WebQuest: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Name: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Class: ________

Introduction
Christopher John Francis Boone is the narrator of this novel. Christopher has a developmental disorder
called Autism. You will be investigating Autism, learning about the disorder, and about how people
with Autism are not so different from everyone else.
Autism is a condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in
communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract
concepts.
A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners
work with comes from the web (http://www.webquest.org/index.php).
Assignment
Your task is to learn as much as you can about autism using the websites provided below. The
information that you will learn will help you greatly as you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time.
Process
Use the sites listed below to find out more information about Autism. (All sites are posted on my
website for you to access them easily.) After reading the information on each of the sites that you visit,
answer the corresponding questions. All answers must be in complete sentences. You may NOT copy
and paste answers!
You will then discuss autism with your group, using your responses as a basis for your work. The
details you record will be important for answering our question: What is intelligence?
Site #1: Autism Society About Autism http://www.autism-society.org/about-autism/
1. Why is Autism called a spectrum disorder?
2. What did the 2009 Centers for Disease Control report reveal about the prevalence of autism?
3. Describe three signs of Autism to look for in young children.

Site #2: Autism Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
1. How much more likely are males to have Autism than females?
2. List and fully describe the hallmark feature of autism.
3. What causes Autism?

Site #3: Autism Speaks: Be Informed, How to Grow with It, Teens & Adults
http://www.autismspeaks.org/howtogrow/index.php?WT.svl=Top_Nav
1. What do teens with Autism tend to struggle through adolescence?
2. What are some options for people with Autism once they have graduated from high school?
Site #4: Promoting Social Skills Among Children with Asperger Syndrome by Mike Connor
http://www.mugsy.org/connor38.htm
1. Describe the Autism triad.
2.Describe the Theory of Mind.
3. Why is Autism considered a social disability?
4. What is difficult for students with Autism who attend mainstream schools and classes?
5. Why do schedules work so well for people with Autism?
6. Describe at least four ways to avoid social or communicative breakdowns.
7. What are the three forms of peer tutoring?
8. Why is it important to involve students without Autism while working with social interaction skillbuilding for students with Autism?