I know how I’m making the transition, but I’m not really sure how to explain it. Because I’m writing a piece of music, it’s a little more complex than taking the research and just coming up with some lame ass story about an autistic kid who goes through music therapy and has less problems communicating and stuff. I guess I’m basically using the emotions that people have that I researched and putting them into music. I’m going to take the transformation of the child and put that into music. I’m going to start it as a child who is “muted” and nobody understands what’s going on in his or her world. And then based on the research of the type of music that is used in the music therapy for autistic children, I will try to incorporate that into the piece. And after going through a good chunk with the child and the teacher together, I’ll get to the end and the child will be unmuted and understandable to the listener as expressing their happiness. I have no idea what else to say… that’s basically it. I’m creating the story of a child who can’t communicate with other people and eventually through the help of music, learns to do so easily. 

Journey

Basically, what I’m going to do is write a piece of program music. It is going to detail the journey of an autistic child who goes through music therapy. It will go through his or her being misunderstood by everyone, then through the therapy, then the happy results at the end.

How exactly am I going to write it? – as a solo w/ piano, orchestra, small group?

I think it’s going to be best if I write it at least as a small goup/ensemble type of deal. It would be really hard to do as a solo piece accompanied by piano… It would probably work reall well with like a chamber ensemble of at elast 3 or 4 instruments.. possibly more. It’s gonna start out with the a muddled first theme that represents the child, a theme that doesn’t really make any sense, musically.. because the idea is that nobody understands the child or what he wants or is thinking. The second theme may be a faster, more flurried type of theme that would represent the frazzled parents. The third would be the music mixed with the child’s theme. through out that section, the child’s theme would expand and make more sense because of the ‘therapy’ theme. in the end there’ll be a happier sounding child theme that is more understandable… less broken up or whatever. something that people can understand as a real theme. and that is what i would end the piece with. i’m still unsure as to even what instruments i want to start out with.. and if each theme should have it’s own particular instrument? or if things should jump around the ensemble? i think that’s really all i want to do with it.. basically. i guess it depends on how complex i wanna make it..

I think that the main issue with writing the novel is deciding what you are even going to do. I know I’ve had problems with that. Being more into the music side of art, I suck at story telling with words usually. I know I, at least, am going to struggle with the making my story both creative and interesting to read… My topic’s not exactly the greatest for coming up with a gripping story. Some people may have the idea, but it’s going to be difficult to write it down on paper. Another problem may be length. Some will have some sort of a flow of ideas, and end up with like twenty pages, and other people will have problems writing even five.. But I think that’s basically all of the problems I can really think of because form, style, grammar, and organization are in now way a problem in a creative story.

The Effect of Music on the Education and Socialization of Children with Autism

This paper is going to look at what symptoms of autism spectrum disorder or the milder varieties of this disorder, such as Asperger syndrome may be alleviated to some degree or even eliminated altogether. It will also look at how music can be used as an aid to parents and teachers of autistic students and how it will benefit those children. It is thought that music can be used inside and outside of the classroom to help children with autism to build their social skills along with improving their speech development and use of imitation. Educators, especially music teachers, may be able to help with the development in all of these skills in their autistic students. For example, it has been shown that it may be helpful to pair syllables of some words with musical pitches to help facilitate speech.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, often referred to simply as autism, affects nearly 3.4 of every one thousand children from ages three to ten (National). It is a disorder that affects those diagnosed with it, and also their families. It challenges the faith of the parents in their own parenting skills. Often times, parents are relieved to have a diagnosis because they no longer have to believe that it is their fault. It also gives them an explanation to give to other people for why their child acts the way he or she does. Siblings of autistic children are not too greatly affected. Often times, it is seen that the brothers and sisters of the children diagnosed with autism will take on a care-taker role. Others will show signs of resentment or frustration because their parents are spending more of their time and energy on the autistic child (Autism).

