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About Peyton
Peyton's Biography
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Peyton Goddard was born to her parents Patrick and Dianne Goddard on December 26, 1974 in San Diego, California. She was the second of two children. Starting at age 3, due to atypical developmental delays in pre-school, she received diagnoses from doctors ranging from "apraxia" and "aphasia" to "mental retardation" and eventually “autism”. When she had finally gained a reliable way to communicate, Peyton described her differences as having a neurological basis, calling autism, "a misunderstood condition that makes purposeful movement undependable. " This is what prevented her from moving and speaking as others expected. |
For two decades, she was segregated in schools with no appropriate accommodations for her learning, which only exacerbated her movement disorder and led to increasingly restrictive placements and social exclusion. During her years in the special education system, she experienced the unrelenting traumatic stress of daily being unable to obey the commands of her instructors, who viewed her as purposely “non-compliant”. She was the victim of aversive restraints, punative seclusion, and physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Unable to tell her parents of this abuse, she could express herself only through behaviors. |
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However, on March 21 of 1997, Peyton's life changed dramatically when she was introduced to an innovative communication strategy called Facilitated Communication (FC), which uses applied resistance to enable purposeful movement and communication through a keyboard or computer. Among her first words, Peyton typed, “I AM INTLGENT.” For the first time, she had a reliable method for communicating with others. Supported by numerous trained facilitators, Peyton was able to request a real education and within a year found the courage to tell her parents about her experiences of abuse and neglect during her youth.
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Peyton enrolled in Cuyamaca College in the fall of 1998. Four years later, she graduated as the valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA and an Associates Degree in General Studies. |
Since then, Peyton has become an advocate for inclusion in education and society, regularly giving presentations at numerous conferences across the United States, including Syracuse University, the Colorado Department of Education, and the PEAK Parent Center in Colorado Springs. In 1995, she was awarded the Collaborative Advocacy Award from TASH, an international organization promoting inclusion and supported participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. In 2003 Peyton was awarded CALTASH's annual Mary Falvey Outstanding Young Person Award. Locally, she also presents in workshops at San Diego State University, California State University at San Marcos, Point Loma Nazarene University and University of San Diego. Audiences include teachers, administrators, policy makers, public agencies, parents and students. Her topics are diverse, but generally focus on supporting and accommodating students with different learning styles in inclusive settings.
As of 2010 Peyton plans to continue her speaking and advocacy for unity and valuing all people. She is currently focused on completing her forthcoming book, co-authored with her mother Dianne and Carol Cujec, entitled, I AM INTLGENT. |
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