In my studies this past couple of weeks I have been looking for autism blogs that are supported by empirical evidence and have found that while many blogs are interesting and offer a unique perspective into the autistic world, few are supported by empirical research.
The blog titled Your Little Professor; Resources and Academic Programs for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome, does however, provide well documented and researched information. This blog is very well written and references multiple academic articles and books authored by professional psychologists. The posts are intended to provide support for parents and educate the community in an effort to help further the understanding and knowledge of autism. There are multiple links and entries with information on a range of topics including the diagnosis of Asperger’s to loneliness and friendship that accompany the syndrome.
The author of most of the blog’s posts is Catherine H. Knott, Ph.D., an anthropologist and educator specializing in education, community, environment, and agriculture. She received her Bachelors Degree from Yale University, and her Ph.D. from Cornell University. It is unfortunate that she does not have a link telling readers more about herself though.
One of my favorite posts is titled Horseback Riding as Therapy. In this post she does a beautiful job explaining the pains of parents as they mourn for the part of life that their autistic child misses out on. The relationships that are not experienced, the emotional disconnect and the hard work it takes to train an autistic person’s brain to allow deep levels of connection to be learned are discussed.
The Choosing Gifts for Children with Asperger’s post explains the importance of unconditional love and celebrating it every day, not just birthdays and holidays. I enjoyed her perspective of time being the best gift of all. Showing interest in your child and their special interest will show your child you value them for who they are.
The final post I want to mention is the interview with Dr Angela Ver Ploeg, a School Psychologist that specializes in the study of Asperger’s. Every person of every ability desires connection. Educators have the opportunity to assist all their students in making connections and creating relationships. A young student with Asperger’s states, “For my entire life, I have searched for a sense of belonging—for friends my own age, a club, or a community where I can be myself and feel at home” (Laursen & Yasdgerdi, 2012). This post shares the importance of social skills groups and the need for school environments to be flexible in order to provide a secure safe environment for the autistic child to develop meaningful relationships with other students.
~Korin
Laursen, E. K., & Yazdgerdi, S. (2012). Autism and belonging. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 21(2), 44-47.
Interesting posts - horse therapy and gifts - I like the range of ideas.
ReplyDeleteCheryl
Lisa Cropp says:
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned this blog was supported with well documented researched information. This is important because it helps blogs be more credable. The author's of the blog posts seem to be well educated and know what they are talking about. You did a real good job in emphasizing the main points of the blog. Excellent job!