In this course, students will examine a variety of perspectives on the autism spectrum within the United States and internationally, including autism as disease/illness/disorder, autism as something to rehabilitate, and autism as part of human neurodiversity. Students will delve deeply into the lived experiences of those on the autism spectrum around the world and their families through written and audio-visual narratives. Further, students will become familiar with the diagnostic criteria along with current research about and a variety of intervention strategies being used for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By the end of this class, students will have gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of the autism spectrum and its surrounding systems.
NOTE: Enrollment is restricted to members of the Exploring Autism and Neurodiversity Residential Learning Community.