The first site I visited for my blog-post reaction for this week was the Washington Post Camera Works  site. The site’s sole purpose is to tell stories using little more than visual media. When the site opens there is a link to the top-story, or most recent story, followed by links to numerous other stories that are listed below. Each link will take you to a series of photographs in the form of slide shows and flipbooks on the given topic (in some cases video features are available). The slide shows and flipbooks come in many different styles (scrolling slide shows and numbered ones) and cover a wide-range of topics from the presidential race to the Washington Redskins to the World Series and Jennifer Hudson-family murder mystery. There’s a link on the left-hand side of the page that breaks the pictures into categories (i.e. politics, arts & living, nation, world, etc.) The number of pictures used to tell each story seems to vary but twenty pictures is about the average. Most of the pictures include a caption or short explanation of what is taking place in each picture as the action and the storyline progress. Links are also made available beneath each slideshow that will take you to a full-story on the topic and to other related content. I found the site quite entertaining, useful, and well put together. It was easy for me to find what I was looking for on the site and sometimes pictures can tell a better story than the largest quantity of words, especially when it comes to a lot of what’s going on in the world today in foreign countries and on distant battlefields. The slide show titled “Eyes on the World” was one of the most fascinating of the examples. The slide show includes 23 pictures from all over the world explaining events from the past week. The captions are very important in these instances since the topic is quite broad.

The MSNBC Multimedia page is similar to the Washington Post site in that it covers numerous topics news, entertainment, sports, travel, science and technology, etc., but it’s designed differently. The topics are broken down into separate sections on the site (with as many as 14 stories in each section) rather than being listed on the side of the page. The actual slide shows are just the same as the Washington Post page, coming in various forms and quantities with captions explaining what is taking place in the picture. One of the slide shows I viewed lacked a legitimate storyline but it was certainly good viewing. The slide show included nothing but pictures of NFL cheerleaders from this past weekend’s game. Pictures include captions such as “A Houston Texans cheerleader performs during play against the Detroit Lions” in this wonderful image, and “Abigail Klein of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders performs during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Texas Stadium.” Such explanations aren’t as necessary for these images as they are for hard news stories.

I have been in contact with the Baltimore/Chesapeake Chapter of the Autism Society of America about their upcoming bowling event on the 28^th of October. The event, which is held at least twice a month, brings families battling autism together for an afternoon of fun and sharing. Conversing with families dealing with the same struggle is important for learning purposes and even for strength. It is at this event that I will be taking pictures to put together a slide show complete with interviews as a multimedia module. Through the organization I will also be getting in touch with a family dealing with adult autism, which is often overlooked, for another text module. I think people sometimes forget that children with autism grow-up to be adults with autism and even as adults these people still need special care and attention. It truly is a life-long battle.

Much of my focus has been on the fact that there is no known cause or cure for autism, despite the alarming increase in reported cases in the past several years not just in the United States but globally. There is no doubt that it will likely cost millions of dollars in research to find answers. We all know at this point in time how volatile the economy is and the question is: is there money available to fund such research. I found an article involving Sarah Palin (who is the mother of a special needs child) related to the topic of funding autism research.  An excerpt from the article: “Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says autism is an issue ‘near and dear’ to her heart and she can’t wait to get to work helping more than 5,000 Nevada families affected by it.  However, when pressed, she was unable to provide details on a plan to do that… [Her] running mate John McCain said in the third and final presidential debate, ‘We must find out the cause of autism and help those families dealing with autism.’  McCain also promised to freeze all unnecessary spending in the federal budget.” It’s clear to see the contradiction in Palin’s comments and McCain’s promise. The McCain/Palin ticket has not made it clear how they intend to afford such research, how much they will spend, and what other programs will be cut in order to provide the funding. This is not good news for the families they are making promises to who continue to struggle.

The article does point out a more articulated plan by McCain’s opponent. “Barack Obama has released a specific plan to help the families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  He has promised $1 billion annually in support and services by the end of his first term as president.  He has also promised to appoint a Federal Autism Spectrum Disorder Coordinator to oversee all federal efforts and fully fund the Combating Autism Act.”

I am curious to know who the families I have and will be interviewing will be voting for come November based on the respective stances.

I chose to examine the story “A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes” by Jon Hamilton for this assignment. I want to begin by saying I think the story is fascinating. The idea that two chimps are able to clearly, in my opinion, understand the human language is incredible. The narrator begins by setting the scene; he describes where he is telling the story, which is in Iowa at the Great Ape Trust near Des Moines. The listener can easily tell the reporter is actually on-site. Numerous instances of natural sound are used to convey this notion which is extremely important (the chimps making noise and drinking from a hose, the scientists asking questions etc.) The most important part of this story, however, is the story itself. Without such an interesting story I may not have been as willing to sit and simply listen to a thirteen-minute piece of audio. So it was the great story, first and foremost, paired with the great use of natural sound that kept me intrigued. I will certainly have to keep this in mind when working on my multimedia package.

