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Autism/Expert Profile

Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell

Canada

Available

Expertise

Sharon can help with parenting and educational concerns. She has worked in teaching, special education, counseling and consultingfor over thirty years and gives workshops to educators and parents on working with kids with autism spectrum disorders. Sharon speaks from both the education and parent points of view, having a son with Asperger's.

Experience in the area

Sharon is a special education consultant with a school district and autism consult for the province's Department of Education, giving workshops and individual consults. She is also the parent of a son with Asperger's who is away at university. Together they have a website at http://www.autismsite.ca that offers strategies for home and school. Sharon's Master's thesis looked at the long-term outlook for persons with high functioning autism and Asperger's. Her Doctorate focused on strategies to help those with autism spectrum disorders

Organizations

Website at http://www.autismsite.ca and sits on Autism Today's Panel of Experts (www.autismtoday.com)

Publications

Author of "School Daze" ebook - a novel about autism. Download a free sample at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156913. Co-author of Amazon.com bestseller, The Official Autism 101 Manual (http://autism101manual.com/).

Education/Credentials

B.A. in Psychology, B.Ed. in Special Education, M.A. in Educational Leadership PhD. in Psychology Management, specializing in autism.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

My main interest is in helping people achieve as high a level of independence as they can, no matter what their intellectual ability. Too many kids with Asperger's and high functioning autism end up living in their parents' basements, unemployed, underemployed and undereducated.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

In the United States the rate of autism spectrum disorders is now 1:88, as of March, 2012 - 1 in 54 for boys and 1 in 252 for girls. Read more at http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2012/03/29/tune-alerts.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Despite having average intelligence less than one fifth of young adults with Asperger's live independently.

Average Ratings

Recent Reviews from Users

User	Date	K	C	P	Comments
Lori	04/05/12	10	10	10	Dear Dr. Mitchell, I cannot thank you .....
Lori	04/04/12	10	10	10	Thank you for an excellent, informative answer .....
Anna	03/09/12	10	10	10
Janet	02/21/12	10	10	10	I think that the doctor understood my .....
tina	02/01/12	10	10	10

Recent Answers from Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell

2012-04-23 autism and education:

I'm not able to answer your question about your little boy's functioning without knowing your son. But I will try to explain a bit about these terms and that might help you when you're talking to the professionals

2012-04-20 autism and education:

Hello Sharon, What great news to hear how well your little guy is coming along with his language. You must feel so encouraged and he must feel less frustrated now that it's a bit easier for him to communicate

2012-04-07 Trying to homeschool child with Aspergers:

Hello Jasmine, You've made some excellent decisions - to give your son frequent breaks and to follow a prescribed curriculum rather than trying to go it all on you own. Still, it's hard, isn't it?

2012-04-02 16 month old daughter - worried about autism:

Anna, I'm delighted to hear the progress your little girl is making just within this last, short few weeks. It sounds like her language is really coming along now. As for that Child Brain assessment

2012-03-06 16 month old daughter - worried about autism:

Hello Anna, It sounds like you have a lovely little girl, but you're worried about her development. You're quite right than no one can make a diagnosis without meeting the child. First, I'll point

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