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Research Question:

In what ways do adolescent children who function at the lower end of the autism spectrum interact with same aged peers?

Foundation Questions:

1.  What is autism?

2.  What are the characteristics of adolescent children who function at the lower end of the autism spectrum?

3.  How do typically developing adolescents interact with same aged peers? 

Tentative Point:

By completing this assignment, I hope to educate people on the effects that autism has on a child's social life.  I want readers to become more aware of what autism is and how it is diagnosed.  I also want readers to know the pragmatic skills that autistic children do possess.

Genres:

Genre 1:  Webliography

Voice:  Clinician

Audience:  General Public

Rationale:  The webliography was chosen to let the general public know a little bit more about me and my interests. 

Genre 2:  Powerpoint Presentation

Voice:  Clinician

Audience:  General Public, Client, Client's Family

Rationale:  The Powerpoint presentation will be used to inform readers on what autism is and some general characteristics about the disorder.  The presentation will also give information on the pragmatic skills of children with autism.

Genre 3:  Poem

Voice:  Client

Audience:  General Public

Rationale:  The client will write a poem describing what he feels everyday when he goes to school and tries to have a social life with his peers.

Genre 4:  Pamphlet

Voice:  Clinician 

Audience:  Client, Client's Family, General Public

Rationale:  The pamphlet will focus solely on pragmatic skills of autistic children.  This will give more in-depth information on this topic in greater detail.

Genre 5:  E-mail Exchange

Voice:  Client's Mother

Audience:  Other Mothers of Autistic Children

Rationale:  The e-mail exchange will occur between two mothers who both have an autistic child.  The e-mails will discuss an event that happened with one child and the other mother will respond back with some advice on how deal with certain situations. 

Genre 6:  Observation Report

Voice:  Clinician

Audience:  Client's Parent(s)

Rationale:  The clinician will observe the client and write a report to discuss the pragmatic skills of the client and to determine what can be done to help the client with his skills.

Genre 7:  Journal Entry

Voice:  Client's Mother

Audience:  Client's Mother

Rationale:  The client's mother will be able to express her feelings about her son's disorder in writing.  It will help her to talk about the effects it has on her son's pragmatic skills and his family, as well.

Anticipated Integration of Genres:

I intend to introduce the reader to the topic of autism and myself through the Powerpoint presentation and my webliography.  I will bring the client into the picture by his poem he will write discussing how he feels about his disorder.  After the client introduces us more to the narrowed down topic of pragmatics, the pamphlet will then talk more about this subject in-depth.  The e-mail exchanges will bring in how the mother feels about her son's disorder.  The clinician will write an observation report to show what she determines of the child's pragmatic skills on more professional level.  And last, the mother's journal entries will bring it all together as she discusses how all this has affected her son, their family, and herself.

Tentative Resources:

Agnes, S. C., Cheung, J., Leung, W. W. M., Cheung, R., & Cheung, M. (2005). Verbal expression and comprehension deficits in young children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20, 117-125. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Bellini, S. (2004). Social skill deficits and anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 78-87. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Dawson, G., Toth, K., Abbott, R., Osterling, J., Munson, J., Estes, A., & Liaw, J. (2004). Early social attention impairments in autism: Social orienting, joint attention, and attention to distress. Developmental Psychology, 40, 271-283. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the PsycARTICLES database.

Eales, M. J. (1993). Pragmatic impairments in adults with childhood diagnoses of autism or developmental receptive language disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9, 593-618. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Hale, C. M., & Tager-Flusber, H. (2005). Social communication in children with autism: The relationship between theory of mind and discourse development. Autism The International Journal of Research and Practice, 9, 157-178. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Miller, C. (2005). Developing friendship skills with children with pervasive developmental disorders: A case study. Dramatherapy, 27, 11-16. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the Alt HealthWatch database.

Minshew, N., Goldstein, G., & Siegel, D. (1995). Speech and language in high-functioning autistic individuals. Neuropsychology, 9, 255-261. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the PsycARTICLES database.

Noens, I. L. J., & Berckelaer, I. A. (2005). Captured by details: sense-making, language, and communication in autism. Journal of Communication Disorders, 38, 123-141. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the PsycINFO database.

Wilkinson, K. M. (1998). Profiles of language and communication skills in autism. Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 4, 73-79. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Young, E. C., Diehl, J. J., Morris, D., Hyman, S. L., & Bennetto, L. (2005). The use of two language tests to identify pragmatic language problems in children with autism spectrum disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 36, 62-73. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier database.

I Am

I am autistic

I wonder if I will ever be like the other kids

I hear the wheels in my head turning trying to think of something to say

I see myself talking to those I barely know

I want to be able to play with everyone on the playground

I am autistic

I pretend that I am just like the other kids

I feel like I am trapped in a cage sometimes

I touch the bars that keep me from playing and talking with everyone else

I worry that I will never escape

I cry because these bars have kept me trapped for so long

I am autistic

I understand that I will need someone to help me become free from this cage

I say that one day it will be okay

I dream about running on the playground will all of my friends

I try my best to let people know it is alright to talk to me

I hope that one day I will not have to worry about any of this

I am autistic

July 28, 2005

Today I went to Lucas’ school to watch how he acted around his teacher and other students. It broke my heart to watch as he did not interact with his classmates. This was not the first time I have observed Lucas in his school environment. It was just so much harder this time because he is older and at an age where he should have so many friends. Lucas just seemed to sad and out of place as he sit there and did most of his work by himself. During recess some of the other kids came up and talked to Lucas, but he just turned his back and would not talk back. I could just feel the tears forming in my eyes as I watched my son be so excluded from the world around him. I had to turn my back a few times because I could not stand to watch him.

