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LITERACY | BACK TO THE JOURNEY
Speech and Music Connection Interdisciplinary Social Rhythm Researchers
William Condon says: "synchrony is the main channel of awareness of sociality."
Boston Univerity radio show recorded in 1970...
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LITERACY | SPEECH AND MUSIC CONNECTION - SYNCHRONY
Concerning Autism:
For over three decades, William Condon and his colleagues have been studying the rhythmic structure of human speech communication. They make films of people interacting and then do a frame-by-frame analysis of body motions and speech sounds. They have discovered two kinds of synchrony, self synchrony and interactional synchrony. Self synchrony is the relationship between a person¹s speech patterns and their body movements: head, shoulders, arm and hand gestures, and so on. Interactional synchrony is about the relationship between the listener¹s body and the speaker¹s voice.
It is not particularly surprising that self synchrony exists. After all, the same nervous system is doing both the speaking and the gesturing, and the cortical structures for speech and manipulation are close to one another. But Condon found a close synchrony between speakers and listeners as well. How do the listener¹s gestures become synchronized with the speaker¹s vocal patterns? To be sure, the synchrony isn¹t exact‹the listener¹s body movements lag behind the speech patterns by 42 milliseconds or less (roughly one frame of film at 24 frames per second), ³like a car following a continuously rapidly curving road². That is a small enough lag to make one entertain thoughts of mind-reading.
It¹s not simply that gestures move to the same basic pulse as speech. That is easy enough to understand, at least superficially: the speaker needs only to detect the pulse¹s period and adopt it for herself‹all, of course, unconsciously. Synchrony, both self and interactional, involves more than this. Speech is hierarchical. Phonemes are organized into words, words into phrases, and phrases into statements (see Figure 1).[Figure 1 deleted]
In both self synchrony and interactional synchrony this hierarchical structure is reflected in the synchronized movements. Larger gestures, perhaps of the whole arm, will track phrases while smaller gestures, such as finger movements, will track words or phonemes. Furthermore, infants exhibit near-adult competence at interactional synchrony within 20 minutes of birth. Since the human auditory system becomes active three or four months before birth, we may become entrained to speech patterns in utero.
Condon and others have also investigated interactional synchrony in children suffering from various pathologies, including dyslexia and autism. Here they find multiple entrainment. They have observed dyslexic children whose the right side would entrain within the normal 42-millisecond period, while the left side would entrain with the same sound at a delay of 100 to 266 milliseconds. Autistic children were similar, except that it is the right side that is delayed.
The ability to match one¹s movements to another¹s seems to be a condition of normal interaction with others. When this capacity is hampered, as it is in dyslexia and autism, communication is compromised. Synchrony creates a space of communicative interaction, a coupling between two brains in which they can affect one another¹s internal states.
Interactional synchrony is not conscious or deliberate; it is not something one thinks about. It just happens, at least for most of us. That interactional synchrony is working at birth implies that it is mediated by core brain structures, structures that are phylogenetically old, for only these structures are operative at birth. The newest and largest brain structure, the cerebral cortex, is an uninsulated mass of nerves incapable of coherent processing at birth. Its fibers become insulated over the first several years of life. That is to say, tightly synchronized interaction with others constitutes part of the maturational environment for the cerebral cortex, just as the sounds of adult speech penetrate the womb and thus become part of the maturational environment for those neural structures active at birth. Before we can see the external world and grasp objects, we hear sounds and are able to kick and wiggle in response.
Interactional Synchrony
Several years ago, at a national autism conference, my wife and I attended a presentation by Dr. William S. Condon, a psychology professor at Boston College. For many years, Dr. Condon studied film of his patients' therapy sessions. His research led him to two major discoveries:
* People's bodies move in rhythm with speech - both their own, and someone else's.
* People with autism have a different rhythm in their body response to sound that indicates their hearing is delayed and echoing. I call this different rhythm "Condon's Autism Anomaly" (CAA).
