Implementing the Pilot Project

While I was thrilled with the progress of my cousin, I wanted to see if similar success could be achieved with other children. In October 2006 I implemented a pilot project to test the effectiveness of Part 1 of the system with a group of approximately 15 students ranging in age from 6 to 17 and all diagnosed with various forms and degrees of autism. The only criteria for participation in the study were demonstrated interest in music or musical stimuli and limited or no letter/word recognition. This study concluded in June 2007 and the results were encouraging. Trend analysis revealed that learning was taking place for the majority of the student participants. In addition, it was happening for both the boys and the girls. Observation reports indicated significant enthusiasm on behalf of the students toward this system of learning. While the progress of the student participants was varied, some students made remarkable advancements. One 6 year old student in particular began the program in November 2006 knowing only the first letter of his name. By April of 2007 he had mastered the alphabet and learned to spell and read all 26 animals names in his book. He went on to work on Part 3 of the teaching system The Story of Little Bear.

A second pilot project was implemented in October 2008 and is currently ongoing.