Seminar 16: Presentation Day 6

The presentations from this week's class were very intriguing because they covered very different topics that had not been touched upon by others in the class. I enjoyed the presentation on the pragmatics of speech. I found it very interesting to learn about the components of speech and to learn its importance in the early life and growing up of children. One does not usually analyze the importance of speech as it comes so natural to us; it however is critical in the proper development of humans and many other animals.

Although other animals do not specifically use speech, they have other methods by which they communicate. After learning about the any complexities of phonemes and speech sounds, I realized how much has to go right for speech to be learnt and understood. It truly is amazing that any baby can adapt and pick up the language skills and speech sounds that surround him/her. The interplay between neurons and the neuronal pruning that has to take place in order for speech to be properly learnt is remarkable; if it were not known, I am sure that science would deem it as an impossibility. It is amazing that we have evolved to become such social creatures and it is evident in how important social communication is in our daily lives and overall success.

At the same time, however, this week's presentation on Autism examined an issue that is becoming increasingly more prevalent, especially amongst middle aged mothers. Having worked with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders on a weekly basis for six years, I know the difficulties involved. We only stay with the children for 3 hours, but it amazing how much attention each child requires. I can only imagine the difficulties that the parents have to go through every day. It is a constant struggle and it unfortunately is becoming increasingly more prevalent. I really appreciated the teaching tools that were brought in to class to show us a window into how she works with these children. The new treatment options truly amaze me, because I have personally seen some of the successes. It is amazing how resilient both the parents and patients themselves can be in fighting the disorder. I foresee many advancements in autism research, I only hope that it can be distributed and funded by the government soon enough to help young children with autism in their early stages of development.