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LOGAN — An overseas supermodel-turned-philanthropist is getting help from Utah State University to teach children with autism.
Natalia Vodianova said she knows the challenges of autism because her younger sister, Oksana Vodianova, has it.
"(Oksana) is a nonverbal autistic person. She's 36 now, and she actually has also been benefiting from intervention. Not, unfortunately, when she was a child," Vodianova said.
Vodianova is a known Russian supermodel who has appeared on several Vogue magazine covers, but she said her mission is with the Naked Heart Foundation, based in London. The foundation helps kids like Oksana Vodianova, who brought Natalie Vodianova to USU's Autism Support Services: Education, Research, and Training program.
"We know that every student with autism is different, even though they share some common characteristic challenges in the areas of language and social behavior," said USU professor Tom Higbee.
Higbee founded the program. It takes an individual approach to give kids the tools they need to learn in more traditional schools.
Vodianova said it's why she sought out the program years ago and wanted to get Naked Heart Foundation staffers training in Utah.
"The main thing is to meet the kids where they are and to also to set high standards, recognize that they have more in common with that other kids than they do different," Higbee said.
After two weeks in Utah, Vodianova now has her certification with the USU program, which will help her expand her foundation to France in the near future.
"All of it's toward making sure that other families like ours get support that they need early on so that it's as effective as possible," Vodianova said.
Higbee said they're constantly working with graduate students so that more working teachers can enter the world with these skills.
