the debatable causes of autism..

For my research topic I wanted to choose something that could be of future use to me. So I decided to write about the theories associated with the causes autism. I find autism to be extremely interesting, mainly because these are the kids I want to teach after I'm done with school. There are a ton of speculated theories that explain what autism is, what triggers it, and how to treat it. I'm not sure what theories I believe and disagree with because I haven't put much thought or research into it yet. This topic is something I need to be more aware of so why not start now?

Annotated Bibliography

Kully, Deborah. Langevin, Marilyn. "Evidence-Based Practice in Fluency Disorders." ASHA. ASHA. 18 Oct. 2005.

Throughout the article, authors Kully and Langevin stress the importance of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). EBP's purpose is to provide ethical means of practicing among other factors. This type of practice is meant to provide the most effective treatment for patients, cost effective solutions, and more information on a particular disorder. EBP is strongly focused on the patient to provide the tools to produce the best desired outcome. Not only is it beneficial to the patient, but it provides more knowledge for practicing in the future as a clinician. Since evidence-based treatment needs to be tested before it is performed, many experiments need to prove its effectiveness. However, it is difficult to find successful treatments options for fluency disorders because it is so controversial. Fluency disorders, such as stuttering, are very opinionated and often not agreeable among clinicians. Even though EBP has had a slow start in speech pathology, it is seen as the leading means of research in the field.

Attached to Technology

It's easy to see that Mr. Campbell has become infatuated with technology. The man can't go more than 5 minutes without getting his fix. This statement, "When he rides the subway to San Francisco, he knows he will be offline 221 seconds as the train goes through a tunnel," seems crazy to me. And to think that I once thought I was addicted to Facebook. This guy puts me to shame.

After reading the first two pages of this article, I decided that no one should indulge themselves in this much online activity. It seems like Mr. Campbell's only concerns in life are checking his email, video games, or reviewing some stranger's tweets. I think that his online addiction will potentially lead to unfortunate consequences. The article already states that he rarely has his full attention on any person or topic. Nor does he take the time to read important emails, which could determine the fate of $1.3 million dollar deal.

I don't like to generalize that technology has a largely negative effect on people.. but this is a pretty good example of how the internet can consume someone's life. Don't get me wrong, I do believe the internet poses positive characteristics and most people use it to their advantage. However, Mr. Campbell's life revolves around his technology, which is not a healthy way to live.

The article did state that only 3% of the population are this consumed by online technologies, therefore I don't see this as a prominent problem yet. The internet and other technologies are mostly beneficial, people just need to know when how much is too much.

Hi Everyone!

Hey my name's Elizabeth. I'm at sophomore at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. My major is Speech-Language Pathology and my minor is in Deaf Ed. In other words, it's speech therapy. Eventually I want to teach children with autism. I'm from a town outside of Pittsburgh, so obviously I'm a die-hard Steelers and Pens fan :). The reason I created this blog was a fulfillment for a college research writing class, but it should be interesting since it's my first blog!