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Central
Michigan University (CMU) Research Study Team Looking for
Michigan Students With Autism
Participants must be between the ages of
12 and 18 and must be on the "Spectrum" which may include those
with: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, PDD or
PDD-NOS; may include students with Nonverbal Learning Disorder
or Hyperlexia.
Central
Michigan University, September 2003
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visit
http://www.bridges4kids.org.
This letter is an invitation for you and your child to
participate in an important study about the educational
aspirations of a special population of Michigan's youth. The
following information is to tell you a little about our project
and to help you decide whether you would like to participate or
not.
The problem
The number of youth in Michigan that have been diagnosed
with autism spectrum and related neurobehavioral disorders
impacting social communication and functioning has increased at
an alarming rate over the last decade. Many of the youth with
these "special needs" are quite intelligent and very
academically able but may still have a difficult time being
successful in the school environment. Although we continue to
learn more about how to meet these students' needs at the
primary level and are starting to develop guidelines for helping
these students at the secondary level, we know very little about
the academic potential of these students beyond high school. In
order to better meet the needs of these students and their
families, we need to learn a great deal more about their
educational goals beyond high school and identify the supports
that might ensure the success of these students at higher levels
of education.
The Project
Promoting the Life Aspirations of Central Michigan's
Exceptional Students (PLACES) is a joint effort of professionals
at Central Michigan University to understand the educational
aspirations and needs of high functioning, academically "bright"
adolescents with social-communication related disorders. The
long-range goal of the overall project is to offer guidance to
families and to help education professionals at both the
secondary (high school) and post- secondary (college) levels
better meet the needs of these exceptional youth.
The Study
As one step in this process, I am looking to make contact
with the families of students that meet the following criteria:
-
Student aged 12
- 18
-
Student is
eligible for special education services
-
Student exhibits
a significant social deficit especially as linked to pragmatic
communication abilities
-
Student has
average or above average intelligences as indicated by IQ
scores, standardized tests, or school performance
-
Additional
indicators suggest that social deficit is linked to identified
autism spectrum or neurobehavioral disorders
Although the
official diagnoses may vary (e.g., Aspergers, High Functioning
Autism, PDD-NOS, Non-Verbal Learning Disability, Hyperlexia)
these are students with academic potential but with significant
social communication challenges.
Our goal is to interview both the target child and a parent (the
one that takes the "most" responsibility for supporting the
needs of the child) about their experience and how they think
about and are planning for the future - especially with regard
to educational goals beyond the high school years. These 60
minute interviews can be completed in your home, at CMU, or any
other appropriate setting where we can have a private
conversation with both you and your child. I am sorry that we
cannot provide any payment of compensation for your time. This
would be purely on a volunteer basis because you and your child
appreciate the value of sharing your experience with others to
help ensure that the needs of these exceptional students can be
better understood and supported.
The Process
If this project sounds interesting, please discuss it with
your child and let me know that you would like additional
information or to work on scheduling an interview time. After I
have had the chance to answer any additional questions, we would
schedule a formal interview time at your convenience. Two
interviewers would arrive at the scheduled time and place to
complete the interviews at the same time in separate rooms.
Thank You
I know this is a pretty long letter and a lot of information
to digest all at once. I want to thank you, in advance, for
taking the time to read this and consider whether you would like
to be a part of this study. Do know that all of us working on
this project share some of the same concerns as you and are very
interested in learning and doing more to help.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Sincerely,
Phame Camarena, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Development & PLACES Coordinator
Central Michigan University
Phone: (989) 774-5600
E-mail: camar1pm@cmich.edu
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