Autism/Expert Profile

Expertise

Sharon can help with parenting and educational concerns. She has worked in teaching, special education and counseling for over twenty-five 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

Co-author of Amazon.com bestseller, The Official Autism 101 Manual

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 1:150. In November, 2008 Britain's study put their rate at 1:88.