William Condon: Non-verbal communication
The Tomatis Method
A Biography of Dr. Tomatis and the overview Good learners are good listeners. In the attached pages, we will explore why. You will see why many learning disabilities are in fact listening disabilities. The good news is that we can tune up your ears, so that you can attain your full learning potential.
William Condon Writings
ERIC 2 citations
1. Multiple Response to Sound in Dysfunctional Children N/A
Condon, William S. 1975-00-00 EJ122659
2. Synchrony Demonstrated between Movements of the Neonate and Adult Speech Condon, William S.; Sander, Louis W. 1974-00-00 EJ099934
* Condon, W. S. & Sander, L. W. (1974a) Synchrony demonstrated between movements of the neonate and adult speech. Child Development 45: 456-62.
Condon, W. S. & Sander, L. W. (1974b) Neonate movement is synchronised with adult speech: interactional participation. Science 103: 99-101.
Condon, William S. (1970). “Method of micro-analysis of sound films of behavior.” Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 2(2), pp 51-54.
Condon, William, "Cultural Microrhythms", in Interaction Rhythms, Ed. ?, 1972, pp. /??
This phenomenon of social harmony arising from the void has been proven scientifically to exist cross-culturally by Paul Byers of Columbia University as well as Boston scientist William Condon. Berendt, The World Is Sound, p. 116.
Condon, W. S. (1974). "Synchrony Demonstrated between Movements of the Neonate and Adult Speech." Child Development 45: 456-462.
Condon, William S. & Louis W. Sander Louis. (1974).
“Neonate movement is synchronized with adult speech: Interactional participation and language acquisition.” Science, 183 (4120), pp 99-101.
Condon, W. S. (1975). "Multiple response to sound in dysfunctional children." Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia 5: 37-56.
Condon, W. S. (1986). Communication: Rhythm and Structure. Rhythm in Psychological, Linguistic and Musical Processes. J. R. Evans and M. Clynes. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C Thomas Publisher: 55-78.
Condon, William S. (1999). Personal communication. June 10.
For information indicating the probability of related forms of synchrony, see:
Hall, Edward T., The Silent Language, Doubleday, 1959.
Hall, Edward T., The Hidden Dimension, 1964
Hall, Edward T.,(1977). Beyond culture. New York: Anchor Books, pp 72-77. Several others have independently arrived at similar conclusions about the ability of shared activity to bond humans.
Hall, Edward T., The Dance of Life, 1983.
Hall, Edward T., Cultural Misunderstandings: The French, Germans, and Americans
Psychologist Howard Rachlin has called the process “functional bonding,” and historian William McNeill has called it “muscular bonding.” (Rachlin, Howard. (1995). “Self and self-control.” In The self across psychology: Self-recognition, self-awareness, and the self concept, p 89; McNeill, William H. (1995). Keeping together in time: Dance and drill in human history. Cambridge, MA, p 4.)
Krams, M., M.F. Rushworth, M.P. Deiber, R.S. Frackowiak, & R.E. Passingham. (1998). “The preparation, execution and suppression of copied movements in the human brain.” Experimental Brain Research, June, pp 386-98; Lundqvist, L.O. “Facial EMG reactions to facial expressions: a case of facial emotional contagion?” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, June, pp 130-41.
Expressive Micro Timing Explained - Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), 1750 Arch Street, Berkeley, CA 94720
While researching communication between mothers and newborn babies at Boston University Medical College, DR. WILLIAM CONDON INSPECTED HIGH- SPEED MOVIIE FILM FRAME - BY- FRAME UNDER A MICROSCOPE TO DISCOVER THAT SUBLIMINAL MUSICAL HARMONY IS THE PHYSICAL CONNECTION ESTABLISHING ALL INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION. Twenty years later, Condon's story is published in the November, 1987 issue of PSYCHOLOGY TODAY.
Interactional Synchrony Studies, Inc. (ISSI)
Interactional Synchrony Studies, Inc. (ISSI)
http://www.isautism.com/index.html
is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering Dr. William S. Condon's research
into subconscious body movement in response to heard sound.
Dr. Condon's work in interactional synchrony discovered a different
response to sound that indicates delayed and echoing hearing. This
has profound implications on such a person's ability to learn cause
and effect, to interact with their environment, and with other
people.
