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Page history last edited by Liz Thackray 13 years, 11 months ago

About this wiki

 

I've set up this wiki as a project management tool to support my doctorate studies.  It is - and will be - a work in progress.

 

 

My research

 

My DPhil research is focusing on the learning journeys of those involved in caring for and supporting young people on the autistic spectrum. I am investigating how the various participants in the autistic domain community of practice acquire their knowledge about autism. The theoretical backdrop includes adult learning (in particular, the formal/informal learning continuum), SEN philosophies and practice and studies of the experiences of parents of children with SENs, including their support needs.

 

I have arrived at this point having explored virtual worlds and learning literature and having realised that I am interested in how people learn in the wild (see Archive). The autistic domain is complex as it draws together medical, educational, financial, social, family and community against a backdrop of a legal framework and the psychological effects, for the family, of having a child who is different. The autistic spectrum includes a wide range of conditions and levels or impairment or disability. My focus is primarily on those caring for and supporting children and young people with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome or High Functioning Autism, though this may include those with co-morbidities. I will not be considering the diagnostic models and debates around the nature of autism and will try to avoid discussion of inclusive education except where clearly relevant to the learning of those supporting and caring for young people.

 

Background

 

A brief personal word is appropriate. My interest in the autistic spectrum is rooted in my personal experiences of raising a young man with Asperger's syndrome and learning how to ensure his needs were appropriately met. Resulting from my own experiences,  I have engaged in supporting other parents on similar journeys within a self-help group setting. In what sometimes feels like another life, my early professional life was spent in various posts in community development and in supporting voluntary initiatives. This taught me to respect the strengths and abilities of people who my employer regarded as inadequate in various ways. During this period too, I was involved in setting up a support group for parents with children with disabilities, never thinking that I might one day be the mother of a child who might be considered disabled.


 

 

 

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