Keel began studying autism 30 years ago while in graduate school. In the late 70s, she did an externship at the Judevine Center for Autistic Children in St. Louis, Mo. She knew then it was the population she would focus on in her career.

“I saw that every one of these children is different; there are no two autistic children or individuals who are alike,” she said. “I have worked with kids with autism who graduated from college. I have worked with kids who went to medical school. I’ve also worked with autistic kids who were not able to speak. There is every single combination. The challenge is to find strategies that will be successful with their combination of needs.”

Keel has worked with many students over the years with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is considered to be a milder form of autism. It’s common for a student with this diagnosis to function in regular classes with support from special education professionals. Students with Asperger’s Syndrome are often aware they are different from their peers and struggle to understand and utilize conventional social communication rules such as how to interpret gestures or vocal inflection.

“I had the privilege of seeing several students over many consecutive years,” she said. “I had to go beyond what was curricular and design a program so they could learn the nuances of communicating such as where to pause and how to phrase. Things are very concrete for students with this condition. I reached out to materials available at the time to try to teach these skills, but had to start from scratch and design materials that met their needs.”

At the end of her work with these students, Keel had a book of more than 50 dialogues for practicing communication skills.

“The one thing we do from cradle to grave is communicate,” she said. “I realized it is crucial for these individuals to know how to interact with other people. I will never forget these students for as long as I live.”

Keel’s first article details tips for a smoother start to the school year for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder broken down by school level.

Keel has master’s degrees in speech pathology and special education. In the 1990s, she received training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Division TEACCH, the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped CHildren. Over the past three decades, Keel has worked in schools, hospitals, been the clinical director for an adult rehab company, and been an adjunct lecturer with the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and the University of New Mexico. She currently maintains a private practice and presents at numerous workshops and training sessions every year.
Is there information you would like to see covered in an article? Email Keel at jkeel@cox.net.