Interactional Synchrony Studies, Inc. (ISSI) was founded in 1997 by
David Tremain to further the work of Dr. William S. Condon, now
retired from Boston University. ISSI is a United States 501(c)(3) not
for profit organization incorporated in Indiana.
Dr. William S. Condon serves on ISSI's Board of Directors, and is
fully supportive of the work and research of the organization.
Interactional Synchrony Studies, Inc. (ISSI)
PO Box 15885
Fort Wayne, IN 46885-5885
USA
Telephone: 260-493-6050
E-mail: dtremain@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.isautism.com/waitaminute.html
Wait a Minute! (Or Maybe Two!) by David Tremain © 2000 David Tremain - All Rights Reserved
Author's note: This paper was presented at the Autism Society of
Indiana's New Century New Hope Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana on
November 4, 2000. A video was also shown at the presentation that
allowed the audience to see examples of the various items discussed
in the paper. This phenomenon does not lend itself to verbal
description, so the paper in itself is inadequate to gain a good
understanding of delayed and echoing hearing and its implications.
My special thanks go to Dr. William S. Condon for some of the footage
in the video and his constant encouragement, and to my family for
their sacrifices that allowed me the time to put this paper and
presentation together. My sincere wish is that this information be
used to make the world a better place for persons with autism. -
David Tremain
Introduction
In the world of autism:
How many parents suspected early on that their child had a hearing
problem?
How many had a hearing evaluation done for their child?
How many children are slow to respond to what you say? Or don't
respond at all?
How many children seem to respond better to visual cues than to
auditory cues?
How many are visual learners?
How many of you feel there is a bright, intelligent person trapped
somewhere in your child that you just can't quite seem to reach?
Why are these elements so common in the autism community?
Interactional Synchrony
Several years ago, at a national autism conference, my wife and I
attended a presentation by Dr. William S. Condon, a psychology
professor at Boston College. For many years, Dr. Condon studied film
of his patients' therapy sessions. His research led him to two major
discoveries:
People's bodies move in rhythm with speech - both their own, and
someone else's.
People with autism have a different rhythm in their body response to
sound that indicates their hearing is delayed and echoing. I call
this different rhythm "Condon's Autism Anomaly" (CAA).
Response Window
Rhythm is such a basic part of life. From the start of our
development in the womb, our constant companion is the beating of our
mother's heart. We experience her every word, plus her rhythmic
breathing as she talks. Everything is choreographed in an incredibly
detailed sequence of events - coordinating sounds and body movements.
We learn, even down to our individual nerve cells, how long things
normally take. We develop a natural "response window" - a length of
time after an event when we expect a response. If no response is
received within that "response window", we presume there will be no
response.
For instance, you walk out into the garage, where your spouse is
working on something. You call his or her name. You wait, lets be
generous here, about 1 1/2 seconds. If you don't get a response, you
call their name again, a little louder. Why? Because they obviously
didn't hear you, or they would have responded.
This "response window" is basic to the rhythm of living. It is an
absolutely necessary and critical part of interacting with others and
our environment. It makes conversation possible. It is so much a part
of how our bodies and psyche's work that we, for the most part, are
totally unaware of it.
Delayed & Echoing Hearing
Delayed hearing means that a person does not hear a sound until some
time after it occurs. This is not a big issue for most people. Life
experience has taught us that one hard object hitting another makes a
noise. For example, you know that a hammer hitting a nail makes a
sound. If you have ever observed someone hammering a nail from
several hundred yards away, you experienced delayed hearing. The
sound of the hammer hitting the nail did not reach you until the
hammer was back up in the air. We automatically reject the notion
that any other part of the hammer's motion causes the sound.
What if we had never experienced sound occurring at virtually the
same instant two objects hit? What if our only experience was hearing
the sounds after a delay? How would we ever figure out what was
causing the sounds?
