In this insightful seventy-ninth episode of The Gap Minders, we were fortunate to get to chat with the intelligent Derek Danziger, the President, OPR Communications and Author of “I’m Autistic and I’m Awesome”!
Listen to “Episode 79 | Derek Danziger, President, OPR Communications and Author, "I'm Autistic and I'm Awesome"” on Spreaker.In an episode touching upon an issue so broad and little understood, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Derek Danizger, the President of OPR Communications. But it is not this title which brought Derek to the show. It’s the title called, “Father, autistic child.”
Derek, a life long storyteller, with dreams of being Spielberg, or a sportscaster, and who became a successful public relations expert, has gone on and told his greatest story ever. He recently wrote a book, inspired by his son, “I’m Autistic and I’m Awesome.”
Listen as Derek shares his perspective as a parent of a child with “special abilities, not disabilities” and how he has learned to interact, respond, react, and thrive with his son. Written for kids, parents, family members, therapists, and teachers, Derek’s book is a touching and much needed book for all of us to learn from.
An excellent episode on filling gaps in the community with Derek Danzigerl. Here are some other takeaways from the interview:
- Neurodiversity is quite broad and it’s important to recognize and know how to respond.
- 1 in 22 California children are neurodiverse (around one in every classroom)
- Classroom teachers can benefit from training on teaching strategies for neurodiverse students
- The therapeutic impact of animals and with his son, horses in particular
- The answers to the rapid-fire questions
An excellent interview from a passionate gap minder. Thank you, Derek, for your contributions in San Diego, and for joining us on The Gap Minders.
Enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the show.
If you have any questions or want to contact Nancy or Jose, please send an email to podcast@uwsd.org. Thank you for listening.
To learn more about the two social impact organizations making The Gap Minders possible, please visit www.TheGapMinders.org.
