I’ve always believed that the Transit Museum is one of the city’s hidden gems. An unassuming spot in the abandoned Court St. station in Downtown Brooklyn, it houses a fantastic collection of old New York City subway artifacts, including turnstiles through the years and the finest display of rolling stock around. It’s a popular destination for school kids and a big draw for those with autism.
In an article in The Times this weekend, new transit beat writer Christine Haughney explored the link between children with autism and trains. The Transit Museum has focused more on reaching out to schools for children with autism because the children connect with trains. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why trains are such a draw, but the museum seems to have hit upon a great combination. “Kids with autism treat moving trains, especially ones that have limited motion like just going along the tracks, as a natural reward,” Simon Baron Cohen, a Cambridge professor, said. “It catches their attention. Once you’ve got the child’s attention, you can do many types of teaching.”
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Aren’t entirely sure? It seems clear to me. As it was put succinctly in the New York Times a few years ago, the autistic spectrum includes “a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development.” It’s probably validating to imagine the inner workings of a railroad where, if the utmost attention to mission-critical detail isn’t paid, tragedy can result. There are objects, patterns, and mechanical systems galore to pay careful heed to.
As someone who has worked with various disabled populations over the years especially those with developmental issues, I find this interesting. One child I had wasn’t autistic, but he displayed autistic like simptoms including constent running around with banging objects into walls, low verbal ability & sometimes he would suddenly without worning bite. I think the trains would have calmmed him down.
I’ve often wondered about the connection between disabled populations and transit buffs. Many times when the MTA rolls out old buses or trains during the holidays I see mentally disabled folks riding and talking about the rolling stock with such glee (and they have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of transit systems). They really love trains and buses, and I never quite got the connection until this article. Very interesting.
Didn’t an autistic man sneak into a train yard and successfully drive a train as though he was a T/O himself one time?
Read the thread on Subchat about this article. He is referenced in one of the responses. It says he was arrested multiple times for pretending to be a motorman.
The former Court St station is not abandoned! Its disused! Its decommissioned! But certainly not abandoned.
I used to babysit an autistic kid and he loved that place. It’s useful for teaching kids the appropriate way to behave around buses and trains (ie, stay off the tracks, swipe your metrocard on the bus, etc).
It’d be such a nice place to connect the SAS too! In fact, I believe that was planned at one time.
Sara –
– And your young charge was probably the one who told you that the proper term was ‘decommissioned’ not ‘abandoned’, wasnt he?
Oh, yes, there is definitely a connection between rail buffery, social awkwardness and other mileposts there on the autism spectrum… . . .