IN THIS ISSUE. News in Review Study Modules Autism: Living with Difference, October 2009

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2 IN THIS ISSUE Autistic Dating: Social Skills to Navigate Romance (Duration 11:15) Dating can be awkward at any age, but it's especially difficult for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Now a new program is helping adults with ASD to decode facial cues and other social signals to navigate the dating world. And it's proving quite successful. News in Review Study Modules Autism: Living with Difference, October 2009 Related CBC Programs The Autism Enigma The Child Who Couldn't Play Labels are for Cans: Managing Autism in the Workplace (CBC Radio) Positively Autistic Strangers in a Familiar Land: Asperger's Temple Grandin Credits News in Review is produced by CBC News Resource Guide Writer: Jennifer Watt Resource Guide Editor: Sean Dolan Host: Michael Serapio Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard Associate Producer: Agathe Carrier Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone Visit us at our website at curio.ca/newsinreview, where you will find an electronic version of this resource guide and an archive of all previous News in Review seasons. As a companion resource, we recommend that students and teachers access CBC News Online, a multimedia current news source that is found on the CBC s home page at cbc.ca/news/. Closed Captioning News in Review programs are closed captioned for the hearing impaired, for English as a Second Language students, or for situations in which the additional on-screen print component will enhance learning. CBC Learning authorizes the reproduction of material contained in this resource guide for educational purposes. Please identify the source. News in Review is distributed by: CBC Learning Curio.ca, P.O. Box 500, Stn A, Toronto, ON, Canada M5W 1E6 Copyright 2016 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

3 News in Review February 2016 Teacher Resource Guide AUTISTIC DATING: Social Skills to Navigate Romance VIDEO REVIEW Before Viewing 1. How much do you know about autism? Do you know an autistic person? Are you autistic? Share your stories with a partner. 2. Why do you think autism is considered a disability? 3. What possibilities and what challenges face a person with autism? 4. a) List three (3) reasons why making friends and dating is a complicated social experience for anyone. b) Why would making friends and dating be even more complicated for an autistic person considering the fact that many people with autism find it difficult to make conversation, interpret social cues, and read the emotions of others? Viewing 1. Learning social skills can be compared to learning a foreign language. True False 2. Which of the following can be considered a social skill? a) Laughing at jokes b) Elaborating on answers to questions c) Interpreting non-verbal cues d) All of the above 3. Why is a social network important to good mental and physical health? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 1

4 4. Why is it necessary to teach appropriate eye contact? 5. What evidence is presented that the PEERS program is helpful? 6. PEERS programs are being offered in some high schools. True False There are many autism dating websites. One in particular was created by an autistic mother and her autistic daughter. Why would the internet be a place of promise for autistic people who want to find friendship and romance? After Viewing 1. What feelings towards autistic people did this video elicit in you? 2. Do you think the PEERS program is a good idea? Explain. 3. Think about how the media portrays autistic people or people with qualities of autism (Max Braverman and Hank Rizzoli on Parenthood, Raymond Babbitt from the movie Rain Man, Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, Dr. House from the television drama House). Do these portrayals help or harm our understanding of autistic people? There is a current debate on social media as to whether Sir Arthur Conan Doyle s most famous fictitious character, Sherlock Holmes, was an autistic person. Many current portrayals of Sherlock Holmes in movies and television, in addition to other fictional detectives featured in crime shows, are portrayed with autistic characteristics. Perhaps the real debate should be whether these portrayals restrict or increase our understanding and acceptance of autistic people. What do you think? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 2

5 THE STORY Minds On 1. Why do you think some people prefer the expression differently-abled to the word disabled? 2. Do you think society views and treats people with physical challenges differently from people with mental challenges? If yes, what accounts for the difference? 3. Think of as many examples of abilism or discrimination in favour of able-bodied people that you can see in your school and community. Autism and the spectrum What comes to mind when you think of an autistic person? Maybe you think of a nonverbal, self-injurious person who is reliant on 24-hour care. Perhaps you think of a professor, author or accountant. Or maybe you think of your brother or classmate. When considering the diversity of autistic people it is easy to see how the classification of autism is often considered restrictive. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are umbrella terms used to categorize a group of complex disorders that have a neurological basis. Autism is characterized by challenges in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication as well as restricted and repetitive behaviour. The range, severity and number of challenges has led to the controversial use of the terms high functioning and low functioning to describe how easily an autistic person integrates into society. Autistic people often have strengths in terms of memory, pattern processing and intelligence compared to nonautistic people. Autism runs in families. But the underlying genetic causes have not yet been discovered. Most researchers believe that a combination of genetic, neurological and environmental factors may be at play. Autism is not caused by childhood vaccinations. For more on the vaccination controversy, see Vaccines: Pass or Fail? in News In Review, the March 2015 edition: curio.ca/newsinreview Different beliefs: The nature of autism There are strongly held beliefs regarding autism. Some people advocate for new ways of thinking about disability, including autism. They see autism as a form of neurodiversity and, like any form of diversity, it should be valued and upheld News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 3