September 13, 2005

Lucas’ birthday was today. He turned 13-years-old. We had a party for him here at the house and invited the entire family. All of the family was hugging him and telling him happy birthday, but Lucas showed very little emotion toward all the excitement. Nicholas opened most his brother’s presents as Lucas just sat beside me and watched. I am upset when I see that Lucas is not even very sociable around his family. These are the people that are around him and love him the most. Nicholas gets upset when Lucas does not acknowledge that he talking to him. He remains patient most of the time with Lucas, but he is still young and does understand what is wrong with his older brother. The speech therapist says that one day he may be able to feel comfortable around those that he interacts with on a regular basis. I just wonder when and if this day will ever come.

To: numbr1bakr@expressmail.com

From: luvmykids@expressmail.com

Subject: episode at Wal-Mart

Hey Liz,

How have your been doing? We have not talked for a couple of weeks now. I have been so busy with the kids and work lately that I have not had a chance to write to you. I am writing to tell you about a recent incident that happened with Lucas at Wal-Mart. As I have told you before, he loves going shopping there and helping me push the buggy. I have no idea what happened the other day, but he threw a huge temper tantrum when it was time to leave. He has never done this before and I do not know what caused him to do it. After we checked out, he threw himself on the floor and started kicking and screaming. We have not been back since because I do not know if he will do it again. It took awhile for me to get him calmed down enough so we could leave. After we got home and I had time to think about it, I remembered you saying that your son had done something similar when you left the mall one day. Please write me back ASAP with any help or advice for what you did to handle the situation.

Sincerely,

Jane

To: luvmykids@expressmail.com

From: numbr1bakr@expressmail.com

Subject: Re: episode at Wal-Mart

Hi Jane,

I can’t believe it has been so long since we have been in touch. I was glad to see your name in my Inbox today. I am sorry to hear about what happened with Lucas at the store. It sounds very similar to what happened with Joshua one day while we were leaving the mall. I don’t know what came across him, but he did not want to leave at all. He was kicking and screaming so much that my husband had to literally pick him up and carry him out. I was so baffled by what had happened because it came out of nowhere. Joshua had been fine the entire time were at the mall. He has done it quite a few more times since then. As I was reading some e-mails from my mailing list one day, I saw some that talked of this same thing. Some of the parents gave a few ideas on what they had done to help with situations when it was time to leave a certain place. One thing a parent had done was to carry a little clock with him. He let his child see the clock and told him that when the "big hand" got to a certain number, that is when it would be time to leave. Another parent would tell her child they would count backwards from a certain number and when they got to one it would be time to go home. I find counting backwards from five right before leaving a place is what works best with Joshua. This way he can prepare himself to leave and knows exactly when it is time. I hope one of these suggestions will work. Let me know what happens.

Liz

To: numbr1bakr@expressmail.com

From: luvmykids@expressmail.com

Subject: Re: episode at Wal-Mart

Hello,

Liz, I am so glad that you wrote me back with the advice. It really helped with Lucas. I took him to Wal-Mart again the other day to see if he would repeat what he had done on the previous trip and sure enough he did. I was hoping it was only a one-time deal. So I tried your advice about counting backwards when we were leaving the movie store yesterday. I kind of sensed that he was getting ready to start screaming so I just bent down and looked him in the eyes and explained what was going to happen. I told him that I was going to count backwards from ten and then that was when it would be time to leave. I made sure that he understood what I was telling him, so he could prepare to leave. I then counted backwards, took his hand, and we left the store in peace and quiet. I hope this will continue to work with him. I cannot thank you enough for the advice. Hope to hear from you soon!

Many Thanks,

Jane

Do You Know an Adolescent with Autism?

Information on autism and how it affects adolescents’ interaction with same-aged peers.

__________________________________________

What is Autism?

