Honorable Mention

So, as I hinted in my last post, I'm currently reading a book called Helping Children with Autism Learn by Bryna Siegel. I was reading a section that was labeled SOCIALIZATION FOR THE HIGHER-FUNCTIONING ADOLESCENT. In this section, it talks about all the different treatment approaches that might be effective when working with individuals with a higher-functioning manifestation of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), like Asperger's Syndrome. I like what she brings up as her last suggestion in this section. It reads as follows:

" One place that extracurricular socialization can work relatively well is in the context of religious organizations. . . A(n) . . . example is one of my patients, Roger, who converted from Judaism to Mormonism. He was a social isolate with no real friends. Somehow, Roger was evangelized by Mormon missionaries and suddenly found himself with friends who called a few evening each week asking him to join a bowling party, go out for pizza, or join a hiking trip. Roger was accepted for who he was and for the first time felt he belonged to a group that didn't tease him and did not say things about him behind his back. As a 25-year-old faced with whether he wanted to move with his parents to Scotland or stay where he was, Roger was undecided. His parents persuaded him to accompany them on a look-and-see visit to Scotland. Soon after they arrived, he was contacted by members of the Glasgow Mormon Church who welcomed him and talked to him about living there. Roger moved." (Siegel, 2003, 267)

It was nice to read about a positive image of our church in non-religious material, even it was published 5 years ago. Today, I'm thankful to be a Mormon.

Siegel, B. (2003). Helping Children with Autism Learn. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

(Is that correct APA format?)