Most of us have heard an echo. The same sound repeats over and over
again, softer and softer, until it fades away. Dr. Condon's
observations indicate that people with autism hear every sound that
occurs in an echoing fashion - first on their left side, then on
their right. Every sound. All the time. For them, this is NORMAL
hearing. They don't have a clue that everyone does not hear this way.
The concept of a delay between when a sound occurs and when it is
heard is crucial to gaining a better understanding of the world of
autism. This simple statement has profound implications - both for
individuals with autism, and for people working with them.
Bruno Bettelheim, an early pioneer in the field of autism, postulated
that a person with autism was unable to relate to those around them
because of a lack of emotional warmth and love. Parents rejected
his "refrigerator mother" theory because they knew they were acting
in a loving and accepting way with their children. Eventually,
Bettelheim's observations were dismissed as being incorrect.
Unfortunately, for the children with autism, no one thought to ask
the question - were they able to RECEIVE the love and acceptance that
was being offered in the same way as other children?
Picture a typical parent/toddler interaction. Mother calls junior's
name. Junior looks up at mother. Mother praises junior, smiles at
him, and the interaction continues.
Now, if junior has autism, Mother calls junior's name. Junior doesn't
respond while his mother is expecting a response. Mother "gives up"
on getting a response, and either starts doing something else, or
starts another attempt. Finally, after the delay, junior hears his
mother's voice, and looks at her. But because mother is no longer
expecting his response, she doesn't see it (or maybe just doesn't
notice it). Junior gets no positive feedback for his response.
Therefore, junior misses the opportunity for a pleasurable learning
interaction with his or her mother. Is this a "refrigerator mom"? No!
It's just a mother unaware of the difference in her child's ability
to respond.
Anne M. Donnellan, Ph.D. and Martha R. Leary, MA, CCC-SLP state in
their book, Movement Differences and Diversity in Autism/Mental
Retardation, that staff were instructed to make a request of a person
with autism, then continue looking at them, and wait expectantly for
an answer until they responded. The staff discovered that most people
with autism did respond in those circumstances, but on average it
took them 14 seconds to do so. Sit down. Look your watch. Say
something. Then wait silently and still for 14 seconds. Notice when
your attention starts to wander. Fourteen seconds is a LONG time in
conversation! It is definitely outside of our normal "response
window".
Do not miss the key finding in their results. Given enough time,
nearly every individual did respond! This should tell us that people
with autism can, and probably want to, interact with others. But our
world of interaction moves too quickly for them to participate.
Can a child with autism receive the love and acceptance offered? Dr.
Condon's research seems to say, no, they can't - at least not within
the response window we normally use.
Sound, Events, and Learning
When two sensory inputs occur at virtually the same time, we
associate them. The one we perceive first is presumed to cause the
one we perceive next. This is basic to our ability to learn. It is
crucial to our ability to understand cause and effect. It helps us
learn sequences of events.
Another example. You drop a book on the table with a solid thunk,
then pick it right back up again. What does this same event look like
to a person with delayed hearing? The book falls, lands on the table
without a sound, and the person picks it up. As the book is back to
about shoulder height, the person hears the sound. What is happening
visually when they hear the sound? The book is moving smoothly
through the air. How can that cause sound?
Now, if you drop the book again, and just leave it on the table this
time, the individual with delayed hearing would see the book fall to
the table, land silently, and just sit there. A bit later, they would
hear the same sound they heard earlier, except this time the book
isn't moving - just sitting there on the table. From their
perspective, there is no pattern to what is happening visually when
they hear the sound. There is no way to be able to predict what will
make noise.
You know how it feels to be startled by an unexpected sound. You look
around. Your heart races. You are ready for fight or flight. Now,
imagine that you do not have the ability to associate sounds with
their causes. You have no way to predict when a sound is going to
occur. Many sounds in your environment are unexpected, and startling.
One has to wonder how much of the time people with autism function
in "fight or flight" mode.
Since sound is such an unpredictable sensory input, it follows that
persons with autism tend to rely much more on their other senses. If
one sense is lost or damaged, the other senses strengthen to
compensate for the loss. It is no surprise, then, that most children
with autism are visual learners.
