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BIOETHICS OF AUTISMSecuring Children’s Moral Compass

Mona Indargiri, Graduate Student & Felicity Crawford, Ed.D

Wheelock College, Boston

The UNESCO Chair in Bioethics 9th World Conference, Naples, Italy

November 19, 2013

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• The capacity to understand others’ subjective mental states– A crucial skill for

negotiating social relationships

– Supports emphatic systems (Kidd & Castano, October 2013, Science)

THEORY OF MIND

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AUTISM AFFECTS MOSTLY MALESThe impact of deficits in one’s Theory of Mind (ToM) can have far-reaching consequences.

Example: Leads to breakdown in one’s interpersonal and intrapersonal skill development

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• SEL Involves the processes through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to:

• – understand and manage emotions, • –set and achieve positive goals, • –feel and show empathy for others, • –establish and maintain positive relationships, and • –make responsible decisions.

• (National Research Council, 2009, 2012; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki,Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Goleman, 2005; Greenberg et al., 2003) as cited by Center for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, 2013, p.6.

DEFINITION: SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

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• The intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies identified on the previous slide (i.e. managing emotions, feeling and showing empathy, setting positive goals, establishing positive relationships and making responsible decisions) can be taught and measured.

• Research shows that students with these skills do better in school and in life.

INTRA AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

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• Dr. Pedro Noguera identifies why SEL is important: http://vimeo.com/15664244

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• •Dr. Mary Helen- Immordino Yang, neuroscientist, identifies cognition (thinking) and emotion as inseparable: See video Emotion and Cognition: http://www.learner.org/courses/neuroscience/videos/videos.html

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• •Video on social and emotional development: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/social_emotional_compet ence.html

JUSTIFICATION FOR SEL (EXAMPLES)

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• Single most important factor in one’s life outcomes– 5 core competencies in SEL

• Self-management• Self-awareness• Responsible decision-making• Relationship skills• Social awareness

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)

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• Explicit SEL instruction• Integration with academic curriculum• Teacher instructional practices

ESTABLISHED APPROACHES TO SEL

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WHAT HAPPENS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHERE RESOURCES ARE SCARCE?

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• Implies a reflective example of ethical issues

• When it comes to disparities in resources and access to established approaches in developing countries, what is our collective responsibility?

BIOETHICS…