughter Campbell, a fourth grader with autism, on Instagram. In the video, Campbell stands in front of her classmates, showing them a PowerPoint presentation.
“My name is Cam, and I have autism. Autism is a disability that affects socializing with people, learning, and other stuff. It can make life hard, but I am very open sharing about it,” the girl says. “I like to call autism my invisible disability.”
Her mom had no idea this was happening.
“I didn’t know she was doing this,” Hanrahan captioned the post. “Campbell came home from school and said she asked her teacher if she could share about her autism in front of the entire fourth grade.”
Hanrahan explained that Campbell is in a new school. “Ten-year-olds are supposed to feel the pressure of fitting in; the ridicule of not following along,” she wrote. “Social dynamics are tricky.”
Campbell gave a detailed presentation on autism.
Campbell explains different things that are affected by autism, before explaining that it looks different for everyone. As an example, she reveals that she has a younger brother named Eli who also has autism.
“We have the same disability, but we don’t have the same special needs,” she explained.
Another slide explains facts about autism, while another highlights famous people who have autism. She even gives herself a cheeky shoutout. Campbell then goes on to explain what stimming is, telling her peers that it’s a way people with autism move their bodies.
“Stimming is absolutely not OK to make fun of or copy,” she tells the kids.
At the end, the kids have a heartwarming reaction.
When Campbell is done with her presentation, the group gives her a round of applause.
“I burst into to tears when Campbell finished and someone in the crowd yelled, ‘I know her!'” her mom said in the Instagram post. “Do not discount this generation. I know there are bad seeds in every bunch, but in my experience, children are often way more open-minded and inclusive than adults,” she said.
“It’s all because of classrooms like these where an autistic girl is given the chance to stand with pride and say, ‘this is me.'”
The comments were affirming as well.
Many people praised Campbell for sharing her life as a girl with autism.
“She was funny and confident, and her classmates seem to have enjoyed and learned a lot,” one person wrote. “This really helps get conversations started and makes the entire environment a lot more inclusive! Way to go.”
“This is so beautiful 🫶🏻 She’s going to change the world just by being open and sharing this,” someone else commented. “She did such an amazing job!”
A teacher from the school also commented on the post, sharing her thoughts on what Campbell did for her peers.
The teacher wrote: “I’m one of the fourth grade teachers lucky enough to know Cam and the gift she is to us all. I boo hoo cried during her whole presentation out of admiration for her and pride in her peers. There is so much beauty in kids and we learn so much from them. If the world could mirror our fourth graders, it’d be a much more beautiful place. Thank you for sharing the gift of Cam with us, and the world! She is a deeply beautiful soul and we all have so much to learn from her.”
