Hi, everyone!
I'd like to preface this post by saying that I hope it's acceptable to post this in the forums, and, if it isn't, I'm sorry if I make anyone uncomfortable. I did email Alex in an attempt to find out if doing such was acceptable, but I haven't gotten a response back. Since it's getting really close to the due date for my thesis (less than two weeks!), I figured I'd give it a shot and see what happens.
About me and my thesis:
I'm Amy, and I am an autistic linguistics student writing my senior thesis. The focus of my thesis is on how individuals on the autism spectrum tell narrative stories, and if there are any differences from the way we tell stories vs. the way neurotypical people tell stories. I’ve been doing a lot of independent research on the subject, and would like to enhance my research with stories from individuals who identify as autistic.
To accomplish this, I’m asking that, if you are comfortable with the idea, you record yourself (in either video or audio format) sharing a story of a time where you felt either accomplished or happy and send it to me via email. The activity should take no more than five minutes (I know it’s hard for some of us who can’t help but go on tangents), and should cause you no discomfort. You do not have to participate if you do not want to do so; but, if you do, I will be eternally grateful for your input!
If you do choose to send me a recording of your story, please take note of two things: 1.) I will take your submission as implicit consent in the research project, and 2.) I am only accepting submissions from individuals between the ages of 21 – 40, as that is the age range that I’m primarily focusing on in my research. Also, please let me know in the email that you send to me whether you identify as male, female, or a different gender.
I must say, however: for the purpose of this specific study, those who don’t identify with the gender binary won’t be included in my official thesis due to the unfortunate current gender limitations within the field of psychology. However, I am still very interested in receiving or hearing stories from those who identify as a different gender, as it is quite possible I will use such stories in future research.
For those who would like more information on the project, please look at this reddit post http://www.reddit.com/r/aspergers/comments/30a9la/narrative_structures_and_asds_senior_thesis I created, which gives the official consent for my project as well as a more direct route of contact. If you have any questions or anything, please feel free to contact me! I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability.
Thank you so much for considering participating in my study!
05 Apr 2015, 6:36 pm