This disorder ranges in severity from autistic being the most severe to Asperger syndrome, which is a mild form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Most often, children with autism exhibit no physical features that set them apart as autistic, unlike other syndromes such as Down syndrome. It is the habits and mannerisms that set these children apart. Children with autism often are withdrawn from other people, can be silent, and sometimes become abusive towards themselves. Asperger’s Syndrome is similar to autism in this respect, but these children do not display and great delay in language or cognitive development. For some reason, this syndrome seems to affect boys more than it does girls by almost four to one (What Is Autism?). There is no clearly stated reason in any research that I have found. Similarly, Rhett syndrome is another ASD, yet it affects mostly girls. Some other common symptoms of autism include delayed development in areas such as crawling, walking, and talking. Also, these children have difficulties with their social skills. Often times, these children will show certain characteristics like repetitive behaviors such as rocking, self-injury (in the form of head banging or biting of themselves, for example), poor eye contact, and attention deficits or hyper activity. These children are quite often very insistent upon routines, and are reluctant to accept any type of change. According to the Autism Research Institute, “Autistic individuals sometimes have difficulty with the transition to puberty. Approximately 25% have seizures for the first time during puberty which may be due to hormonal changes. In addition, many behavior problems can become more frequent and more severe during this period” (What Is Autism?). In the past, many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders were placed into institutions.

In current times, only the people with the most severe forms of autism are institutionalized. “This alternative is still available for persons with ASD who need intensive, constant supervision. Unlike many of the institutions years ago, today’s facilities view residents as individuals with human needs and offer opportunities for recreation and simple but meaningful work” (National). Most people with autism are able to live at home with their parents or in safe places such as a group home. Occasionally, people with autism are able to live independently, get married, and even hold a job, though it may be hard for them to get hired due to the social awkwardness or strange habits that they possess.

There is no known specific cause for autism. There are many different theories on just what causes this disorder. Some scientists believe that there is a genetic link to autism, but they have not diagnosed what exactly that abnormality may be. They are not sure if there is a specific autism gene that can be carried by the parents. There is an idea that there may be up to five genes that work together to cause autism. Some of the genes that are candidates to be causes of autism are Chromosome 15, a serotonin transporter gene, a gene that controls the nervous system, and a gene (C4B, which is on chromosome 6) that causes an immune deficiency (McIntosh). Another possibility is that there is a virus that causes the symptoms of autism. Researchers are not sure if this viral cause is related to the exposure of the mother to a certain virus or if it is caused by vaccinations that are given to the child at a young age. It has been proven that there is an increased risk of autism if the mother is exposed to the rubella virus. There is a concern that the virus that causes autism might be from the use of a mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, in the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine or the Pertussis part of the DPT (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus) vaccination. Another theory is that autism is caused by toxins and pollution in the environment. There is evidence to support that children who were exposed to thalidomide during gestation may have a greater chance of developing autism (McIntosh). “Some people with autism have excessive amounts of a type of yeast called ‘candida albicans’ in their intestinal tract. It is thought that high levels of candida albicans may be a contributing factor to many of their behavioral problems (What Is Autism?).” “Candida albicans is a fungus that is normally present on the skin and in mucous membranes such as the vagina, mouth, or rectum (Candida).”

There are many types of interventions that are used to help with the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders. One of these is the prescribing of Ritalin, which is the most commonly prescribed drug for autistic children. Ritalin can be helpful for reducing hyperactive and impulsive behavior in kids with autism. Another option for treatment is ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, along with a B6 vitamin supplement with magnesium. ABA is another term for behavior modification. Behavior modification is the use of a number of different strategies that are combined. Some of these may include both positive and negative reinforcement to help increase appropriate behaviors, and to decrease behaviors that are considered inappropriate, for instance behaviors that are self-stimulating (i.e. rocking or hand flapping) and injury inflicting.

Another common intervention is sensory integration. Many autistic children and adults have impaired senses. They may be extremely sensitive to sound or have some abnormalities with their sense of touch, etc. They may hear certain sounds that are out of the normal range of human ears, and these sounds may be painful. To help this problem, doctors use something called auditory integration training. This is where the person listens to music of the processed variety for hours on end to help reduce their sensitivity to these sounds. Another problem that may occur is a visual abnormality which is improved by a type of visual training. These are just a few of the techniques that are used to help autistic people adjust their senses so that they can sense the world around them much as everyone else does.

