An uncommon perspective

LAPWAI — Emma Paddlety sat upright in her chair. Straight, dark hair fell over a pair of wireless Beats headphones wrapped around her neck, rendering them nearly hidden.

The ninth grader from Lapwai will soon have the opportunity to share her perspective with the Idaho State Board of Education about what it’s like to be a Indigenous student with autism.

“Nonverbal doesn’t mean noncommunicative,” said her mom, Janelle Chief. “Emma’s always the first to acknowledge elders in the room. She’ll go around and shake their hands.”

Paddlety is among 13 students, ranging from fourth to 12th grades, who were selected to serve on Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra’s recently formed Student Advisory Council.

At the group’s first meeting on Monday, Paddlety will gather in Boise with peers from across the state to share their insights on Idaho’s public education system. Each student has a parent or guardian who will accompany them at the quarterly meetings.

“Some of the best and most inspiring moments in my seven years as superintendent have come from meeting and hearing from students,” Ybarra said in a news release. “I’m excited by their diversity.”

Even though Paddlety faces barriers in communicating her needs, she hopes to promote awareness on behalf of her brother James, who also has autism, and other underrepresented students on the Nez Perce Reservation.

Chief said she’s seen both her kids flourish because of the work special education teachers do every day.

“There’s such a spectrum of special needs,” Chief said. “It’s a constant evolution of understanding how to cope with certain things and just having the patience for it.”

Georgia Sobotta, a special education teacher at Lapwai Middle/High School, helped Paddlety through the application process during the summer.

In her application, the Nez Perce descendant mentioned high rates of depression and suicide as issues students in the community are grappling with. According to the National Indian Council on Aging, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Native Americans ages 10-24, the highest across all ethnic and racial groups.

“Those are some of the things kids are really struggling with,” Sobotta said. “Emma has a presence there where she acknowledges and advocates for her peers.”

Paddlety currently sits on Lapwai School District Superintendent David Aiken’s Student Cabinet, and was selected as the freshman representative this year.

Aiken said they chose to nominate her for the council because she demonstrates natural leadership abilities.

“I’ve always admired that she’s such a good role model for her peers,” he said. “She’s one of our best and brightest.”

After high school, Paddlety wants to attend college and train to be a nurse.

“I probably watch too much Grey’s Anatomy,” she joked. “But I’m really interested in learning more about mental disorders. I want to help other people.”

Palermo may be contacted at apalermo@lmtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @apalermotweets.