Autism is a multifaceted developmental disability. It usually shows up in the first three years of life (http://www.autism-society.org). The cause of autism is unknown, but most believe it is caused by abnormalities in the brain. Since it is the result of a neurological disorder, autism affects how the brain functions. Both children and adults can suffer from this disorder and no two patients are the same. Those who are diagnosed with autism can have difficulties in any, or all, of the following areas:

Social Interaction

Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Skills

Play/Leisure Activities

__________________________________________________

Looking at the Spectrum

Autism if one of the five categories that falls under the title of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Autism is the most common of PDD and it is said that 1.5 million American are affected, today. Those who are diagnosed with autism are put on a spectrum (http://www.autism-society.org). The spectrum goes from low functioning to high functioning. Where an individual is placed on the spectrum depends on his/her behaviors and severity. Some specific qualities that a person with autism may exhibit are:

Difficulty expressing wants and needs

May laugh for no apparent reason

Difficulty interacting with others

May have little or no eye contact

Prefer to be alone

Over or Under Sensitivity to pain

__________________________________________________

Interaction Characteristics of Adolescents Who Function at the Higher End of the Autism Spectrum

The ability to socially interact is greatly impaired in adolescents with autism. They do not develop the play and interaction skills as typically developing adolescents do. “Deficits in social functioning can significantly affect social interactions and interfere with the ability to establish lasting and meaningful friendships, leading to rejection and isolation...”, (Tantam, 2000 as cited in Bellini, 2004). Gillberg and Gillberg (1989) reported that some deficits in interacting with same-aged peers may include the lack of the desire to interact, the lack of understanding social cues, or the lack of the overall ability to interact (Bellini, 2004). Those who function on the higher end of the spectrum may also show the inability to express empathy for others.

__________________________________________________

Interaction Characteristics of Typically Developing Adolescents

Adolescents that typically develop usually obtain interaction and friendship skills in four different stages (Miller, 2005). The first stage, which develops in the pre-school years, is learning how to play alongside others. Between the ages of five and eight, the second stage develops, which is realizing to engage reciprocally with others to play adequately. Becoming friends with those who are of the same gender and have the same interests comes around nine to thirteen years, which is stage three. Stage four, the final one, is what happens during the adolescent years. This is where the child learns to trust his/her peers and finds qualities that he/she admires in the peer.

____________________________________________________ Additional Information

For more information on autism and interaction skills of adolescents, contact a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in your area. SLPs are educated on the disorder of autism. They work with autistic individuals help them to develop better interaction skills. You may also visit the Autism Society of America’s web page for other information on autism at http://www.autism-society.org.

__________________________________________________

Resources

Bellini, S. (2004). Social skill deficits and anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 78-87. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Miller, C. (2005). Developing friendship skills with children with pervasive developmental disorders: A case study. Dramatherapy, 27, 11-16. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from the Alt Health Watch database.

Autism Society of America:  The voice of autism.  Retrieved October 22, 2005, from http://www.autism-society.org.

Sarah,

Hey, Sis!  How have you been doing?  I have not talked to you for awhile on the phone now.  I miss seeing you everyday.  It has been tough on me since you have moved away.  I enjoyed our long talks when you would come to visit us.  And I especially miss getting your advice everyday about Lucas.  He still has his good days and his bad days.  He misses you too.  He has always loved his Aunt Sarah.  I know he especially misses your chocolate chip cookies that are out of this world!  Well you are probably wondering why I am writing you this letter and not just calling you up on the phone.  Lucas is out with Jeff right now running a few errands, so I have some free time since neither one of my boys are here.  I thought I would have a little “me time” and fill you on some things that have been going on around here.

I cannot remember if I have told you the incident at Wal-Mart with Lucas.  This happened awhile ago, so I may have told you.  Anyways, to make a long story short, Lucas did not want to leave when it was time to go home.  I threw a fit and started kicking and screaming.  I did not know what to.  I finally got him calmed down enough to get out of the store.  When I got home I wrote an e-mail about the situation to a woman I have met who also has a son with autism.  We write each other often to give advice and to just have someone to talk to who understands.  She gave me some good advice on how prevent that from happening again.

Lucas is now seeing a speech-language pathologist twice a week for some therapy.  Her name is Shari Nutter.  She helps Lucas with making his social skills better.  Lucas absolutely loves her.  She has helped him accomplish so much in just the short amount of time he as been seeing her.  Can you believe it, but Shari actually got Lucas to write a poem about how he feels when he is at school.  She helped him write it, but I was so proud of him!  The therapist has also helped me out some.  She told me that I could ease some of my emotions by keeping a journal.  I have only written in it a few times, but it really helps to get everything out that I am feeling.  I just write about little things that happen throughout the day. 

When we first went to the therapist, she was so helpful to us.  She gave Jeff and me so much information because she wanted us to be as best educated on Lucas’ disorder as we could.  Before we left our first session with her she gave us a few pamphlets on autism.  I have enclosed a pamphlet with this letter.  It gives just some basic information on the disorder.  I thought you may like to take a look at it.  At our next session with her, she showed us this great PowerPoint slideshow.  This was just a different way for her to give us more information.  The presentation focused more on peer interaction skills.  This was important to us because she is trying work on improving these skills with Lucas.  I really like Shari.  She seems very interested in Lucas and genuinely concerned with helping him.  She even gave us this really neat website to visit.  It gave us some information on her interests and information about speech-language pathology in general, which I thought was pretty cool. 

Well, I am expecting Jeff and Lucas home anytime now.  I had better wrap this thing up.  When are you planning on coming back to visit?  I hope it is soon.  I miss my little sis.  Well you can write back if you want to just give me a call.  I know you do not have much free time either.  Well like I have said already, I miss you a lot and cannot wait to see you again.  Hope to hear from you soon!

Lots of Love,

Jane