Music has long been used as a method to help with healing, depression and even learning abilities. In the early ‘90s, there was a big push for the idea of the “Mozart Effect”. It was thought that if children listened to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, that their cognitive abilities would be increased. Music Therapy is a type of therapy technique that is used widely for many different disabilities and difficulties that people may have, not just to improve their thinking skills. It is referred to as an expressive therapy. Art, Dance and Drama therapies are also included in the expressive therapy category. Music in particular is used in helping a variety of problems that range from children that were abused, to children with motor skills problems, to physical rehabilitation for stroke victims. It can also be used for patients who are mentally ill or who have diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia (Hicks). It is also said that music therapy is a good way to relieve stress. There has been a bit of research concerning the use of music therapy for patients with autism. The Center for the Study of Autism writes

Music Therapy is particularly useful with autistic children owing in part to the nonverbal, non threatening nature of the medium. Parallel music activities are designed to support the objectives of the child as observed by the therapist or as indicated by a parent, teacher or other professional. A music therapist might observe, for instance, the child’s need to socially interact with others. Musical games like passing a ball back and forth to music or playing sticks and cymbals with another person might be used to foster this interaction. Eye contact might be encouraged with imitative clapping games near the eyes or with activities which focus attention on an instrument played near the face. (Autism)

There is a wide variety of opinions as to just how this particular field of therapy may be able to benefit children or even adults with the combating of autistic symptoms.

It is often seen that children with autism are particularly attune to music. Many of them have perfect pitch. Having perfect pitch is the ability to name any individual musical pitch or chord by ear. Others can play a particular music instrument extremely well (Autism). For example, I went to high school with one such boy. Matt was diagnosed autistic, but he was not a severe case. He took part in the high school’s marching band and all of the indoor ensembles. He had perfect pitch and was an amazing percussionist. It seemed all he had to do was look at his music and play through it once and he could memorize it with ease. However, he would exhibit classic autistic signs such as rocking back and forth and repeating words or phrases multiple times. This at times made other kids a little nervous around him. Sometimes they would make fun of him for being “retarded” because they did not understand exactly what was going on. Yet, when we started playing music, it seemed he would calm down a bit and could concentrate quite well on his task. In this next section, I will discuss the research that I have found on this subject.

Most often, the type of research that I have found has been single case studies. A study done in 2007 used 8 young people with autism. Over a course of fifty two weeks, the participants took part in a therapy program that gave them roughly an hour per week of music therapy sessions. These people were then evaluated three times throughout the study – at the very beginning of the experiment, halfway through, and at the very end. Most other studies that were performed were to study the short-term effects on the verbal skills and gestures of autistic people. This study was trying to demonstrate the benefits that long-term music therapy may have on individuals with autism. Their results were significant. Every participant in the study improved noticeably as compared to the baseline ratings that were given them at the start of the study. In the conclusion, the authors recommend that a “randomized controlled trial of long-term music therapy in autism is warranted.” (Boso)

In 2001, Ginger Clarkson published a report of a case study that was conducted in 1992 with a twenty four year old male named Jerry. Up until this time, Jerry had been completely silent. His only source of communication was music and sign language. He was diagnosed as a candidate for music therapy and in 1988 he received his first session with Clarkson. At first he was silent and tried to avoid eye contact at all costs. He started off slowly, but eventually got into the swing of things. After four years of these music therapy sessions, he had advanced to the point where he was able to participate in sessions for up to almost an hour and maintain good eye contact with his teacher. At this point in time, Jerry often smiled now, and he no longer threw tantrums randomly. He also no longer resisted physical contact as he once had before. Eventually, Clarkson started training Jerry with a technique that is referred to as “facilitated communication”. In this type of therapy, a person (facilitator) supports the wrist of the patient while the patient chooses letters or words on a keyboard to say what he or she wants. In September of 1992, Jerry had advanced to the point where he was beginning to learn how to type full sentences to communicate with. “Music can be a valuable tool not only for reaching students with autism but also for working with any children delayed in language. Over the past 4 decades, music therapists have discovered ways of communicating with individuals who have severe language impairments. To be of maximum benefit, music for treating language disorders should be carefully selected.” (Clarkson)

“Music therapy intervention offers structure in improvisation that can provide a framework for the development of learning and adaptability. More creative skills are noted to emerge when a structure is given, in contrast with what one might see from an entirely free form of improvisation, where a lack of direction and model may leave the

‘non-musician’ child struggling to find out how they can ‘create’ music. Improvisation, musically structured or free, provides a complex source of data for analysis (Wigram).” This article merely served as a review of the work of others. It tied up the results. The author of this journal article came to the conclusion that music may be helpful with the teaching of individuals with autism.

