Autism Bibliography the Following Bibliography

Autism Bibliography

The following bibliography outlines the sources which will be utilized for a paper on teaching children with autism. As a disorder, autism is usually characterized by an extreme withdrawal from ordinary reality and an abnormal emphasis on fantasy. It is also accompanied by delusion and the inability to communicate verbally with other persons. This last trait is especially difficult for those who attempt to teach autistic children. Thus, the proposed paper will focus on this aspect of the problem and will hopefully shed new light on how to teach autistic children properly and responsibly.

Autism Fact Sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Internet. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm.

This highly-informative website, maintained by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., offers a number of educational and behavioral intervention techniques and strategies for children afflicted with autism. Primarily, this site points out that teachers and therapists must offer "highly-structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions" for those children with autism in order to develop proper social and language skills in and out of the classroom. In addition, this site contains a large amount of information on autism related to the common signs and symptoms, diagnosis, the role of inheritance, treatment options and much current research on the disorder and how educators can use this information to better the lives of their autistic students.

2. Exkorn, Karen S. (2005). The Autism Sourcebook. New York: Prentice-Hall. 234 pages.

This excellent book discusses the story of the author's own struggles with her autistic son Jake and provides much information on exactly how she came to eventually understand and treat her son's condition. As Exkorn points out, at least one and a half million Americans are affected with autism with one in every 166 children being diagnosed with the disorder every year. Early diagnosis seems to be the most influential way to treat autism, yet due to its still unknown causes, autism continues to affect the lives of millions of Americans, especially related to the education of their affected children. Exkorn includes many different methods for teaching children with autism and also discusses a parent's rights and entitlements in their school systems.

3. Jordan, Rita and Stuart Powell. (1995). Understanding and Teaching Children with Autism. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 256 pages.

This highly-detailed book focuses a great deal on the education and welfare of autistic children in the United States and provides much information for teachers and other educational professionals such as those in Special Education who work with autistic children on a daily basis.

The overall purpose of this book is to assist teachers and educators to understand the often complex world of autism as it relates to "social and emotional development, communication, cognition and behavior" in a classroom setting. It also addresses the overwhelming needs of autistic children related to "communication and flexibility of thought and behavior" and how these needs "might be overcome or circumvented" both at home in a classroom environment (TheNile.co.uk, Internet).

4. Mesibov, Gary B., et al. (1998). Autism: Understanding the Disorder. New York: Kluwer Academic Press. 105 pages.

According to the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, this book offers "a comprehensively referenced guide to autism," created in part by TEACCH, " a forerunner in research and treatment for individuals" afflicted with autism, such as children and young adults. Overall, this book contains a very detailed overview of autism, such as its clinical history, diagnosis, biological causes, neuropsychological mechanisms and treatment options (Amazon.com review, Internet). For educators, Mesibov, one of the most recognized experts on autism, provides many in-depth solutions on how to teach and inform autistic children, both in the classroom and at home. This book was also written with parents in mind as a guide to raising, educating and maintaining strong relationships with autistic children.