#235, Christopher
Today was Christopher’s first day at PEAI. Christopher just moved from England to South Korea as his father was required to relocate for his job.
Christopher outwardly looks like any other teen, but his mind works very differently than most. Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. This developmental disorder makes it difficult for Christopher to socialize with his peers and his thinking patterns can be very rigid.
Children with ASD may exhibit these symptoms:
Inappropriate or minimal social interactions
Conversations that almost always revolve around themselves or a certain topic, rather than others
Not understanding emotions well or having less facial expression than others
Speech that sounds unusual, such as flat, high-pitched, quiet, loud, or robotic
Not using or understanding nonverbal communication, such as gestures, body language and facial expression
An intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects
Becoming upset at any small changes in routines
Memorizing preferred information and facts easily
Clumsy, uncoordinated movements, including difficulty with handwriting
Difficulty managing emotions, sometimes leading to verbal or behavioral outbursts, self-injurious behaviors or tantrums
Not understanding other peoples’ feelings or perspectives
Hypersensitivity to lights, sounds and textures
Source: https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/aspergers-syndrome
Individuals with ASD can lead productive, purposeful lives. Their obsessiveness with order and particular spheres of knowledge can help them excel academically. And though they struggle socially, they can learn and improve.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Write a journal response from Christopher's point of view in the first person (e.g., I sat down in my chair next to Henry). Detail his first day in your PEAI class keeping in mind the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome. Lastly, mimic Christopher's writing style from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Comment on a peer’s response.
⠀-Brenden Lee Teacher