Its Not All Verbal

Communication Disorders

Allan Oliva and Yanin Marquez

Communication disorders date back more than 100 years ago; they are probably older but have been noticed around the 1800s. Communication disorders branch out to different disabilities, such as autism and cerebral palsy. Although cerebral palsy and autism are not directly correlated they both affect the motor skills. Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. With autism, the different areas of the brain fail to work together (WebMD). Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills.

What is Communication Disorders?

What did we set out to learn?

We set out to learn how communication disorders affect people around the globe. Why do people act the way they do and how does it affect those kids? Is communication just verbal? those were some questions of thought.

Research
We think that the government should help these families more by funding more programs. We also think that this issue should be addressed by the community: more awareness leads to more help.

There are many organizations that help but theyre not sufficient. Therapy for patients with these disorders are very costly and may vary of the severity of the patient.

What action has been taken..

Volunteered in the past. Volunteered with bowling helping the elderly. Help kids focus on their karate class. Help create programs available during the school year. Get more people aware During I-Fest, explained or capstone and have people write little notes of hope to kids with disabilities. (Specifically autism and cerebral palsy)

Why did we choose to do this project?

Yanin- I chose this project because I wanted to understand what people felt towards these disabilities. What makes people uneasy or unaware? I wanted to understand why it wasnt a major problem and how it was thought of. Also this capstone is a head start for me. I can begin to research and fully comprehend what being a speech pathologist is all about.

Allan- I chose this topic because it is a topic that I am looking forward to studying in college, and possibly making a career out of this.

What did we do for this project?

We volunteered for Easter Seals 6 times. Karate Classes Bowling We opened volunteering opportunities for High School students. Also helped develop a new list online for Carries Heart to have materials sent over to Mexico. www.carriesheart.org We have successfully made people aware!
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. -Lao Tzu

What were the local connections

The local connections towards this project where the organizations that we were working with. They helped us set up dates to volunteer and even open up volunteering opportunities for high school students to volunteer. Ms.Caitlind Davis was a huge help in making this local impact.
Caitlind Davis is a speech pathologist and the one who introduced us to the wonderful Easter Seals organization.

Greatest Success
Our greatest success was finding volunteering opportunities. Also learning more information about communication disorders and broadening our understanding. With effort we put forth we had a higher level of understanding not just with this topic,but different perspectives as well.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill

Greatest Challenge
Our greatest challenge was to manage our time. It was difficult to manage time being in our senior year. We had to make sure that we could fit in capstone with other classes. Time is crucial!

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

What did we learn about the world?

We learned that the world is not as knowledgeable about this issue as we thought it was. This is why we need to spread awareness about this issue. However when it comes to getting a lot of information and a chance to change the world, people take that chance. Coming together is a Some lessons from the world: beginning; keeping together

No act of kindness goes unrecognized Responsibility is more than just a word Time is precious The greatest feeling is the sense of accomplishment We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

is progress; working together is success. -Henry Ford

What did you learn about yourself?

Yanin- I learned that when it comes down to it, the world isnt as messed up as I thought. All we need is a little push. I learned I have potential and that I can truly make a difference, even with just a simple school assignment I can put a smile on a beautiful childs face, who may have never seen or understood what true love and compassion is. Ive come to learn that I have a side of me that is pretty cool. When I feel its important I work for it. I am now a leader. Allan- I learned that I can really get work done when I am focused, as well as determined. I also learned that I am not as shy as I thought I would be. Once I became comfortable with the kids and adults then it was like a daily routine.

FACTS that should be known

Cerebral palsy can be caused by brain damage during child development in the womb, lack of oxygen to the babys brain or a mutation in the genes (WebMD). The brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy can also lead to other health issues, including vision, hearing, speech problems, and learning disabilities (KidsHealth). One out of 88 children is diagnosed with autism and 500,000 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Stereotypes are the main reason many decide to mistreat or ignore children with these disabilities. People with disabilities who were victims report having experienced various types of abuse. 87.2% reported verbal-emotional abuse, 50.6% physical abuse, 41.6% sexual abuse, 37.3% neglect, and 31.5% financial abuse. Some diagnosed with these disabilities ake look completely normal but may be socially awkward.

How will this change the world/future?

We have spread awareness about this issue, as well as give an opportunity to people to understand them. This will change the perspective of many who see them abnormally. This will change the future outcome because we know we have spread awareness and opened up more volunteering opportunities for high school students.

Conclusion
Our conclusion was that know that people are more knowledgeable about autism and cerebral palsy they too can help spread the awareness of this issue.We chose this capstone to research a topic that had captured our curiosity. A topic that we have had first hand experience with. This capstone has now engaged us and has captured our attention. Improving the world doesn't have to happen all of a sudden and done! One small step at a time and simply being aware of your surroundings and doing an act of kindness can change a whole life.

Dont be ignorant. Be aware!