Cynthia Mapely

Bibliography:
1. "Asperger Syndrome." Kids Health. Ed. Rhonda Walter. N.p., Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
<http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/asperger.html#>.
Rhonda Walter, M.D, reviewed this article. They are kids health and the source is talking
about Asperger. The purpose of this source is to educate the public about Asperger and the how
parents can help their child. The article starts with what Asperger is and the history. Then, there
are more specifics like causes, symptoms, diagnosing, and treating. Although AS presents
challenges for kids and their parents, the parent(s) can help their child adjust and offer support in
many ways such as looking into educational or training programs. The parents are the child's
first teacher and they will continue to be the cornerstone in supporting their child development.
The source is an article on Kids Health website. Since its Kids Health, its fairly
reasonable to say that this source has credibility. Plus, Rhonda has a MD, so she will know what
shes doing. The information is presented in headings and underneath, they write descriptions
and elaborate. Also, there is a listen link that gives you the opportunity to listen verbally to the
article. But, I wish they put who actually wrote this article. Other than that, this source was
great.

2. Attwood, Tony. "Should You Explain The Diagnosis." Ahany.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar.
2015. <https://www.ahany.org/ShouldYouExplainTheDiagnosis.htm>.
Tony Attwood wrote this article on Ahany.org. The purpose of this source is to talk about
explaining diagnosis to a child and the advantages and disadvantages of Aspergers. Clinical
experience indicates that it is extremely important that the diagnosis is explained as soon as

possible. The child is then more likely to achieve self-acceptance, without unfair comparisons
with other children, and be less likely to develop signs of an anxiety disorder, depression or
conduct disorder. The child or adolescent with Asperger's syndrome is able to observe and
participate, and understands what is expected when it is time for his or her turn. Sometimes, the
person with Asperger's syndrome is reluctant to suggest. The family is encouraged to make
suggestions and the clinician can nominate a few suggestions from knowledge of the person.
There will need to be some care when nominating difficulties so that the person does not feel
victimized.
The source is an article and I it is a credible source to use. Tony Attwood has a Ph.D. so I
think he is an authoritative source. Tony organizes his article in subtitles before writing a
response. He created a chart and start every paragraph with a question. Tony should have sort
his questions logically because it didnt flow since certain questions should be in the beginning.

3. Calzada, Luisa Ruiz, Nancy Pistrang, and William P. L. Mandy. "High-Functioning Autism
and Aspergers Disorder: Utility and Meaning for Families." Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders 42.2 (2012): 230-43. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
They had a study to investigate the utility of pervasive developmental disorder diagnoses,
which involves interviewing young people (916 years old) with high functioning autistic
disorder and Aspergers disorder, and their parents. Twenty-two participants from ten families
described both gains and costs resulting from diagnosis. Perceived advantages of autistic
disorder and Asperger disorder diagnosis were increased understanding and practical support,
and parental empowerment. Disadvantages included the effects of stigma and concerns about
validity. Findings suggest that the utility of AD and ASD depends upon both their validity and

how these diagnoses are received in their cultural, economic and legislative context.
Improvement of post-diagnostic services will improve the utility of AD and ASD.
The source is a paper and its an authoritative source. This has credibility because its an
original paper and its a study, which has results that are not made up. I like how it was
structured in an organized and logical way, in which I can tell what part I am reading. Also,
there are different tables to illustrate the results/outcome. Lastly, I like the question/answer
section of the article. It becomes more informative and clear.
4. Heiman, Tali, and Ornit Berger. "Parents of Children with Asperger Syndrome or with
Learning Disabilities: Family Environment and Social Support." Research in Developmental
Disabilities 29.4 (2008): 289-300. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Tali Heiman and Ornit Berger created a study that examined the family environment and
perceived social support of 121 parents divided into 3 groups: 33 parents with a child with
Asperger syndrome, 43 parents with a child diagnosed with Learning Disability, and 45 parents
with a child without any specific diagnosis. The comparison revealed significant differences for
expressiveness and family system organization and for social support. Parents with an Asperger
child perceived their familys expressive feelings as lower and the family organization as higher,
and perceived their friendships and other support as lower than the other groups of parent.
Parents of the control group reported the highest family support. The study highlighted the need
for additional social support for parents.
The structure of the article includes organization and good transitioning. My source is an
article and its credible. This source is an authoritative source because they are part of The Open
University of Israel. Plus, they were doing a research in developmental disabilities. However,

they should have done equal number of parents for each group. Allowing parents to be the same
permitted a little more validity.
5. Sofronoff, K., and M. Farbotko. "The Effectiveness of Parent Management Training to
Increase Self-Efficacy in Parents of Children with Asperger Syndrome." Autism 6.3 (2002): 27186. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://aut.sagepub.com/content/6/3/271.abstract>.
This study was a trial of an intervention program aimed to improve parental self-efficacy
in the management of problem behaviors associated with Asperger syndrome. The intervention
was compared across two formats, a 1-day workshop and six individual sessions, and also with a
non-intervention control group. The results indicated that, compared with the control group,
parents in both intervention groups reported fewer problem behaviors and increased selfefficacy following the interventions, at both 4 weeks and 3 months follow-up. The results also
showed a difference in self-efficacy between mothers and fathers, with mothers reporting a
significantly greater increase in self-efficacy following intervention than fathers. There was no
significant difference between the workshop format and the individual sessions.
The two authors of this article reside at the University of Queensland, Australia. The
source is reliable because they had trials to prove themselves.
background and than goes into depth with different topics.

The structure starts with

I feel like the information is

presented in a way that makes it more clear to me. The breaking down of each aspect of this
study involving parents management training helps me understanding how parents can better
help.
6. "InterviewwithJosieSantomauro."Autism&Asperger'sPersonalStories.Synapse.Web.30
Mar.2015.file://localhost/<http/::www.autismhelp.org:storyaspergersjosie.htm>.

Josie Santomauro is an Australian author of childrens books focusing on Autism

Spectrum Disorders. She had an interview, in which she discusses Autism and Aspergers
syndrome in Australia and her own experience as a mother. She lives with her husband, Michael
and two children. Her 10 years old, Damian has Asperger Syndrome. She was talking about
government support, diagnosis, intervention, and meeting other parents with a Aspergers child.
Plus, she added her own experiences with taking care of Damian. Josie embarked on the trail of
acquiring as much knowledge as she could about this syndrome that would affect all of us in
different ways.
This interview I found on the website is credible. Josie is credible because she has
written books about it. Plus, she can add her own experiences to it. In contrast, that can be
biased since Autism; to be specifically Aspergers is closer to her heart. So, that might be an
issue because it will be more reliable if she was broader in what she does. Also, I know we can
gain knowledge from this interview.