A Guide to Understanding Autism

About the Book

During the past decade of working with children with autism, I have found that misconceptions abounds. It is not certain why some people are wired cognitively different, appears and behaves differently, nor is it certain why rainbows arise. The fact remains that these events occur and must be embraced. Working with children who have autism have not always been easy neither has it been difficult. I have felt joy in the little progress made. I have also expressed frustration at my inability to fully understand the condition and thereby have the ability to effect change. Here lies the crux of the matter, the desire to gain information in order to manipulate changes, in effect to change a person to become like everyone else? No one can do that moreover, it is a wrong approach, best to work with what is now; seek not to improve on creation and reinvent a new person. Autism is constant; autism is predictable; autism is unvarying in its behavior, its rigidity and its resistance to change.

About the Author

Edith Boardman has over fifteen years of experience working with children and adults on the ASD and realized early that she has a unique communication skill for working with children in crisis. She gained a degree in publishing and worked with Indie magazines as an editor for several years before the call to work in autism. Over the next few years, she supported many children on the grassroots level offering hands-on expertise and supporting them to acquire best practices for a meaningful existence. She specialized in autism for her MA in Early Childhood Education, in order to better understand the effects of traditional education on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) She worked as an autism specialist for the public school system where she further experienced the inadequacy of the inclusion system as most general education teachers are not trained to educate students on the spectrum. Ms. Boardman continues to work at improving awareness for trained teachers in an inclusion classroom and to promote teacher, parent and family education.