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At Aspect, our students are celebrated for their strengths, interests, and unique attributes. The Our Students, Our Stories series features our incredible autistic students and their experiences and achievements in an Aspect school.
Meet Albert.
Albert is a remarkable Year 2 student at the Aspect Hunter School satellite class, and a talented artist.
There are many talented students at Aspect Hunter School - especially in the area of creative arts! His teachers are always impressed by his interpretations of well-known cities of the world through his line drawing. Alberts's memory of different structures and building placement is amazing as well as his natural ability to convey a whole cityscape in his compositions. Hear from Albert's Mum, Renee below about their recent overseas trip and her son's impressive talents
Our beautifully neurodivergent boy was going to be far from home and pushed beyond his limits for this privilege, but we know he would gain so much for it - and he had a great time!
"At a very early age, Albert showed a strong interest in lineal structures; railway lines, trains, and buildings. He expressed this keen interest by constructing cities with Lego, empty boxes, and pretty much anything that would stand up on its own. Granny and Grandad's glasses cases became a firm favourite, especially for this purpose. They also make great train carriages when lined up!
Albert later discovered Google Earth and is on Google Earth almost on a daily basis. It truly is one of his favourite pastimes. It allows Albert to look at his favourite buildings from every angle; from bird's eye view to street level. He can follow train lines and learn their destinations and where they have travelled from. It's been a wonderful way to inspire and feed his curious mind. So it was with great excitement, that as a family we could take Albert to London and Paris this year to see up close some of the iconic structures and buildings he's so often looked at on Google Earth and experience some of the amazing railways and metro lines he so often sees in books and t.v.
Our beautifully neurodivergent boy was going to be far from home and pushed beyond his limits for this privilege, but we know he would gain so much for it - and he had a great time! Albert went up to the top of the Shard building and Walkie building in London. Discovered a new building known to the locals as the Gerkin. In Paris, he went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and discovered The Duo buildings and the Montparnasse building from the view.
He experienced the Eurostar between London and Paris and the TGV train to regional areas we visited in France. His favourite train experiences, however, were the London and Paris metros! There are so many different stations, all with their unique vibe and so many lines to take you anywhere you need to go in the city. Alberts' absolute favourite, though, was a green and white metro train in Paris that had rubber wheels! We rode that train daily from the Dupleix station. Albert had many other memorable experiences too such as going to the top of the French Alps, swimming in Annecy Lake, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf he walked in palaces, castles, churches and villages older than New Zealand and Australia combined!
Our holiday was hectic but fulfilling. Throughout, Albert managed his anxiety and impatience for queues and long lines by carrying a sketchbook with him and drawing whenever we had to wait to 'get in' or have our bags checked. It was a great tool for Albert throughout our entire holiday. Sadly, his first sketch pad was left on a double-decker bus! Drawing was a great outlet for Albert. We are so proud of him, as we did push him beyond any child's limitations. We are confident that the experiences he has gained on this holiday will last with him throughout his life. Inspiring him and perhaps even shaping some of his choices and his future!"
- Renee (Albert’s Mum)
