Rohini Knudson
SPED Professional Portfolio
Resources
Here are some resources that Dr. Daniela Ferdico shared with me when she diagnosed my child with autism.
A matter-of-fact description of autism from the view of an autistic individual that describes some of the same behaviors observed in autistic individuals by autism experts but explains the reasons for them from an autistic person's perspective.
A very short video showing how what might seem normal to some people may not seem normal to others and vice-versa.
Autistic advocate and professor of psychology, Dr.Walker, advises parents of autistic children to not panic when they notice their child's differences, and instead give their child the time and the space they need to grow into the optimal forms of themselves.
An autistic person's view of what is considered 'normal behavior' among neurotypicals. The author attempts to 'decipher' neurotypical motivations from their behaviors to help autistic individuals make sense of what they observe in neurotypical people.
Here are some that I discovered by myself that I've found useful. Some of them are resources specifically about autism while others are simply books on child development that can help parents better understand human minds in general and especially those of children. While how parents treat their children is no longer implicated as the cause of autism it can certainly affect their autistic child's concept of self, their ability to cope with their difficulties and to live happy lives.
The leaading autism charity organization in the UK provides a description of autism as a difference rather than a disorder and includes the emotional aspects of autism such as anxiety and meltdowns/shutdowns in its description.
Dr. Ross Green suggests looking at what caregivers might traditionally consider 'problem behaviors' instead as communication of the child's needs and then addressing those needs through collaborative problem solving between child and caregiver rather than as a power struggle between them.
Baron Cohen presents evidence in favor of the hypothesis that autistic people are hyper-systemizers which in turn in an extreme version of an average male brain. This insight might help people that interact with autistic people better understand what drives their ways of thinking and behaving.
The authors describe the emotional trajectory of a meltdown from pre-meltdown signs, to growing emotional turmoil, to its release. More importantly, they describe the corresponding emotional trajectory of persons around the person having a meltdown. They stress the importance of monitoring one's own emotional state, so caregivers of autistic individuals can effectively deescalate a meltdown before or when it occurs, rather than escalating the chaos with their own emotions.
Dr.Gopnik talks about the importance of providing an environment in which children can develop into the best versions of themselves rather than attempting to shape them into sub-optimal versions of what we want them to be.
Dr. Elkind in his book suggests giving children the time and space they need to grow and advises against imposing ever-growing demands and expectations on them at ever-earlier ages. This might especially apply to autistic children who tend to prefer spending more time than might be considered 'normal' on everything they do.
As an autistic adult, Deborah Lipsky provides an insider's view of what an autistic person experiences during a meltdown and what they might consider helpful or harmful while in the midst of this experience. This information might enable people in the lives of autistic people to better support them while they're feeling anxious or having a meltdown.
The author describes autistic characteristics as a unique way of coping with the challenges that the world presents to any human. He proposes that the differences in the way autistic individuals experience the world have led to unique ways of coping with these experiences. He stresses the importance of understanding this function of autistic behaviors rather than dismissing them as maladaptive and merely focusing on eliminating them.
Written in 1967 by the mother of an autistic girl, the book details the first 8 years of the child's life. I especially liked the details of Jesse’s everyday life and the things that she liked to do and the way she expressed her thoughts and ideas through her drawings. Here's a link to an Internet review of the book.
The book discusses the history of autism advocacy until 2016 when the book was published. Reading it one sees how, for most of its history, the advocacy movement was led by parents of autistic children rather than autistic individuals themselves. While the book touches upon the idea of neurodiversity, given its publication date, it does not cover much that has transpired as part of this movement in the past decade.
A series of videos about the autistic girl, ‘Jesse’, from the book, 'The Siege'. These videos give us a unique perspective on the ‘inner lives’ of autistic individuals, as being rich with ideas rather than lacking an interest in the world. Acceptance of this premise might help society provide better opportunities for autistic individuals to live fulfilled lives. It might also be the key that enables society to unlock the potential that these individuals have to contribute to the goals of progress that humanity has.