Hi, my name is Jolynn and I have been a member of this forum for a few years, but this is the first time I am posting. I am an NT parent and have been interested in advocating for autism rights ever since my oldest daughter was identified as being on the spectrum about 10 years ago.
She is now 30 years old and because of the problems she faced as a neurodiverse person in school, at work, etc. I decided to begin doing research to help teachers, psychologists, therapists, social workers, doctors, and nurses understand life from the perspective of a person on the spectrum. I could write a pages about the discrimination and bullying my daughter has dealt with over the years - but she is resilient and optimistic and has never let others' prejudices get her down.
Several years ago, I decided to get my PhD in social work so I could break into the academic world so I could publish and present research at conferences, and help educate aspiring social workers and psychologists about asperger's and autism. I was shocked at how little is known, and how many misperceptions there are.
Over the past few years I have published a couple of articles focusing on adults, especially women, on the autism spectrum. There is so much information on children, and not much is out there about adults, especially information about people like my daughter who struggle for years being unidentified/diagnosed.
My most recent interest is to find out more about microaggressions (subtle ways people put down or negate others based on being on the spectrum). There is absolutely no research out there on this topic. Another social worker and I created a survey and put a link to it on a Facebook page and have gotten hundreds of Likes, but no one has completed the survey.
I thought of this forum as another way to reach out and find people who would be willing to share their experiences. I don't want to be offensive - I am not doing this for profit - I do this research in my spare time to try to educate other professionals. I'm reaching out to see if it would be acceptable to post some information and link to the research page on this forum. If that is not acceptable, that is OK - I appreciate your feedback and thank you for your time.
She is now 30 years old and because of the problems she faced as a neurodiverse person in school, at work, etc. I decided to begin doing research to help teachers, psychologists, therapists, social workers, doctors, and nurses understand life from the perspective of a person on the spectrum. I could write a pages about the discrimination and bullying my daughter has dealt with over the years - but she is resilient and optimistic and has never let others' prejudices get her down.
Several years ago, I decided to get my PhD in social work so I could break into the academic world so I could publish and present research at conferences, and help educate aspiring social workers and psychologists about asperger's and autism. I was shocked at how little is known, and how many misperceptions there are.
Over the past few years I have published a couple of articles focusing on adults, especially women, on the autism spectrum. There is so much information on children, and not much is out there about adults, especially information about people like my daughter who struggle for years being unidentified/diagnosed.
My most recent interest is to find out more about microaggressions (subtle ways people put down or negate others based on being on the spectrum). There is absolutely no research out there on this topic. Another social worker and I created a survey and put a link to it on a Facebook page and have gotten hundreds of Likes, but no one has completed the survey.
I thought of this forum as another way to reach out and find people who would be willing to share their experiences. I don't want to be offensive - I am not doing this for profit - I do this research in my spare time to try to educate other professionals. I'm reaching out to see if it would be acceptable to post some information and link to the research page on this forum. If that is not acceptable, that is OK - I appreciate your feedback and thank you for your time.
