school for autistic children

These are a few of the images I recently took at the Allegro School for autistic children in New Jersey. Spending a morning at the school turned out to be a very memorable experience. I'm convinced they're doing amazing things there. As for the pictures, they're not quite as amazing...! They're a little static and removed, but all in all, not bad for my first day in school.

Autism has become more prevalent in recent years (it has been estimated that approximately 1 in 170 births results in an autistic child, with males 5 times more likely to be autistic than females). Despite new research developments, autism is still largely a mystery whose causes are not entirely understood. Autism has both neurological and psychological components, and at Allegro School, exercises to promote sensory integration and regulation are combined with an Applied Behavioral Analysis approach to learning. Essentially, ABA uses environmental modification and positive reinforcement to encourage students to learn.

Children as young as 3 are enrolled at the school, and there are approximately 100 students currently enrolled. Both one-on-one student-teacher activities and class activities occur throughout the school day. The curriculum combines academics with activities of daily living (learning how to brush your teeth or tie your shoes, for example), and communication skill-building techniques.

another picture from Sarajevo

I've been staying up late working on my edit of pictures from Bosnia for my website, and as much as I like this picture, it doesn't look like it's going to make it in the portfolio. That's the way it goes sometimes. If an image doesn't help to tell the story, or fit in with the rest of the pictures in a coherent way, I have to let it go. Fortunately, I have the blog for just such occasions.

Chinatown

David Blaine in Lincoln Center

I have mixed feelings about the whole stunt, which basically amounted to somebody living inside a giant fishbowl for a week, while people looked at him, waved and took pictures. In the end, it was pretty pointless, but an interesting distraction nonetheless. A couple of out of town friends were curious to see it, so we made the trek to the Upper West Side.