My Essential Question (13)

My essential question: How can I adapt different Speech Language Pathology methods to impact various degrees of autism?

Why did you select this as your essential question?

Each day I observe an autistic class and I am fascinated on how they communicate with the teachers to tell them what they want. I want to figure out what methods can be used to teach these children to communicate in the same ways. It becomes chaotic when each one of these students has their own method of doing certain activities. Communication is a key part of any person’s life because it helps with building relationships as well as help with their survival in society.

What excites you most about finding the answer to this essential question?

The most exciting factor about my essential question is that it allows teachers to find the best method to communicate with their students. Everyone works differently and finding that avenue for teachers to finally understand how each of their students learns will make a huge impact in classroom activities.

Do you feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that you have to find out more about this topic?

I have always had the need to figure out how autistic students communicate. It is almost like solving a puzzle. Each child communicates in such a unique way that it becomes quite difficult to learn every style of learning. For example, one child might scream and run around if they are hungry, while another child tries to get your attention by grabbing the teachers hand and bringing them towards the food cabinet. I have always pondered at the idea of being able to find just one way to communicate with these kids. Through hours of observation I came up with the idea of researching each method of communication that these children have and finding the common link. I am hoping that my thesis will support my research for the upcoming months.