Research Study on Autism Education - Has your child recently been diagnosed with Autism?

[Anonymous]

I am a PhD student in the Anthropology and Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University and a former special education teacher. I just received a research grant from my university to conduct a study about Autism Education.

I hope to explore ways that one family becomes educated about Autism after a child is diagnosed. I have proposed to find a family who has a child who was recently diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (within the last year), and to spend two months during the summer learning about how they learn about Autism. This includes looking at ways that they seek out information from doctors, other parents, school personnel, specialists, how they use the Internet, what books they read, what groups they get involved in, and how they make important decisions about what is best for their child.

Having been awarded the grant, I am now charged with the task of finding a family that will participate in my study. If you or someone you know has a child who has recently been diagnosed with Autism, please consider participating in my research study. I would like to spend eight weeks this summer, learning all about Autism Education, and documenting the experiences of one family.