The contents of this weblog are part of a Multigenre Research Project (MRP). This project was completed as an assignment for CD 315, a computer networking class at Marshall University specifically for students majoring in Communication Disorders. An MRP is an alternative to a research report that consists of various genres of writing, such as a poem, a newsletter, an interview script, a letter to a parent, a brochure, a pamphlet, an e-mail message, or a journal entry, just to name a few. These genres were required to be in three different voices, the voice of the clinician or SLP, the voice of the client, and the voice or voices of the client’s family. In completing this project, I discovered that putting together the MRP allowed me to engage in active research, where research from publications such as books and Internet articles spring to life in a very realistic and applicable piece of work. However, it should be noted that all characters mentioned in this MRP are completely fictitious and should not be viewed as real individuals.

In choosing a topic to base the project on, I decided to research autism, because as a Speech-Language Pathologist, I will most likely be working with autistic individuals. When I was fist introduced to autism in a Language Development class during my junior year of college, I was immediately fascinated by the disorder. I found many aspects of the disorder to be very interesting and it was amazing to me that even though the prevalence of autism increases every year, there are so many things that are unknown about the disorder; such as what causes the disorder or how to cure it.

Part of developing the MRP included beginning with an essential question that I wanted to find an answer for. I asked myself, “As a Speech-Language Pathologist, what is it that I would want to know about autism?” I found myself thinking about the behaviors, particularly the aggressive behaviors that individuals with autism may exhibit. I began thinking about the client I work with at Autism Services Center and the behaviors he sometimes exhibits. When he exhibits aggressive behaviors, I am rarely productive in terms of teaching him certain skills because I am trying to manage his behaviors. After much thought, I decided that my essential question for this project would be this: “How can we as Speech-Language Pathologists manage the aggressive behaviors of our clients with autism?” I wanted to find answers to this, knowing of course that there would be many possible answers to this question rather than just one specific answer. I felt that by discovering possible answers to this question, it would help me later in my career as a SLP working with individuals with autism.

I chose genres to include in this MRP that would easily reflect how aggressive behaviors can affect the clinicians who work with individuals with autism, the parents of individuals with autism, and the clients with autism themselves. Three genres were required for the MRP, a poem, a webliography, and a Powerpoint Presentation. The other four genres were my choice. I chose to include journal entries by the mother of an autistic child, in order for my readers to capture a glimpse of how parents of autistic children manage their children’s behaviors and what they go through on a day-to-day basis. I chose an “I Am” poem to reflect what an autistic child may think deep down inside him or herself about the disorder that they have. I chose an e-mail exchange between the SLP and the client’s mother so that people may see what may happen in speech and language therapy with an autistic child. I chose to compile a newsletter in the voice of many different SLP’s who work with autistic individuals. I thought that this would be one way of presenting information on behavior management techniques that can be used in the therapy setting. I chose an interview script that included all three voices, the clinician’s, the parents’, and the client’s, just to pull everything together in a very rough sort-of way so that my unifying genre, the Powerpoint presentation in the form of an interview would be almost complete. Finally, the webliography that I created contains links to information on autism, as well as links that give the reader insight as to what I enjoy outside of being a student.

Some of the information that I discovered in completing this project was obtained through publications, such as Internet articles and books; however, most of the information that I have obtained has come from my work experience with my client from Autism Services Center. In working with him, I see firsthand how autism can be manifested and how it can affect families and the professionals who work with autistic individuals. I have been able to gain a plethora of information about some of the aggressive behaviors that an autistic individual can exhibit and what can be done in order to manage those behaviors. Also, in my experiences with autistic individuals, I have been able to conclude that communication and proper reinforcement are perhaps the most valuable tools that one can use in order to manage aggressive behaviors in individuals with autism, which is a point I wanted to make with this project. Perhaps the main point that I wanted to make with this project is that there are many things parents and professionals can do in managing the behaviors of autistic individuals and there is no one way to do it. In my research and through my personal experiences, I have discovered that it all depends on the individual that exhibits the behaviors and what is most appropriate and most effective for them. Perhaps what we as SLP’s working with autistic individuals can do to manage their aggressive behaviors is just to know what techniques are available to us, try them out, and find something that works and is appropriate for the client, and stick with it.

And now, I present to you, my very first Multigenre Research Project dedicated to discovering answers for managing aggressive behaviors in autistic individuals. Please enjoy!

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