In the film, “Sean’s Story”, Sean Begg is an 8 year old boy with Down Syndrome. Him and his parents had been enduring a seven year fight to have Sean placed in a regular public school. Previously, he was enrolled in a contained classroom in a school for children with disabilities. Throughout the film, audiences are able to observe the controversial experiences Sean and his family withstood as well as compare his new life in a general education classroom to his former life in a special education classroom. Analyzing various aspects of communication, collaboration, and Sean’s improvements by the end of his first public school year allow viewers to critique the educational decisions made in Sean’s life.…
“Imagine finding yourself in another culture…the language is familiar but…facial expressions and body language are foreign.” Hammond’s words intrigued me immediately. Had I ever before considered how it might feel to live “in a diamond bubble,” unable to interpret subtle signals of body language or comprehend accepted social cues? Megan Hammond’s plainspoken and insightful blurb for her autobiography ‘My Life with Asperger’s’ initially captured my attention through challenging my perspectives towards the everyday outlook of living with a disability. Inspired to gain knowledge on the “confusing world” Hammond encounters, I was particularly interested in learning about her personal challenges and triumphs in regards to schooling, employment,…
Instead of jumping to the thought of special educational services to help the student communicate and become involved, the teacher uses her already-in-motion classroom techniques of student storytellers and positive correction to help Jason feel comfortable interacting with his fellow students. As the book goes on, we can see multiple students as storytellers and see how their stories develop both negative and positive perspectives of Jason and his disability based on Jason’s response to his classmates. We are able to see how the class’ stories change their viewpoints of Jason as he comes more and more involved and successfully integrated within the…
This is a film study on Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who achieved academic success despite her disability. By the age of 2, Temple was diagnosed with autism, considered then to be a form of brain damage. Her mother, Eustacia, initially blamed her daughter’s physicians for her condition. The medical consensus at that time was that autism was a form of schizophrenia resulting from insufficient maternal affection. The film follows Temple Grandin's life, providing background through a series of flashbacks.…
Many people define themselves by traits that they possess that are outside of their control. This sense of identity is often fixed, and the perceived fluidity of their identity evolves as a result of their experiences changing their perception of the world. This is exemplified in Lauren Slater’s “Three Spheres”, which tells the story of the author’s own experience with mental illness and how it shaped the course of the rest of her life. Although a person’s nature does impact their personality, as shown in the innate quality of Slater’s mental illness, the way that they are nurtured also has a great impact. “Three Spheres” best shows the character of the author due to its illustration of her experience and the impacts of both the way she was…
Imagine moving to several schools as a nomadic student trying to fit in,and eventually finding a place where people finally accept you for who you are. In the book Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul Fisher, the main character does just that. Mrs. Fisher wants her son, Paul, to be accepted for who he is despite his disability. She makes several choices that impact Paul, his ability to play soccer and his relationship with his brother. Mrs. Fisher's choices, and the consequences of those choices, affect the development of Paul's, character.…
There are challenges in having Autism Spectrum Disorder, but do the challenges outweigh the benefits? Two authors eloquently expressed different viewpoints on the concept of neurodiversity, and whether having a differently wired brain can be a strength in spite of the challenges that people with communication differences may face. One author, Steve Silberman believes that neurodiversity is a gift that should be embraced and better understood by the world we live in. The other author, Jonathan Mitchell expresses some of the struggles of living as an autistic person in the United States, and in a global society in the twenty first century. The first paper which I read, written as a proponent to the neurodiversity movement, by Silberman, emphasized…
Sam Dawson is a man with an unspecified developmental disability. He has the mental capacity of a seven year old yet he lives by himself and is able to hold down a minimum wage job at the local Starbucks. Sam became a father to a daughter which he named Lucy. Lucy’s mother fled after her birth so Sam was left to raise her by himself. The first days were hard and it was not until his neighbor, Annie, stepped into the parenting process to help Sam that things improved and moved along smoother.…
Temple Grandin is an autistic American professor of animal science, best-selling author, and a consultant to animal livestock. Autism can be defined promptly as a mental disorder, in which the person seems, depending on the severity of the condition, to live in his or her own world. In Grandin’s early life, she lacked the abilities to read people’s emotions, expressions or understand others’ body language. All these disabilities made Grandin’s social life challenging, as she could not interpret people’s intention, and did not know how to conform to the social norm of the people surrounding her. Grandin lived on Earth but yet she felt significantly different from other people, and preferred to think she was from Mars.…
When asked how Temple Grandin views the world, Temple has been living with autism spectrum disorder. In the video presented she explains how her mind works. Temple explained that she views the world in pictures. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids. Grandin’s books about her interior life as an autistic person have increased the world’s understanding of the condition with personal immediacy — and with import, as rates of autism diagnosis rise.…
Beginning teachers can encounter a variety of situations within the classroom in relation to a child with a disability or additional needs. These recommendations give three possible scenarios for the emergent teacher. Child A has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with anxiety as his main challenge. His mother expresses that she would like the school to take a proactive holistic approach. To facilitate this the teacher would focus on developing his self-management skills and being able to identify and communicate his emotions (Exemplars, 2016, p. 5).…
Raymond displays the daily struggles autistic individuals suffer, and the journey that many people in today’s society experience with individuals who have autism. I highly liked the scenario where Raymond shows emotion over hurting his brother when they were younger during a bath; it shows us that autistic individuals are capable of experiencing the same emotions that we as humans experience on a daily basis. The film has given me a better comprehension of the significance of communicating; this knowledge will be helpful for future references when dealing with autistic individuals and their…
Researcher as Instrument Statement My personal lived experiences, both present and past have altered the manner in which I conduct research, interpret data, and engage with my participants, therefore influencing this work. My passion for special education is evident in my academic, professional, and personal life, as I am driven to enhance the quality of life for those with a disability. My interest in the field of special education was not innate, as life occurrences shaped the way I view and interact with others.…
Autism affects many people and those that are affected all have a journey. In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime written by Mark Haddon. There is a boy named Christopher, who has autism. Likewise, in the movie Extremely Loud Incredibly Close there is also a kid with autism named Oskar. Both characters take part in a challenging journey, where they use their “character traits” to succeed.…
However, the child was prone to growing up in bad conditions and possible disabilities and paralyzed from her waist down with a spina bifida. At the end of the story, a doctor discovered that everything was a false alarm Natalie. As we read what the narrator had to go through, we see a sense of openness, bonding, acceptance, and vulnerability as a woman and as a mother. The struggle and true love a mother lives is inexplicable. The narrator mentions “I lean down and breathe in her breath, which now smells of bubble-gum toothpaste and the dinner I cooked for her while she sat in her highchair singing to the dog”, demonstrating that her daughter is now fully recovered and that she is living an enjoyable life despite of the difficult stages in her life.…