Duffy and Fuller (2000) tell us that music therapy can be a good tool in the area of social development for children with intellectual abilities of all sorts, autism included. This study focused on what role exactly music plays in the process. In this study, there were two groups with equivalent intervention programs. There was one group that used music and non-music group. The sessions that both of these groups met were completely equal. The only difference was where the music group listened to music for thirty minutes; the non-music group did other activities.

It does not specify exactly what those activities were. Both programs were designed to help the participants develop social skills in a group setting. The subjects were thirty two students between the ages of five and ten who were considered to be in the moderate range of disability. Each student was given a test at the beginning of the study that rated their social skills using a five point scale. Out of the original thirty two children, only thirty one children completed the study. One of the students was dropped from the study due to behavioral difficulties. The results of this study, however, were inconclusive, though there was some evidence of an increase in certain social skills such as turn taking and sharing.

In 1999, Wimpory and Nash wrote a report about the use of music therapy used to help autistic children while playing. They go into great detail about the different varieties of strategies that are used. Some of these include lap play, and songs or routines that help with communication building. They discuss the use of imitation and commentary afterward that is used by the parents of an infant that, in the long run, help the child learn to communicate and act in a way that is intentional. They go into detail about how this type of musical play with autistic children can be helpful in developing imitation, repetition, and social routines.

Later on in the article, they discuss a case study of a girl named Heather. Heather was considered at a learning disabled level and when music interaction therapy first came to be known. In this study, they filmed Heather throughout four months while she played with her mother. This was done both with and without toys. From there, she took part in five months of the therapy. After the therapy was finished, there was reported a great change in Heather’s behavior toward her mother during play time. In the discussion section of the article, they talk about the implications for this type of therapy in the future.

Yet another article says that

Music has many benefits in working with learners on the autism spectrum. Music provides an alternative means of communication for those who are nonverbal, and for others it can help to organize verbal communication. Music can improve self-esteem, as the child is given an activity he or she can potentially excel in. Finally, playing a musical instrument gives persons with autism a typical means for engaging in social interaction in school and in the community, centered on their strength. (Shore, bold and italicized in original)

In the case of Matt, the student I went to high school with, Store says that a school band could very well be a great activity for children on the higher end of the autistic spectrum. He says that particular instruments, especially trombone and percussion can be a great way to help these children develop in the kinesthetic area.

A few years back, I had an experience with three children in the same family that had varying degrees of the symptoms of autism. It is not exactly common to find a family with three autistic children from the same parents. It is said that “if you have one child with autism, the risk for the next child is only 2-6%…And then, if you have two children with autism, the chances that the third will be autistic are around 35% (Starr)”.

Ira, the eldest boy, was severely autistic. At the age of 9, he was not able to communicate, with the exception of a few muffled words that didn’t make much sense unless a person had been around long enough to pick up the meaning behind them. He had difficulties keeping eye contact with someone who was talking to him. Often times he would not even make an attempt to listen to what was being said. Timmy, the middle child, had been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. He was capable of carrying on a normal conversation with anyone. He was extremely vocal and always willing to carry on a conversation, but he sometimes he would have great difficulty getting out just what he was trying to say. Katrinette was the youngest of the three children. She was nearly two years old and had not shown much evidence of being able to say very many English words yet. By this age, her vocabulary should have been somewhere around 500 words. She did vocalize, however. Most of it was just babbling with a few random words thrown in the mix.

It was babysitting for these children that I first became interested in the topic of autism. Watching how they differed in their actions and ways of communicating intrigued me. They were often times very rambunctious and a little bit hyperactive. When placed in front of a movie with lots of singing or music, they would calm down and watch. The majority of the time, Timmy would sing along and Katrinette would do a dance for me. Ira never seemed to show much interest in watching television for a long period of time. He was more content to do his own thing until it was bed time.

When it was time to go to bed for all three children, it was easy to get the younger two upstairs to brush their teeth and for a bed time story. Ira was the problem child. The majority of the time, he would not respond to his name. He would only make any movement toward doing what I asked if I would physically gesture that I wanted him to come upstairs with me.