6 in our society and not viewed as something that needs to be fixed or cured. This argument maintains that the labels, stigma and exclusion that autistic people face are caused by two factors: First, by the medical model of autism that insists it is a disease that requires a cure, and secondly, the ways that societies and individuals value people differently. Do you think about disabled people as deficient? Do you think about their disability as a barrier to being a human instead of a variance of being human? Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science who is also an autistic woman, coined the phrase the world needs all kinds of minds to make people pause and think about how autism is a type of diversity. It may seem counterintuitive to many of us to think that there are people who do not want to focus on a cure for autism. Instead they wish to help autistic people live the fullest and happiest lives that they can. Of course, many people would like a balance of both approaches and see medical models as a way to end suffering and provide hope or a cure. Regardless of one s perspective, it is essential that people living with autism play a leading role in any discussion that may affect their lives and lifestyle. Tasks 1. The internet is full of autistic bloggers who share their stories and viewpoints and provide tips on how to be a good friend to autistic people. Read through the posts of one of these bloggers. Check out: Musing of an Aspie, Emma s Hope Book, and Real Social Skills and reply to a post that resonates with you. 2. Consider how your school could become more autism-friendly. Think about the physical characteristics of the school as well as ideas pertaining to human interaction and learning. An article that may help you is Design Empathy by Alex Bozikovic (Globe and Mail, April 15, 2015). 3. Consider this quote by Rose Eveleth*: If I tell people that I have two autistic brothers, I often get asked some variation of the same question: Where are they on the spectrum? There are better and worse ways that people ask. How bad are they? is a worse way. So is any form of asking whether they re high-functioning or lowfunctioning. How much support do they need? is much better. But no matter how the question is asked, it is always really hard to answer. My brothers behaviors have changed drastically over time. I don t feel like I know enough other autistic people to compare them on a line. And I don t even know what that line would measure. a) Why does Rose feel the term autism spectrum disorder isn t very helpful? b) Do you agree with Rose s concern? c) In what ways do we all have to change our viewpoints and challenge our assumptions about autism? *Source: Eveleth, Rose (Nov. 4, 2015). Is a spectrum the best way to talk about autism? The Atlantic. Retrieved from: News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 4

7 AUTISM EXPERTS Task: Deepen your understanding of autism by listening to the viewpoints and experiences of three autism experts. Answer the following three (3) questions as you view each of the videos cited below. 1. Do you consider this person a credible voice on autism? Why? 2. What did you learn about autism from this expert? 3. What additional questions would you ask if you could interview this person? Expert on Autism Description Media Source Dr. Temple Grandin Dr. Wendy Chung Leah Dubé Temple Grandin is a world-renowned professor of animal science. Dr. Grandin is a best-selling author who has written extensively about her experience as an autistic child and adult. She is an autism advocate who asserts that the world needs all types of minds. Wendy Chung is a geneticist and clinical researcher who would like to unearth the underlying mysteries of autism. Leah Dubé is a mother of three autistic children. She claims to know all about autism since she is also an autistic person. The Autistic Brain TED talk (Google search: the autistic brain ted talk) Autism: What we know and what we don t know yet. TED talk (Google search: autism what we know and what we don t know yet wendy chung) Understanding Mother The Star s Autism Project thestar.com/news/world/autismpro ject.html After you have viewed the videos and answered the three questions above, discuss the following questions with a partner or in a small group. 1. Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives on a complex topic such as autism? 2. Which of these videos most profoundly changed your thinking about autistic people? Why? 3. What other perspectives on autism might increase your understanding? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 5

8 WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AUTISTIC? Task: As you read, create a mind map that summarizes important categories on what it is like to be an autistic person. Autistic people perceive the world in different ways. Some experts explain it as having senses that are turned up either too high or too low. This sensory difference results in perceptual challenges for autistic people. Filtering social situations Non-autistic people, who are sometimes referred to as neurotypicals, can filter out what doesn t matter and focus on what is important in a social situation. When they enter a room full of people, they scan the social environment and figure out how to interact with the people in a socially acceptable way. Autistic people may be drawn into noticing things that are not as socially relevant such as the noise coming from the florescent lighting or the pattern in a person s shirt. They may miss out on the details that help a social understanding of the situation. They may also have intense sensitivity to sound and touch that can make it difficult to stay attuned to other sensory input. Communication Difficulty in communication is a common challenge for autistic people and one of the earliest signs of the condition is a delay in speech. This trouble with verbal communication does not indicate a lack of intelligence. Many autistic children simply can t discern how language works. Expressing feelings and recognizing feelings is often another source of frustration. Even the most baffling of behaviours by autistic people, such as repetitive and selfstimulatory behaviours (also known as stimming ) that may inflict self-harm is an attempt to communicate. Socializing with other people Autistic people are sometimes labelled as loners that do not want social interaction but the real issue is that they don t know how to socialize with people. Unspoken and complex rules of social behaviour are mysteries to autistic people. The results can be that social situations are difficult or something to be avoided. Anxiety is a common side effect of the challenges of socialization that can add to the experience of isolation. Intellectual traits Compulsive organization and arranging objects is another common trait of autism, as are intellectual obsessions. An autistic person may have a staggering knowledge of a particular subject. Autistic people may also have an excellent memory, outstanding pattern processing abilities and heightened intelligence when compared to non-autistic people. Treatments There are many different approaches to the treatment of autism. Some of the more common ones include behaviour therapy and speech therapy. Complimentary therapies to improve the lives of autistic people may include art, music and sensory therapies as well as therapies involving interaction with animals. Despite new scientific understanding and progressive attitudes of inclusion for autistic people, autism remains a complex label for a way of being that is as unique as each person s lived experience. Everyone can agree that helping autistic people live to their fullest potential demands a multitude of creative, humane and helpful responses. Source: By R. Morgan Griffin, M.R. and Nazario, B., MD. What It s Like to have Autism. Web MD. Retrieved from: webmd.com/brain/autism/features/understanding-autismsymptoms News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 6

9 Stimming is short for self stimulatory behaviours. Examples of common stimming amongst non autistic people are biting fingernails, fidgeting, tapping pencils, bouncing a knee. More distinct examples from the autistic population are flapping hands, echoing phrases, making noises, walking in circles, and selfinjurious head banging. Stimming is a way of coping with stress and can aid concentration. After reading task 1. Return to your mind map. Add one question to each main category you created in your mind map. 2. Consolidate your knowledge by writing a paragraph that answers the question, What is it like to be an autistic person? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 7