a class on autism

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Hey everyone, I'm applying to teach a class on Autism at a university. The class is about 20 students (usually between the ages of 18-23) and I am writing up my syllabus. The class is set up as a discussion class rather than a lecture. I have a few ideas in mind, but does anyone have any suggestions on what is important to cover in a class concentrating on Autism? Also, do you know of any new research being done that is controversial or very beneficial that I should include in my readings? Any articles you can direct me to that I can assign as readings? Possibly any films or documentaries you think are important can be included, too. the class can cover ANY aspect of Autism and I really want to cover things that are really important right now in the community. THANKS!

I would appreciate the help and opinions very much.

You can start with the basics of Autism, including the statistics and the Sociology behind Autism. Also, you could list the symptoms from the DSM-IV, talk about the five PDDs, discuss the neurological and psychological effects of Autism, include films such as Rain Man or any other films about Autism, search for facts or documentaries about Autism through the library, and many other things. So far, those are the only options on my mind.

You might want to point out the new spectrum disorder since 1994--Aspergers. Before then, high functioning autistic individuals went undiagnosed and were called quirky. Utih Frith's translation of Hans Asperger's writings (can't recall title) would be a great resource.

Both Hans and Kanner used the term "autism" coincidentally (strange). One here in the states, the other in Germany. They never communicated. Hans identified autistic psychopathy and found individuals with no cognitive delays but some autistic behaviors--hence, Aspergers. Kanner's autistics were more low functioning. Lorna Wing (british in the1980's) was instrumental in bringing Hans's work here to the states. Didn't make it to the DSM until 1994.

Lots of misunderstanding still exists concerning autism. People presume that someone with "autism" is like the rainman. The majority of diagnosed autistics are higher functioning autistic and many fly under the radar.

Today, 1/150 are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. (approximately)

Speculation is that diagnosised cases of autism have increased because the spectrum has broadened to include higher functioning individuals (makes sense). Vaccines is another theory. Genetics is another theory.

Aspie culture, as you will discover after perusing this site, has grown in leaps and bounds.

You might want to visit Barb Kirby's OASIS Asperger Forum. Lots of great resources on the amazon site.

Okay-have fun.

equinn

you know, the most radical part of the new autism is that we are sexual beings.
I think that amazes the Neurotypicals the most, that our reproductive organs work, just as much as any ones. Good discussion topics. . .should we be allowed to reproduce, or even have sexual relations.

And once that discussion gets going really well, toss in the bombshell. . .Why do people think we can 'allow' them to do anything? Who are we to 'allow' other human beings to do anything? why are we so sure we are their keepers?


have fun!

wow Merle, right on spot!

I would suggest "Mozart and the Whale" rather then "Rainman".I get a lot of information about current As research from web site called....Science Daily.There is also a post on here about the increased number of females with AS,if I can find it I will provide a link.There are also a lot of people on here who were not DX with AS until their 30's-60's?That means they "some how" managed to function enough without a DX to survive.I was DXed at 43,myself but can find no actual assistance to help me find a better job(common for adults with AS to be working beneath their education and intelligence due to their poor social skills or sensory issues).I think it is important to mention that kids with AS grow up to be adults with AS and some of us could use a liitle help to achieve our full potentials.

You might also include the funny link about Neurotypical syndrome(I will look for that also)it mentions some of the biases of a predominantly NT society in assuming that they are "right" and different means "broken".

There are also some very common "co-morbids" that can make AS more challenging but are not in the actual DX.......


Dyslexia and dysgraphia
Auditory Processing disorder
executive function disorder
no internalized sense of time
delayed onset sleep insomnia
many health related problems that appear connected to a hyper allergy response......(IBS,Allergies,arthritis,chroens,Fibromialgia,CFS)These things seem more prevalent among aging aspies then statistically probable to me.Seems like an area of research someone might be interested in looking into more


Good luck with your class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/magaz ... ref=slogin

wow! Thank you everyone! Your inputs are very helpful. I will definetely be covering all or parts of the following, if you have any specific suggestions in any of these categories, please let me know. thank you

1. Statistics on Autism/History of Autism-DSM definitions, Kanner, Asperger,
2. Research done on causes of autism-both genes and environment
3. Media and Autism-Mozart and the Whale, Rain Man, Mercury Rising, documentaries made on autism
4. Outreach on Autism
5. Interventions on Autism-Lovaas, music, sign language use, social stories
6. Neuotypical Syndrome-Sociology of Autism
7. Educational/Special Education issues-covering IEP's, etc.

again, thank you everyone! Your opinions/suggestions really help!

