Hidden Curriculum, Revised Edition: Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations: 5 - Tapa blanda

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Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, is an associate professor, University of Kansas. She is an internationally recognized authority on autism. Dr. Myles has made over thousands of presentations all over the world, and has written more than 250 articles and books on autism spectrum disorder. In the latest survey conducted by the University of Texas, she was acknowledged as the second most productive applied researcher in ASD in the world. Her awards include: Yes She Can Inc., Advocates for Adults with Autism Award (2016) ; University of Alabama/Glenwood Scholar (2015); National Parenting Publications Bronze Award (2014) and American Academy of Pediatrics Autism Champion (2013), among many others.

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Twelve-year-old Tom and his mom went to the movie theater to see a new movie based on comic book characters—one of Mark’s special interests. As soon as they got there, Mark went into the bathroom—his “pre-show urination ritual.” His mom waited outside.

Tom’s mom was surprised when, after a while, a man came out of the bathroom and asked, “Is that your son in the bathroom? Around ten or so years old, brown hair, Ramones t-shirt?” “Yes,” Tom’s mother replied. “Is there something wrong?” The gentleman continued, “I’m a PE teacher, and I thought you should know that your son went into a stall and apparently there was no toilet paper. He came out of the stall with his pants and underwear down and was asking people in the other stalls if they had toilet paper. His junk was just hanging out there. I told him to take another stall and check it first for toilet paper, but I think that he could have easily gotten in trouble in the bathroom. You might want to talk to him.” Tom’s mom sighed heavily, thanked the man, and made a note to find out the hidden curriculum for a man’s bathroom to share with Tom.

Peter Gerhardt (personal communication, April 2004) talks about the hidden curriculum of urinals. For example, if there is only one man at a urinal, the hidden curriculum dictates that a newcomer should not go to the urinal next to that person. Rather, he should go to a urinal that is at least two stalls away. Also, boys and young men should know that they are not to talk to someone while they are at the urinal and that they should never go to the bathroom in groups. Further, boys and young men should merely unzip to urinate rather than pulling down their pants at the urinal.