Kate Diekman spoke to the Stryker Rotary Club about her work at Bryan Schools working with children diagnosed with autism. Ms. Diekman grew up in the Dayton, Ohio area. Her father and mother were both pastors of the Nazarene Church. She remembers growing up at a very young age with a friend who was disabled. Her friend died at the age of 11 years, but she was an inspiration to Kate because she was so full of life. She did not let her disability control her life. Ms. Diekman decided to learn to help children with disabilities, and is teaching children at the Bryan School System from kindergarten through third grade. Her specialty is special education in the autism spectrum. One in eighty eight children is diagnosed with autism in the United States, with the condition more prevalent in boys at one in fifty four. Ms. Diekman is passionate about her work of helping these children to use techniques that assist them to become independent. She is also writing a state grant that includes song, dance, and movements to enhance the learning process. Ms Diekman, pictured on the right, spoke as a guest of Stryker Rotarian Betty Beck.