Condon's Autism Anomaly and Body Movement
Dr. Condon's research observed that people move their bodies in
synchrony with the sounds that they hear. Individuals with autism
move their bodies multiple times to the same sound, indicating they
hear it more than once.
Dr. Condon also discovered that some people with autism could not
distinguish between environmental noise and speech. Their bodies
responded to every sound. These individuals were in constant motion.
Attempting to extinguish excessive body movements through behavioral
intervention may be akin to trying to teach someone not to blink.
Further investigation into Dr. Condon's research and results led me
to form a non-profit organization, Interactional Synchrony Studies,
Inc. (ISSI), to explore and confirm his work, and to do new research
in this area. I believe this work holds the potential of:
Early identification - at birth, or shortly after.
Objective identification - observation of consistent test data that
will indicate a person has autism without relying on subjective,
differing opinions.
Classifying Autism Spectrum Disorders by length of delay and pattern
of the echo. This would permit research and treatments to be targeted
at a specific group - providing reliable, useful treatments, and
solid, consistent, usable research results.
All of these are exciting possibilities.
What can be done? As my wife puts it, "So what?"
EARLY intervention
Early intervention is about the only thing autism experts generally
agree on - the earlier the better. Currently, a diagnosis before 2
years of age is considered "early." Condon's Autism Anomaly may be
observable at birth, or shortly afterwards. Identification this early
would permit treatment and evaluation BEFORE the behaviors now
associated with autism emerge.
Special efforts could be made to micro-teach the basics - allowing
for the baby's sensory delays. Concentration on recognizing and
rewarding early communication attempts would mean the right behaviors
would get rewarded and encouraged. Who knows? It may be possible,
starting early enough, to have a child with autism exhibit virtually
NONE of the behaviors currently used as a diagnostic tool.
Special training methods could be devised to help the infant make
connections between causes and sounds. To teach the basics of cause
and effect. To prevent the accumulation of incorrect observations and
conclusions that form the foundation of all future learning for 18
months before we even become aware there is a problem!
New ability to build bonds
Early intervention is great, but it is never too late to begin
building new bonds. Persons with autism share all the common needs of
people - the need for acceptance, for love, to love, to connect with
others, to be valued. By understanding the limitations on their
ability to respond within a standard "response window" you can "go to
them" - giving them the time they need to receive and respond to you.
You can build bonds of understanding, interaction, and yes, love,
with them.
Your child is "there"
You may have to start with the basics - but start! Reward anything
you see as being a step in the right direction - no matter how small.
Give them positive feedback. Interact with them, and WAIT for their
response. It will come. Your child can, and probably wants to,
interact with you.
Be sensitive to their delayed and echoing hearing. Sometimes they may
want it completely quiet. Other times, they may want a familiar
pattern of noise, sound, or speech. Don't stop at words. Communicate
with touch (if they like it). Some children like deep pressure when
they can't stand a lighter touch.
As my wife says, "His emotions don't have autism. His intellect
doesn't have autism." He is a real person, with real feelings and
needs.
Practical suggestions
What can we do practically to compensate for these differences in
sensory processing?
Wait a minute. When you talk to someone with autism - don't let
your "response window" "time out" - deliberately and patiently wait
for the person to be able to hear what is said, and formulate a
response.
Don't be frustrated by their lack of interactive feedback to what you
are saying. They may be unable, even if they are aware of the need,
to provide the subtle variations in responses we rely on.
Don't repeat too quickly. Again, this ties in with waiting, but one
of the most natural things to do is to repeat a communication attempt
after our "response window" is not met. This just provides the person
with autism more sensory input to sort through to figure out what is
going on. Say what you have to say. Then be quiet and wait.
If a person with autism is in danger, take physical action! Don't
just attempt to warn verbally. Someone with autism probably won't be
able to hear a warning and respond to it quickly enough to avoid
harm. Place yourself close enough to be able to act in a danger
situation.
Don't expect a young child with autism to automatically make noise if
they are in danger - sound is so unreliable to them, it probably
won't occur to them to shout for help. Guard your little ones with
your eyes - not just your ears. This especially applies to swimming
pools.
