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An Inquiry Into Representations of Autism in Children

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An Inquiry Into Representations of Autism in Children “Even though we all are different, we’re all pretty much the same”: An Inquiry into Representations of Autism in Children’s Fictional Television Programming Sundus Waheed A Thesis in the Department of Education " Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Child Studies) at Concordia University April 2018 © Sundus Waheed, 2018 !" " CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Sundus Waheed Entitled: “Even though we all are different, we’re all pretty much the same”: An Inquiry into Representations of Autism in Children’s Fictional Television Programming and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Child Studies) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: _____________________________________ Chair Dr. Harriet (Hariclia) Petrakos ____________________________________ Examiner Dr. Miranda D’Amico ____________________________________Examiner Dr. Diane Pesco ____________________________________Supervisor Dr. Sandra Chang-Kredl Approved by _______________________________________________ Interim Chair of Department ______________ 2018 _____________________________________________________ Dean of Faculty !!" " Abstract This qualitative study examines portrayals of autism in children’s television programming by analyzing three television programs – Sesame Street, Mack and Moxy, and Arthur – in terms of the race and gender of the character with autism, the symptoms and personality characteristics exhibited by the character with autism, the setting the character with autism is situated in, the roles of the supporting characters, and the main themes emphasized in the episodes. A critical analysis pertaining to the above-mentioned categories, as well as a brief comparison of research conducted on portrayals of autism in children’s fictional picture books with portrayals in the present sample, will be offered. The examined programs were found to be successful in representing a variety of symptoms portrayed by the characters with autism and included the more challenging aspects of autism, such as meltdowns, in response to hyper- reactivity. The main themes extracted from the episodes included the ideas of acceptance, diversity, and friendship. The researcher concluded that future depictions of characters with autism should include more female characters as well as characters belonging to various races and ethnicities. While research exploring portrayals of autism in television and film targeting teenage to adult audiences exists, this study fills the gap in research by examining portrayals of autism exclusively in children’s television programming. This research has implications for future television content creators, parents, and educators. !!!" " Acknowledgements Above all, I would like to thank God Almighty for giving me the opportunity to pursue a path I am greatly passionate about and for giving me the strength and endurance to work on a project of this caliber. Thank you Dr. Sandra Chang-Kredl for your continuous support and encouragement throughout this process. Your kindness, patience, and encouragement gave me the confidence to keep moving forward and allowed me to bring my ideas to fruition. Your professionalism and humility will forever be a source of inspiration for me and I will cherish the memories of these past years spent working with you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you Dr. Miranda D’Amico and Dr. Diane Pesco for your feedback and expertise which helped develop this study. This wouldn’t have been possible without my mother and father who encouraged me to pursue graduate studies and provided me endless support. Thank you to my siblings and brothers-in-law for continuously motivating me and believing in my abilities. Thank you to my nephews Yusha and the love of my life Musa for providing stress-relief whenever I needed it. To Musa: You have unknowingly made this journey so much easier and there are absolutely no words to describe how much I love you. Last but certainly not least I would like to thank all the children I have worked with throughout the years for being the reason why I decided to pursue this study. You have helped me grow as a person and have allowed me to see the world through your eyes. !#" " Table of Contents List of Tables ...........................................................................................................viii List of Figures ...........................................................................................................ix List of Appendices .....................................................................................................x Introduction .............................................................................................................. 11 Importance of Autism Awareness ............................................................................ 14 Fiction as a Tool for Raising Awareness ................................................................. 16 Research on Picture Books and Autism Awareness................................................. 17 Autism in Children’s Picture Books ........................................................................ 19 Research on Popular Media and Autism Awareness................................................ 23 Present Study ............................................................................................................27 Methods ....................................................................................................................28 List of Television Programs Analyzed..........................................................29 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................30 Findings and Analysis ..............................................................................................34 Sesame Street ...............................................................................................34 Mack and Moxy ............................................................................................47 Arthur............................................................................................................55 Discussion ................................................................................................................64 Physical Appearance of Character with Autism ..........................................66 DSM V Criteria for ASD .............................................................................69 Personality Characteristics ...........................................................................70 Setting ..........................................................................................................71 #" " Supporting Characters ......................................................................................72 Main Themes ....................................................................................................76 Explanation of Autism ......................................................................................77 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................79 Limitations ....................................................................................................................80 Future Directions ...........................................................................................................81 Educational Implications ...............................................................................................81 References .....................................................................................................................82 Appendix A ...................................................................................................................90 Appendix B ...................................................................................................................95 Appendix C ...................................................................................................................101 #!" " List of Tables Table 1: List of Television Programs Analyzed…………….................................... 29 Table 2: Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM V……………….....31 Table 3: Sample of Coding Scheme...........................................................................32 #!!" " List of Figures Figure 1: Julia..................................................................................................................36 Figure 2: Trooper Charlie and Little Bird........................................................................49 Figure 3: Carl...................................................................................................................57 #!!!" " List of Appendices Appendix A: Data and Coding: “Sesame Street”.................................................................92 Appendix B: Data and Coding: “Mack and Moxy”..............................................................99 Appendix C: Data and Coding: “Arthur”..............................................................................104 !$" " " " AUTISM IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION PROGRAMMING Introduction The aim of this present study is to critically examine portrayals of autism in children’s television programming, with the purpose
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