NEWS
Novel teaching system for autistic children takes top award at CWSF 2006

May 19, 2006

YSF Canada announced the country's top young scientists at the 2006 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Saguenay, Québec today.

A novel approach to assisting children with autism to overcome social and communication difficulties earned Kayla Cornale, a Grade 11 student at Burlington Ontario’s Assumption Secondary School, more than $17,000 in cash prizes, a divisional gold medal, and scholarship offers at the 2006 Canada Wide Science Fair concluding tomorrow at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.

By linking musical harmonies with six basic human emotions and three grammatical concepts in a storyboook format, the 16-year old has developed a system that shows promise with young children with autism.

In the first round of judging, Kayla earned a gold medal and $1500 for placing first in the Senior Health Sciences Division, sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Grand Awards Selection Panel then named her winner of the $5000 EnCana Platinum Award for the best senior (grade 11/12) project and the $10,000 EnCana Best of Fair Award.

Daniel Bezdek [16] of Father Lacombe School in Calgary, Alberta took the $5000 EnCana Platinum Award for the best intermediate (grade 9/10) project, and a $1500 gold medal in the Physical and Mathematical Sciences division, sponsored by EnCana Corporation, with his new mathematical approach to the Penrose problem based on a new conception of black holes and stars.

Lauren Cuthbertson [14] of York House School in Vancouver, British Columbia took the $5000 EnCana Platinum award for best junior (grade 7/8) project and a $1500 Health Sciences Division gold medal with her analysis of the sound levels of personal stereos and earphones, showing that the style of earphone worn affects whether people adjust the volume to dangerous levels in order to overcome background noise.

Click the link to download complete results. (PDF-832 KB)

For additional information, contact Lori Murray of YSF Canada at 416-341-0040 x2.