Alpha Xi Delta hosts autism awareness event

Elizabeth Cruz, Staff Writer

The Alpha Xi Delta sorority is known for their support, advocacy and volunteer work for Autism Speaks throughout the year. On Oct. 19 in the USU, they hosted an event, Setting Life with Autism to Music, for the students and faculty to learn about Andrea Moriarty and her son Reed. Andrea opened up about her personal experience as the mother of a son who has autism.

Andrea Moriarty began her story from the beginning of her journey, when she adopted Reed as an infant. She had no idea that Reed was autistic and this was something unique to her. She had to learn new techniques in order to help Reed feel comfortable. Later, she learned that Reed had perfect pitch in his singing voice and perfect hearing.

This helped Moriarty figure out that Reed was at peace and focused when he played and sang music.

“The principle here is to look into the infinity,” said Moriarty. “Very often, children on the autistic spectrum have, what can be called, a splinter skill and they develop this early on. This means they have a special interest in something that they are really passionate about and if you can figure out what that is, that can be a way to motivate them and increase their attention span and really help them maximize their potential.”

In Reed’s case, he is really passionate about music. Moriarty said she really believes that each one of these special interests opens a new curriculum for learning. They opens door for skills development, teaching them everything from grammar to vocabulary and geography.

“If you use your imagination a little, you can imagine someone who will only play with legos. You can teach them all about the world through legos or whatever their special interest may be. It is a different way of teaching but it can really take these kids further,” said Moriarty.

Students can learn more about Andrea Moriarty and Reed’s experience in her book One- Track Mind: 15 Ways to Amplify Your Child’s Interest. Students may also learn more about Alpha XI Delta and their philanthropy and upcoming events at csusanmarcos.alphaxidelta.org