Research that Benefits Children and Families -- Uplifting Stories

            If I had to the means and knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic, it would be about Autism Spectrum Disorder.  As a parent of a child with Autism, I have had the opportunity to witness how this disorder affects the lives of children who suffer with this disease.  My initial area of interest would be how this disorder became so prevalent in the lives of children within the past 20 or more years whereas before, we really did not hear a lot about it.  I would like to discover what the causes are and what we can do to prevent other children from suffering from this disorder.  I would also like to know why some children are affected more severely than others and because it affects the brain, is there a way to determine whether a child has this disorder prior to birth?  

            These are just a few of the questions that I would seek to answer so that I would be able to help parents with children who have this disorder and for those who are looking to have children, we would be able to test for this disorder prior to the child’s birth or at least before their child turns 2 or 3.  This is when the effects of the disorder is most noticeable. 

            I was fortunate enough that my son was able to overcome some of the difficulties he experienced so that he was able to graduate from college successfully and is currently working.  It was not an easy journey but I am very proud of how much he has accomplished.  I also work with children with special needs each year, I have children with Autism enrolled and because the spectrum is so wide, I have seen children on both ends of the spectrum from the severe and profound (Rett syndrome or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder) to the milder form of Asperger's Syndrome.  I have been passionate about learning as much as possible about this disorder because of the experiences I have had with both my son and other children who suffer from the disorder.

PERSONAL RESEARCH JOURNEY

PERSONAL RESEARCH JOURNEY

            When considering my topic for my simulation, I chose to look at, “How classroom diversity affects preschool children’s interaction with each other based on adult influences”.  I am curious as to how children of differing backgrounds, cultures and abilities interact based on attitudes of teachers and peers within the classroom.  In order to narrow the topic to one that would be more specific, I looked at the following subtopics:  1) how increased classroom diversity effects teacher/child interaction; 2)  how increased classroom diversity promotes optimal learning within the classroom; and 3) how classroom diversity increases positive peer relationships. 

            I have had the opportunity to witness the attitudes of teachers in classrooms of children with differing levels of learning abilities, from different socio-economic backgrounds and from different cultures.  Their attitudes have a direct effect on how other children and parents within the classroom treat each other.  The classrooms which do not address diversity can influence how well children learn, how they feel about themselves and the relationship between them and their peers.  There has been such an increase in families of different cultural, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds within our classrooms, but there has been little increase in the way which we address these differences as teachers, parents, and a community.  When constructing my research chart, I attempted to narrow my subtopics to areas that I felt would address the overall topic for research that interest me.

            I think overall, that this is a very good topic, but when I looked at specific areas in which to identify as supporting subtopics, I came up with quite a few.  I tried to narrow the topic and subtopics for my research simulation so that I could concentrate on specific areas related to the overall topic.  If any of my colleagues can assist me with these, I welcome your comments and resources.