After Thomas is a movie BBC released in April. It is a look at a family with a young boy with autism, and based on true story. Many lessons for parents with young children.

tygereyes

So just a little background on me/the course. I am an undergraduate at this big research institution. Pretty much I want to continue to grad school to do research on autism. Yet, I have NOT found ANY class at my school that offered anything on autism (in detail). And the classes that DID cover autism either covered facilitated communication or education issues in special education. Nothing really gave me what I wanted to know about autism. So I did my own research and found an opportunity to change this----theres a program where undergraduates can teach their own course. So I recently applied to give the course and I have been approved! I am going to finalize my syllabus in the next 3 months and then offer the course in Spring 2008. Here is the preliminary syllabus and PLEASEEEEE give me your feedbacks! I also want to bring in a guest during one of my discussions......I have in the past worked at a high school where there is a program for teenagers with autism and I have also worked with older adults---but Im not sure which age group to bring to the discussions. The students in the class will typically be around 20 years of age.....so I think they might relate more to the high school student.

Here is the preliminarry syllabus...let me know what you guys think!

Week 1
Introduction to autism spectrum disorder: DSM-IV criteria for Autistic disorder, characteristics and prevalence of individuals diagnosed with autism, age and onset of diagnoses, treatments, and brief overview of various predicted causes of autism.
Week 2
Important Theoretical Constructs in Autism: Social Orienting, Theory of Mind, Joint Attention, and Pivotal Behaviors.
Week 3
Book Series: Selected chapters from the book “Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence” by Luke Jackson.
Week 4
Book Series: Selected chapters from “Pretending To Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome” by Liane Holliday Willey.
Week 5
Book Series: Selected chapters of “Emergence: Labeled Autistic” by Temple Grandin will be discussed.
Week 6
Book Series: The book “Flower of Algernon” will be read and we will discuss how this relates back to treatments for autism. We will also examine something called the “Neurotypical Syndrome” and controversy surrounding campaigns to “cure” autism.
Week 7
Movies: Various scenes from movies like Rain Man, Mozart and the Whale, Mercury Rising, and Backstreet Dreams will be examined. We will discuss whether or not these are accurate portrayals of autism and compare it to readings from the last four weeks.
Week 8
Documentaries: We will watch and discuss the film “Normal people scare me” by Keri Bowers and Taylor Cross and discuss the views of autism through the lens of individuals with autism.
Week 9
Television and Magazines: (Celebrities/Media coverage of autism)


Let me know what you think!

~Ani

I am Sam is also a good movie....what about having a guest lecturer?...someone on the spectrum ?

This sounds like a great idea.

My only suggestion is that,currently most of the discussion seems to assume that people with AS are magically "cured" after the age of 18.Adults on the spectrum are vertually invisable in the "helping professions".If this issue isn't covered(just because 20 year olds "relate" better to their teens),this will simply perptuate this over-site.Assuming the people in your class may go on to be in social services,I think it is important that they learn to understand how AS effects adults.

I would also think it would be important to cover the co-morbids that often accompany AS but are not part of the official DX.I am referring specifically to

some of the health concerns...allergies/digestive issues(IBS)
Auditory processing disorder
anxiety
depression
phobia
OCD
ADD
short-term memory problems
Dyslexia


Some of the above mentioned are not caused by being AS but from being AS and trying to function in an NT environment.I know psycholoigist would like to over-look these other issues because they "muddy the waters" but they are crucial in understanding the difficulties many people with AS have in functioning.I think sme of the current "problem issues" being attributed to AS,are actually the co-morbids and not the neurological wiring of AS.

you should have something about the online community of people with autism on... wrong planet

I've just read 'Joe, The Only Boy in the World' by Michael Blastland. This is written by a journalist with a low functioning son. My 7yr old AS son is high functioning but I still found this helped me understand & 'break-down' aspects of AS. I've recommended it to his teaching support worker and she is finding it help her better understand him too.

Wish we had people like you over here in the UK. Teachers, doctors etc all tell me that I teach them. Doctor even asked me what ASD is! Go ahead a splash in the states will always cause ripples over here. Best Wishes!

Sounds like a great class!