My mother is a preschool curriculum cordinator, which means she designs and decides what the children will learn. She leant me this book from the school's library. It is a great book to learn about the basics of autism, and especially helpful on how to interact and help children with autism. Although incredibly informative, it is not too complicated or too boring. It is perfect for those wanting to learn more.

Preliminary Research

Over the past few weeks I have been doing research on the basics of autistic spectrum disorder. I seperated the research into 3 sections:

1.The history and basics of autism
2.The symptoms of autism
3.The causes of autism

Autism was first described by Dr. Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist at John Hopkins University, in 1943. He had a wide range of kids who all showed little social interest, needed routines, and didn't communicate well with others. We now know these kids, who varied in severity, had autism spectrum disorder. The word autism comes from the Greek word autos, meaning self. The disorder, although ranging from no speech ability to just quirky individuals, all include problems with social interactions, problems with communication, and unusual behaviors and interests.

To be diagnosed with autism, children must meet oll the criteria specified in the DSM-IV. These syptoms include:
1. Social Interaction
-Hard time identifying nonverbal cues
-Failure to develop relationships with others
-Little sharing of self with others
-Does not recipricate others emotions
2. Communication
-Delay in laguage development
-Difficulty with conversation
-Unusual and repetitive language
-Play not usual for age
3. Behaviors and Interests
-Intense interest on one unusual thing
-Need to follow a routine
-Repetitive movement
-Focus on parts of an object
Autism can also be misdiagnosed by its individual symptoms as ADHD/ADD, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, OCD, selective mutism, social anxiety disorder, tourettes syndrom, etc. It can also often occurs along with ADHD, depression, tourettes, and anxiety disorders.

Scientists do not yet know the cause of autism, but they now know that the original "refigerator mom" theory that said mothers were so cold to their children that they retreated into themselves, is not true. It has a biological cause. There are many theories on what cause autism, and they all may contribute, or some may not. These include:

-Too many neurons in the limbic system that is important to social and emotional interactions
-Larger ventricles (areas of fluid in the brain as opposed to brain tissue)
-Small vermis (the part of the brain controlling propreoception)
-Damage to the frontol lobes (less blood flow and electrical activity)
-Medial Temperol Lobe damage that is important to emotional expression
-Genetics
-Chromosomes 7 and 15

One specific cause has not been found, and a "cure" has not been found, but parents can seek therapy and adjust their lives to fit that of a autistic child.

Idea Approved!

So today my advisor returned my proposal letter. It's all a go! Now I need to do initial research on autism in general. I'm really interested in the communication and social challenges of those with Autism. I feel these are the most important aspects to focus on when designing the theater program. This is mind, it's time to start my research!

Intoduction

Hi! I'm Maggie Neel and I go to North Atlanta High School. I am part of the International Studies Middle Years Program. 10th Grad is the last year of MYP, and in order to graduate into the Diploma Program,we have to do a year long personal program. I have decided to design a theater program for children who have autism. I contacted a director I have worked with before who does a similar program. I will be updating this blog everytime I've done something new, and hopefully it will be a great year!