Amanda Webster

Susannah Rowland

Joy Cumming

This book presents an international research-based framework that has empowered parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to become critical decision makers to actively guide their child’s learning and self-advocacy. Parents can use this framework to identify their child’s vision and dreams, and to work with educators and service providers to establish specific learning goals and to implement effective interventions and programs that enable their child to achieve those goals and realise their vision for the future. The book begins by reviewing available research on evidence-based practice for children with ASD and outlining the Cycle of Learning decision-making framework for parents and professionals. Throughout the remainder of the book, case studies are presented to illustrate the ways in which different parents have successfully utilised this framework to develop effective plans for their child and to advocate for learning and education programs for both their child and other children with ASD in school and community settings. In addition, it highlights concrete examples of how parents have used the framework to empower their children with ASD to develop their self-awareness and self-determination, and to be able to self-advocate as they move through adolescence and into adult life.

Critical Decision-making for Quality Outcomes

Empowering Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Matthew Bennett

Emma Goodall

This book presents a unique account of social myths about autism and how these have shaped the lives of people on the autism spectrum. It offers the first in-depth exploration of the history of attitudes and beliefs about autism that incorporates the perspectives of individuals on the spectrum themselves, working as co-constructors of autism research and future practice. From ‘savant syndrome’ to the conception that people with autism lack empathy, each chapter examines a different social myth – tracing its origins, highlighting the implications it has had for individuals on the spectrum and their families, debunking misconceptions and reconstructing the myth with recommendations for current and future practice on the basis of cutting-edge research. This book offers researchers, practitioners, individuals and families living with autism spectrum disorder a deeper, more accurate, more comprehensive understanding of the beliefs about the traits and abilities of individuals on the autism spectrum; with practical ways to re-shape these into more proactive and supportive practices, it offers an alternative view in which individuals on the spectrum are presumed to be competent and capable of constructing their own futures.

Translating Myths and Misconceptions into Positive Futures

Life on the Autism Spectrum

Amanda A. Webster

This book presents a unique exploration of common myths about autism by examining these myths through the perspectives of autistic individuals. Examining the history of attitudes and beliefs about autism and autistic people, this book highlights the ways that these beliefs are continuing to impact autistic individuals and their families, and offers insights as to how viewing these myths from an autistic perspective can facilitate the transformation of these myths into a more positive direction. From ‘savant syndrome’ to the conception that people with autism lack empathy, each chapter examines a different social myth – tracing its origins, highlighting the implications it has had for autistic individuals and their families, debunking misconceptions and reconstructing the myth with recommendations for current and future practice. By offering an alternative view of autistic individuals as competent and capable of constructing their own futures, this book offers researchers, practitioners, individuals and families a deeper, more accurate, more comprehensive understanding of prevalent views about the abilities of autistic individuals as well as practical ways to re-shape these into more proactive and supportive practices.

Susannah Rowland

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