For my Genius Hour research assignment,  I studied autism, more specifically its effect on children. I have always been interested into learning more about autism because I’ve known some children affected by it. Additionally, people affected by this disease are not always welcomed or treated equally in our society. Autism is a group of complex disorders of the brain development and affects the way people interact, communicate, behave and learn. It can be characterized by challenged social skills, a repetitive behavior, nonverbal communication and unique differences or talents.

The reason why I chose this topic is because many children are affected by ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), and are often treated differently, and sometimes looked down upon. I think that it is important to raise awareness on this issue because children (and even adults) may be excluded simply because they are a bit “different”. We should be more aware about this disease in order for others to understand that even though the ones affected by ASD may not exactly act the same, they should still be welcomed in our community and treated equally. How can one learn to accept “different” people if they are not taught why those are “different”?

My Research Question was “what is the effect of autism on children?”. Through my research, I learned that children affected by ASD can have trouble with learning and communication. To understand and identify an autistic child, people must learn the different signs communication wise, as well as the signs related to learning. When it comes to learning, a child affected might have trouble understanding that other people don’t have to express the same opinions and ideas as them. Nowadays, seeing things from other people’s perspectives is an important skill. Without that, it is typically hard to get along well with others. Secondly, autism can also affect communication in different ways. For example, an affected child might not respond to his name, make eye contact with others, or may just smile and demonstrate various emotions for no specific reasons. That is why it is important for others to learn about autism; to avoid misunderstanding.

This research project helped me to grow as a person and as a global citizen. I learned more about more about autism and its effects, which could help me to educate other people about it. This also made me realize that we don’t always realize that some people are affected by autism, and that we should pay more attention to them, and even help them. By learning more about the signs of this disease, I can recognize people affected more easily.

I helped my school community by raising awareness and teaching my classmates about this disease. Generally, there are a lot of misconception about autism. Once I was finally done with my research, I presented the new things I learned to my class. Here is the link to my presentation: Genius Hour#1- Autism

Soon, our class will start Genius Hour #2 (the same project but with another topic).  My topic for the next project will be about the fast food industry, and the products used. However, this topic my change because I am not totally sure about it.

 

Works Cited

MesserWoland, and Psyon. “File:Autism Awareness Ribbon.png.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 29 Aug. 2010, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autism_Awareness_Ribbon.png.

OpenClipart-Vectors. “Image Gratuite Sur Pixabay – Trouver, Verre, Loupe, Recherche.” Image Vectorielle Gratuite: Trouver, Verre, Loupe, Recherche – Image Gratuite Sur Pixabay – 148857, Pixabay, 2017, pixabay.com/fr/trouver-verre-loupe-recherche-zoom-148857/.

Tumisu. “Question, Quiz, Think, Thinking.” Free Illustration: Question, Quiz, Think, Thinking – Free Image on Pixabay – 2004314, Pixabay, 2017, pixabay.com/p-2004314/?no_redirect.