Think about what the person is doing in the context of delayed and
echoing hearing. Is the ability to see and hear the same sequence
over and over helping them understand something in their environment?
While the incessant replaying of the same part of a video may be
annoying, it may also serve a positive educational purpose, too.
(Yes, I know it drives YOU nuts. Me too.)
Never forget - this different sensory input is NORMAL for them.
They've never experienced the world in any other way. They don't even
know you can.
Conclusion
Dr. Condon's discoveries of interactional synchrony and the autism
anomaly broaden our understanding of the world of autism. The
exploration of delayed and echoing hearing provides a logical
explanation for many of the things we observe, such as poor social
skills, communication difficulties, visual learning, and high
anxiety.
Hearing that is delayed and echoing affects the ability to learn. It
also makes it difficult to respond quickly enough to meet other
people's "response window" expectations. This discourages people
trying to communicate with the individual with autism, and prevents
the person with autism from receiving positive feedback. It also
short-circuits the understanding of cause and effect by hiding or
making it difficult to figure out what makes a sound.
By extending our "response window" to wait until persons with autism
are able to respond, we open new possibilities to connect with them.
Remember, their emotions don't have autism. They want to interact
with you, so when you talk to them, Wait a Minute! (long, long pause)
(Or Maybe Two!).
Appendix A - ISSI's Research
ISSI's current research project explores the correlation of Condon's
Autism Anomaly with the diagnosis of autism.
Double-blind Study
The research is a double-blind study - observations of the video are
made without knowledge of the person's diagnosis, and the research
participants will not be able to influence the observations.
Who Can Participate?
Anyone who can listen to someone talking can participate. Subjects of
all ages with autism (officially diagnosed) and without autism are
needed. Multiple subjects from the same family are welcome.
What do you need to do?
Participants in the research need to do the following:
Provide a short video (several minutes) of someone talking to the
subject. The video can be a copy of one you have from years ago, or
one you shoot tomorrow.
Provide information on the subject's diagnosis.
It's just that simple. Information on participating can be found at
our web site, www.isautism.com .
What is the Process?
The video is analyzed frame by frame for two things:
The boundary points of speech - where speech sounds, words, phrases,
or sentences start and stop.
Body movements - where body movements start, stop, or change
direction or speed.
These two observations will be combined to establish which rhythm is
present - a normal rhythm, or the rhythm characteristic of autism,
Condon's Autism Anomaly.
Correlation with Diagnosis
After the analysis is complete, the observed rhythm will be compared
with the diagnosis of autism. When the study is complete, we should
have good evidence of the accuracy of this method in identifying
individuals with autism.
Appendix B - Futures
This research holds the promise of many exciting future
possibilities. One of the most important of these is an objective
approach to autism.
Early and Objective identification
Most of you probably know of someone whose child has been tested by
more than one professional, with varying diagnoses. The current
process of diagnosis depends on subjective observation - someone's
opinion about the presence and severity of behaviors. This system
leaves too much room for error.
Dr. Condon believes the rhythmic response to what one hears is
present and observable at or shortly after birth. Imagine the benefit
of knowing your infant has delayed and echoing hearing. You could
train yourself to extend your "response window" to accommodate your
child's delay. Special teaching methods could be used to compensate
for the lack of seeing and hearing things at the same time.
Most importantly, your baby would receive intervention before
autistic behaviors emerge. This could effectively prevent or
eliminate the very behaviors currently used as the primary diagnostic
tool. The possibilities are endless.
Improved research results
Cancer used to be thought of as one disease. We now know that there
are many different types of cancers that have different causes, and
respond to different treatments. The same holds true in the world of
autism.
"Autism" has only recently become "Autism Spectrum Disorders" - the
first step in acknowledging the different types of autism under the
ASD label. Much work remains to be done in identifying meaningful ASD
subgroups. An objective measure of delay and echo that would
correspond to varying levels of severity of an ASD could provide a
valuable tool in this process.