Late at night, after all the children were supposed to be asleep, I would hear him in his room singing to himself. It seemed to be calming to him and he enjoyed it immensely if I would come up and join him. He loved to sing his ABCs, even though he had some difficulties with pronouncing all of the letters. This is what got me thinking. I later discovered that most times, he would respond to his name or whatever I said if I expressed it in a sort of sing song manner. This is what gave me the idea to look more into the idea of music therapy and its uses with autism. This particular type of therapy has not been widely used in studies of autistic children. Those studies I have found, with the exception of a few, seem to have been largely successful.

For my own personal research, I decided to use mostly previously conducted research from peer reviewed journals on the internet. My own personal research, however, is not something I personally did, but my observations. I also chose to talk with the mother of the three children I babysat for, Katrina.

When I asked her about the social interaction of her children, Katrina (the mother of the three children I babysat for) said that generally her youngest two are very open and friendly. “Timmy is always glad to have a conversation with anyone, but he often has problems actually making friends at school.” From what she told me, Ira tends not to interact with anyone if at all possible. Katrinette is too young to be able to tell just how she will act with other children her age because she is not often exposed to other people just yet.

I also asked her about what she has noticed in her children’s reactions to music being present. I told her what I had noticed while I was babysitting them and she responded that they do that pretty much whenever music is involved. I also asked her about Ira’s lack of response when spoken to. “Ira always becomes more alert and interested in what is going on and Timmy and Katrinette just love to listen to music any time. But Ira in particular, will listen more to music than to just spoken things. He will listen a lot more to his brother sometimes because Timmy will sing with or to him from time to time.” When asked if what she thought of the idea of music therapy for Ira, she said that it could be a possibility.

It seems pretty apparent that autism symptoms of all different severities may be at least partially corrected with the use of music therapy or simply the aid of music as a teaching tool. Autistic people of all ages can benefit from the use of this fine art. Even the parents of the three children seemed interested in the idea as an option for helping their children open up and also learn.

Based on my findings from both the interview with a mother of three autistic children, and the findings from studies that have been done, it appears that music could be a very good choice for a therapy that could help autistic children open up and begin to communicate with other people. It can also be used as a way to help correct kinesthetic problems. In other words, music can be used in many various ways to help autistic children with their communication, participation and coordination, sometimes all at the same time. Music educators can be a very important tool for combating autism. This form of therapy should definitely be looked into more as a method of helping these children.

I know it’s not exactly a homework blog, but I figured I would put this up for people to read.

“BROCKWAY, Pa. — Ten people, including nine members of one family, were killed in an early-morning house fire in Jefferson County on Thursday.

Eight were trapped in the fire died and two missing people were feared dead. But state police and fire officials increased the number of victims to 10 at a press conference Thursday afternoon.The fire broke out along Pershing Avenue around 2:30 a.m., completely destroying the front of the home and charring at least two cars parked outside.Brockway Fire Chief Chris Benson said, “When firefighters arrived it was fully involved. I was immediately contacted by neighbor saying there was reported entrapment. The first unit arrived on scene at 2:52 a.m. By that time, the porch roof had burned off and there was full involvement. We tried to go in the side door, but the smoke and fire was too heavy. When crews arrived, they tried to get in again, but once again, the smoke and fire was too heavy. We had volunteers responding minutes before I arrived, stating that it was involved when they got there.”State police identified the victims as:
40-year-old Kimberly Peterson
17-year-old Rebecca Peterson, (Kimberly’s daughter)
13-year-old Douglas Peterson III, (Kimberly’s Son)
8-year-old Isaac Peterson, (Kimberly’s Son)
6-year-old Grace Peterson, (Kimberly’s daughter)
11-month-old Lillian Peterson, (Kimberly’s daughter)
4-month-old Kaylin Watson, (daughter of Rebecca Peterson)
2-year-old Desirre Delullo, (child of survivor Elizabeth Peterson)
4-year-old Dominic Delullo, (child of survivor Elizabeth Peterson)
19-year-old Jason Mowry, (family friend, also from Brockway) The victims were found on the first and second floor. Autopsies will be done by the Jefferson County Coroner’s office to determine the cause of death.Jaime Hynds, who lives across the street from the home, told the Courier Express newspaper that she was awakened at about 2:30 a.m. by a naked woman shouting for help. Kimberly’s daughter, 20-year-old Elizabeth, had jumped from the second floor and ran to Hynds’ home. Kimberly’s 11-year-old son, James, escaped the flames as well.Lt. Scott Neal said, “He (11-year-old James) woke up to the flames. I believe he woke his mother up and ran out of the house and tried to get to neighbors to contact 911.”Elizabeth and James were taken to DuBois Hospital. They suffered minor injuries. Elizabeth and James’ father, Doug Peterson Jr., was at work when the blaze began and was not injured.Brockway Area School Superindendent Stephen Zarlinski added that all of the students at Brockway schools were taken to the auditorium to speak with grief counselors. Counselors are being made available for emergency workers as well; as one of the responding firefighters was a first cousin of the Peterson family.The fire, which took place in Brockway about two hours northeast of Pittsburgh, was brought under control around 8 a.m., but was still flaring up state police Trooper Mark Schrecengost said.Three fire marshals were investigating and no cause had been determined. However, state police said it appeared the blaze was not suspicious. Officials said there were space heaters in use, but it has not been determined whether they were involved in the blaze.Brockway Mayor William Hrinya said, “We know everybody. So, it’s like losing one of your own. Our community is based on a lot of values. We have a strong faith in God we have a strong faith in our families and we have a strong faith in our country. If you could say a prayer for Brockway tonight, we’d appreciate it.”

