Donald Baker Assignment A The Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association provides an advocacy web site

at the address of www.ahany.org. While the Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association (AHA) is a not for profit organization that operates in the state of New York and only provides in-person services in New York, its web site caters to an audience including people with Aspergers Syndrome and autism on the high functioning end of the spectrum, their parents, families, friends, doctors, and teachers across the country and the world. The AHA is run by a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board, as well as a staff and volunteers. The advisory board is often utilized to submit articles to the web site. The mission of the AHA involves increasing awareness for Aspergers and high functioning autism, providing educational programs and training, and developing a strong network of professionals and parents who are affected by Aspergers and high functioning autism. This site has a few sections with resources that are more geared toward supporting people in the New York area, but there are also sections title articles, reading list, and resources. The articles page contains ten articles that are geared toward different groups affected by Aspergers and autism, and they come from a variety of different sources. The reading list is full of recommended books that the group finds useful in the diagnosis, explanation, education, and socialization of these disorders and those with them. The resources section contains a wealth of online assets including a blog, links for educators, other advocacy groups, and links to other online resources. I chose to look at Aspergers Syndrome and high functioning autism because I know that these are conditions of high incidence in the typical public school, and I wanted to learn practical information about incorporating students with them into the classroom. I was struck by the

emphasis of the variation of severity and academic success that students with these disorders can have in school. I have always heard about the academic intelligence of many people with autism, but much of the information throughout this website stressed that people with Aspergers and high functioning autism can have a wide range of both social skills and academic success(1). I also learned from an article that was written by Dr. Lynda Geller that it is important to utilize evidence-based techniques for improving the social skills and academics of students with these conditions in the classroom (2). Now knowing this, I will plan to consult professionals and other experts who have dedicated their lives to helping students with special needs for advice on initiating programs in my classroom to help these students. MDA.org/advocacy is the advocacy wing of the Muscular Dystrophy Associations internet presence. The MDA is a nonprofit health agency that combats muscular dystrophy and other nerve diseases, such as Lou Gehrigs disease. This advocacy website has several sections, and they are title, Become an Advocate, Find Your Elected Officials, Get Involved, Learn About Legislation that Affects the MDA Community, MDA Advocacy Publications and Videos, MDA Fly Out, School Advocacy, and List of Resources. Most of these sections are self-explanatory and deal with fighting for people with dystrophy through the government. The school advocacy section is more directed toward parents than teachers, and it gives parents links to other sites that deal with rights for students with disabilities. I chose to research muscular dystrophy largely because of how touched I was by the film Darius Goes West. I also have a personal connection to other degenerative nerve diseases, as three years ago I lost my grandfather to Lou Gehrigs Disease. One of the links I followed from the school advocacy page led me to a campus checklist for students with dystrophy. Something I had not thought about before that it mentioned was accommodating these students with special schedules to ease their movement throughout the school (3). Another of these links led me to

instructional strategies from the National Center on Secondary Education. I was grateful to take away from this page the idea of fostering independence in students with all conditions and of all abilities (4). I can apply this principal to all students, knowing that it may be easier to hold someones hand throughout tough times. It is more useful to them to gain independence, though. CHADD.org is the website of the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. CHADD claims to be the leading advocacy organization for people with ADHD and their families in the country, with over 200 local chapters and 16,000 active members. They also publish a bi-magazine called Attention. The website is broken up into sections for understanding ADHD, resources for parents, resources for different age groups of people with ADHD, and ways to get involved in their cause. I chose to research ADHD because it is probably the most common learning or behavioral disability in the average American school. I also know that it will at some point be a challenge to properly educate one of these students. Through the sites information about understanding ADHD, I learned that the disorder is largely hereditary (5). This was fairly surprising to me, because I thought that neurological disorders such as ADHD were largely random. Knowing this, I think that it would be fruitful to persuade a student with ADHD to seek out a similarly afflicted family member. By talking to someone who has experience, the child can hopefully learn strategies for coping with the disorder in the classroom. This process will also hopefully feel more comfortable with the situation that they are in. A section about treating ADHD also stressed the importance of consistent positive behavior reinforcement (6). I was not at all surprised by this information, as we have discussed this in class already. This will require a definite commitment in the classroom. I know that in the future that I will become frustrated by students with ADHD, but it will be important to focus on positive reinforcement no matter what.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association. (2005). AHA. Retrieved from http://www.ahany.org/index.htm 2. Geller, L. What does a student with Asperger Syndrome need in a school program? http://www.ahany.org/Whatdoesastudent.pdf. 3. Campus Accessibility Considerations. (n.d.). Retrieved from Muscular Dystrophy Association website: http://mda.org/sites/default/files/College_Campus_Accessibility_Questionnaire.pdf 4. Instructional Strategies. Retrieved from National Center on Secondary Education and Transition Institute on Community Integration website: http://www.ncset.org/topics/instructional/default.asp?topic=14 5. Understanding ADHD.
http://www.chadd.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Causes&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm& ContentID=21716

6. Understanding ADHD: How is it Treated?

http://www.chadd.org/Content/CHADD/Understanding/Treatment/default.htm