Think about the various therapies and treatments for autism. They
seem to help some people, but are ineffective with others. I believe
that one of the reasons for this is that autism research is done
using individuals from different subgroups of autism. Being able to
accurately identify an ASD subgroup would permit research that would
show differences in the effectiveness of a treatment (for that
subgroup) and not just the individual differences between the ASD
subgroups.
Learning materials geared for specific delay/echo combinations
Learning materials could be prepared that address a specific
delay/echo combination. An example of this would be to advance the
sound track so the person could experience sound and action
simultaneously.
Awareness of the difference for persons with autism
Technology exists to cancel or "quiet" sounds. It involves "playing"
inverted sound waves at the same time as the original sound. Lexus
uses this technique to quiet their cars' interiors. A similar process
could be used to suppress the echoed sounds, and give the person with
autism some sense of what the world sounds like to the rest of us.
We know that these individuals have great difficulty imagining how an
experience might appear from another person's point of view.
Remember, for the person with autism, they way they experience the
world is normal to them. That they are experiencing the world in a
significantly more complex way than other people is an idea that
simply would not occur to them. Yet, as they grow, they learn that
there is something wrong with them - but don't know what. They know
they're different, but don't know why.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to show a person with autism why they are
different? To have them understand that it is because of the
excessive sensory input they have to process? By understanding how
they hear differently from rest of the world, and learning how most
other people hear, they could learn to compensate for those
differences. Once they learned that, there would be no limits on what
they could do.
Appendix C - Bibliography
2Bettelheim, Bruno; The Empty Fortress: Infantile Autism and the
Birth of the Self; The Free Press, New York / Collier-Macmillan Ltd.,
London, 4th ed.; 1969
3Anne M. Donnellan, Ph.D. and Martha R. Leary, MA, CCC-SLP; Movement
Differences and Diversity in Autism-Mental Retardation: Appreciations
and Accommodations People with Communications and Behavior
Challenges; D R I Press; 1994
Works by Dr. William S. Condon
Condon, W. S. (1985). Sound-Film Microanalysis: A Means for
Correlating Brain and Behavior. In Frank Duffy and Norman Geschwind
(Eds.), Dyslexia: A Neuroscientific Approach to Clinical Evaluation,
Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co., 123-156.
Condon, W. S. (1996). Sound-Film Microanalysis: A Means for
Correlating Brain and Behavior in Persons with Autism. Proceedings of
the 1996 Autism Society of America National Conference, Milwaukee,
WI, July 1996, 221-225.
Condon, W. S. (1974) Cultural Microrhythms. In M. Davis (Ed.),
Interaction Rhythms. New York: Human Sciences, 1982.
Condon, W. S. (1971). Speech and Body Motion Synchrony of the Speaker-
Hearer. In D. L. Horton and J. J. Jenkins (Eds.), Perception of
Language, Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 150-173.
Condon, W. S. (1974). Multiple response to sound in autistic-like
children. Proceedings of the National Society for Autistic Children
Conference, Washington, DC, June 1974.
Condon, W. S. and Sander, L. W. (1974). Neonate movement is
synchronized with adult speech. Integrated participation and language
acquisition. Science 183:99.
Condon, W. S. (1963) Synchrony units and the communicational
hierarchy. Paper presented at Western Psychiatric Institute &
Clinics, Pittsburgh, PA
Other works relevant to Interactional Synchrony
Austin, A. M. and Peery, J. C. (1983) Analysis of adult-neonate >
synchrony during speech and nonspeech. Percept. Mot. Skills 57:455
Beebe, B, Stern, D., and Jaffe, J. (1979) The Kinesic Rhythm of
Mother-Infant Interactions. In A. Steigman and S. Feldstein (Eds.),
Of Speech and Time. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, Pp. 23-24
Karo, T., et al. (1983) A computer analysis of infant movements
synchronized with adult speech. Pediatr. Res. 17:625.
Kendon, A. (1974) Coordination of Action and Framing in Face-to-Face
Interaction. In M. Davis (Ed.), Interaction Rhythms. New York: Human
Sciences, 1982.
Peery, J. C. (1980) Neonate-adult head movement: No and yes
revisited. Dev. Psychol. 16(4):245.