This is the town that I went to school in and I grew up with a few members of this family. I graduated with Liz, the girl who managed to get out. It’s hit our town hard as it would with any small community…

*If anyone would like to donate anything to help the survivors, or know anyone else who would like to help out, there is a fund that is being collected at the credit union in town. If anyone wants to know more details, or would like to donate to the cause, contact me.

To be quite honest, I don’t know what kind of research I’m going to need in order to write my creative piece. It would greatly help if I had any idea whatsoever what I plan to do. What I’ll probably end up doing is avoiding researching anything for as long as I possibly can.

Whatever type of research I will need, I’m sure it is going to be very different than anything I did for my research paper. For the research paper, I had to find and make sure I used a variety of different sources. With creative writing, there is no need to do that at all.

Hopefully the writing process for this project will be much, much easier than it was for the paper itself. I’m not positive about that one, though, because often times I tend not to be very good at coming up with fictional stories on my own. I’m not the creative type in that way. I’m good with poetry and music, but not so much writing a story that is interesting and people will actually enjoy reading.

The novels I read both were very research oriented, and that is quite clear. I read In Cold Blood and Love Makes a Family. Both of these books surround quite extensive research. However, they are both set up very differently.

Both of these books were interesting to read. Also they show two very different styles of writing. In Cold Blood is written like a typical murder mystery book is. Love Makes a Family is made up of a bunch of case studies about different gay/lesbian/transgender families and how they work.

Both of these books give good ideas for how I could write my story, even though I still don’t know how I want to go about doing it… Often times though, people base what they do off of what they see or hear, and chances are I will do something similar as in one of these books.

I’m actually trying to decide between two ideas at the moment. No matter what, my piece will focus on the changes that can occur when music is used with autism. I’m either going to do a lengthy poem or collection of poems from the point of view of different characters and what they experience. Or I’ll write a story about the same thing.

I’m thinking that my characters will be based off of the family that I know that has the three autistic children. So, that means the story will be set in rural western Pennsylvania.

In the end, everything will be summed up as to how things have changed for the better and how they are now. I’m still not sure exactly what I want to do yet. Or even where I intend to go with it. This is just an option.

I feel a whole lot better now that I’m almost completely done with my paper. It takes a lot of stress off knowing that I’m almost completely done with it. All I have left to do is fix a few things to make it even better. Sometimes it was frustrating getting through it all, but now that it’s done, it doesn’t seem like it was so bad.

Now that the paper is almost done, my work load in all classes seems to be a little better because I don’t have a fifteen page research paper hanging over my head, still left to be done. I have enough stress in all of my other classes, I don’t need to add that to list of things to do anymore. That makes everything a lot easier.

Now that I have this done, I have a lot more time for everything else. I feel like I can focus more on my other classes and that makes me a very happy person indeed.

I know the number one thing I need to improve on in my paper is my conclusion. It needs to be a little bit stronger in my opinion. It could be a little longer in my opinion. And maybe a little more conclusive?

I also need to work on the structure in the interview section. I could include more information that I got from the interviews of the mother and the teachers.

I know I also need to work on my word choice. I think there were a few words or phrases I used too many times. I should vary my choices more and be a little more creative.