Learning from Other Writers: Charlie Living with Autism

Instructor's Notes

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Charlie Living with Autism

Shannon Kintner

Photo Essay and Article

This photo essay provides a glimpse into the life of Charlie, a five-year-old boy diagnosed with non-severe autism. Click through the slideshow to view all of the pictures, read the accompanying student newspaper article, and then respond to the critical reading questions that follow.

1

“You go bye-bye?” says Charlie Minto, 5, to Kari Hughes, a behavioral therapist. Charlie was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (in lay terms, non-severe autism) in October of this past year. He receives in-home behavior therapy five days a week. When he’s finished with it and ready for playtime, he doesn’t keep it to himself.

2

“No, Charlie, it’s not time for me to go yet,” Hughes responds. In one year, however, Charlie might be saying “bye-bye” to his therapists forever.

3

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the guidelines used to diagnose different types of disorders, will be released in its fifth edition in May 2013 with its first set of revisions in seventeen years. While the changes are not yet complete, the proposed new definition of autism may be more rigorous than the current one. Many families are worried that, due to the revised wording of the definition, their loved ones will lose the diagnosis, and with it, their services through state, school, and insurance companies.

4

Mindy Minto, Charlie’s mother, worries that the costs for the behavioral, occupational, and speech therapies that Charlie needs will be prohibitive. “My fear is that he won’t get the help he needs and that he won’t…be the Charlie that he can be, he won’t rise to his full potential. And that’s concerning.”

Mindy Minto wipes pizza sauce off her son Charlie’s shoulder during dinner one night. Studies have shown that eating at home with the family lessens a child's risk of obesity later on in life.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
A behavioral therapist guides Charlie’s hand while writing his name. Charlie just wrote his name by himself for the first time in mid-April.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
Charlie plays with his dog, Lola, before dinner. Both of Charlie’s parents have described the two as best friends.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
Kari Hughes, a behavioral therapist, asks Charlie to point out certain objects pictured on flashcards. His at-home therapy balances between a few minutes of playtime for every five achievements he makes, such as identifying flashcards or completing a puzzle.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
Delia Minto, 8, Charlie’s sister, plays with Charlie after dinner one evening. Sometimes Charlie may flap his hands or push when excited or anxious, but he never plays aggressively.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
Kari Hughes, a behavioral therapist, teaches Charlie how to use a zipper during a few minutes of playtime.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan
Mindy Minto, Charlie’s mother, helps Charlie put on pajamas after a bath. Charlie sticks to a usual nighttime routine that consists of a bath, some ice cream, and a bedtime story.
Shannon Kintner/The Daily Texan

Questions to Start You Thinking

Meaning

  1. What story about Charlie do the images tell?
  2. The photographer shows Charlie eating with his family, learning with his teacher, and playing with his dog. How does this variety affect the viewer’s experience?
  3. What is the message and the effect of Kintner’s title for this essay?

    Writing Strategies

  4. How would you describe Kintner’s written text (both the captions and the article)? Why do you think that she chose this approach?
  5. How does the article change the impression of the images? If the article had not been included, what would the effect of the images have been?
  6. This photo essay originally appeared in a student-run campus newspaper. In what ways are its purpose and audience shaped accordingly?