The scientists created a world for the chimps that was similar to that of human babies to see if the chimps could acquire language skills just the same. The chimps now have the language skills of a preschooler. They understand human words but cannot make them on their own. They simply hit symbols on a computer keyboard to communicate. The chimps can follow orders and show affection. The scientists believe the chimps know they are different from humans and that they’re straddling two worlds. It’s all just so amazing and after having listened to this story I found myself researching online to find out more – that’s when you know a story has done its job. And at first, I was a bit skeptical I would be entertained by a simple piece of audio that aired on National Public Radio.

One other quick note: the story had an accompanying print story that was quick and easy to read. I found that useful. Also, there were pictures of the two chimps described in the story which certainly allows the listener/reader a better visual of what is taking place. At the end of the audio story, the NPR host says that Jon Hamilton furthers his series on language by examining children with autism, which is coincidentally the focus of my multimedia package. I found that interesting and I will certainly try to find that story online.

I was not able to conduct an interview this week. The one unfortunate circumstance about my project is that all of my contacts are going through one person – Crystal Holman – who spends most of her time caring for her autistic child. Crystal did not get back to me this week but I’m assuming it’s because she is so busy. Along with her family’s story and the story of her son, she will be getting me in touch with other families struggling with the disorder through the group she founded, the Autism Chapter Eastern Shore. I will also be in touch with particular caretakers as I mentioned in my last post. I may have to consider finding additional sources considering Crystal’s situation but I am still confident she will come through for me. Sources that are more local would be a good idea as well – Salisbury is about a two-hour drive. I may have to use local sources and stories to supplement the story of the Holman family on the Shore.

Even though I was not able to conduct an interview this week I did research for a recent article on the topic of autism. An article published today by Lisa Jo Rudy addresses what she calls a “potentially explosive” major court decision to allow the parents of an autistic child to sue vaccine-makers. Rudy says, “Until now, vaccine-makers were protected from civil suits under the federal National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986.” The current argument is that mercury preservatives in the vaccines caused autism in the children who used them. But Rudy is a bit skeptical of this theory stating, “While it is clear that thimerosal [the mercury preservative] itself is a toxic substance, there is very little evidence to suggest that it is the direct cause of the huge rise in autism diagnoses.” This proves the point I made in the last post about autism being an on-going, worldwide struggle and about how scientists have yet to get even close to what they believe is the root of the problem.

For my multimedia package I will be focusing on autism. More specifically, in my time living in Salisbury I came across a family struggling with the disorder. A young boy named Hayden had been diagnosed with the disorder and spoke only several words. With extensive therapy, however, he can now speak several hundred words. Hayden’s sister Hope, who is only 14, wrote and recorded several songs about the family’s struggles with Hayden’s situation and how they have overcome. She is quite a talented singer – the songs are quite beautiful and touching. The music was recorded for free as a favor by a local producer. CD’s are sold to raise awareness. Hayden and Hope’s mother, Crystal, founded the “Autism Chapter Eastern Shore” to raise awareness as well. Hayden has a story, Hope has one, and the family as a whole has one. The music will allow for a great multimedia opportunity. Plus, as head of the autism group, Crystal is confident she can get me in touch with other families willing to speak about their struggles. She responded to my e-mail with:

“Hey I am honored that you would think of us. And yes I would love to be part of the project. I will e-mail other families to see if they would like to talk to you too and I’m sure they will. Thank you again. Call anytime. – Crystal Holman”

I called Crystal to find out more and she suggested that I also speak with certain caretakers who spend time with Hayden throughout the week as a means of therapy – they undoubtedly will have stories of their own having dealt with numerous autism patients. They have seen kids improve, like Hayden, and sadly, they have seen others who have never quite developed.

One could argue that autism is nothing new, but in many ways it is. Scientists and researchers are still trying to determine the root cause of the disorder and currently, according to an MSNBC article from last year, 1 in 150 children in the U.S. are affected and the figures are seemingly growing. A more recent article, one that was published just today by the Press Trust of India, further proves my point that autism is an on-going struggle with limited answers or relief. The article says a new study has “linked” a father’s age with autism in children. An excerpt: “Researchers in Japan have found that older fathers (fathers over 33) are twice as likely to have autistic children as younger men while the mother’s age has no influence as such on the likelihood of her offspring developing the disorder, the ‘British Journal of Psychiatry’ reported.” This shows me that this is still a hot-topic debate, especially considering that the number of diagnoses is rising. Researchers are working around the clock to find the cause of autism in the hope they can find a potential cure. The article, however, says that many experts remain skeptical about this new research. “The causes of autism are still being investigated. Many experts believe the pattern of behavior from which autism is diagnosed may not result from a single cause. Autism affects around one in 100 people in the UK and does not solely affect children of older parents.” This is another interesting point to make. Autism isn’t just becoming a major concern in the United States; it has become a world-wide concern – one that requires great patience and support of the respective family. The disorder requires a complete lifestyle change on the part of the family.