Raising a son with Autism is a daily learning experience.

Navigating this journey with him has

been beyond educational, it is meaningful and rewarding. He is everything pure and wonderful in
this world; he teaches me about……Letting go of expectations ~ setting small goals ~ Slow
down ~ Find content with the happenings of today.

“What a lonely place it would be to have a world without a wildflower!”

-Roland R. Kemler

As an active member within the Autism society/community, I am knowledgeable about the great
works they do and services they provide. I have discovered though, that there just aren’t enough
of them. So, after 20+ years as a bookkeeper, I retired my adding machine and enrolled at
Sinclair, to pursue a career in the helping profession.

Research Essay
Through compiling and examining information for the research essay, I hoped to gain some
insight into why I avoid having difficult and/or uncomfortable conversations. I compiled alot of
information and thoroughly reviewed every page. My overall goal being; identifying the origin
of the uncomfortableness. With that knowledge, I could improve my conversational skills and
the way I approach difficult conversations. It was nice to discover even physicians can struggle
having an uncomfortable conversation, it normalizes them. We hold them in such high regard, it
serves as a good reminder, they are human. However, the research can also be a cause for alarm.
Knowing important conversations that are not being had, can have life changing or life ending
consequences. I am most proud of the diversity of my sources, having the perspective of many,
leads me to draw the most educated conclusion.

Literature Review
My Literature Review is incomplete. I did nothing well and can improve every aspect. Although
my paper does not reflect it, I did complete the learning activities for the lesson. Including
making a template for Researching Scientific Articles, that included sections for each data
category needed.

Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text

My goal for this essay was to reveal the vast differences in the way two musicians hear and see
the same song. “I Love Rock and Roll” is a fantastic example. Joan Jett sings with conviction.
Watching her video, you can see in her eyes and hear in her voice, she means it. While Britney, a
successful pop singer, can’t relate to the lyrics and her video reflects that. I feel I did well on my
review, as I I recognized the rhetoric appeals made by the artist and used them to validate my
claim. I could have done better by not including my personal opinion.

Other Writing
I have written a brief summarization of Autism and one for the position of Service Care
Technician, the role I would like to have upon completion of my program/degree.

In Summation
The most noticeable improvements in my writing can be found in the words themselves. After
writing, I’ll take a short break. When I come back and read, I am able to spot my incomplete
sentences. I was missing them when I read immediately after finishing typing,I think I was
skimming over what I had typed, while recalling the words from memory. The biggest
improvement to my writing has been in the wordiness. Eliminating extra, unneeded words has
greatly improved the flow .Lessons I found to be most helpful are using the SQ3R and reading in
chunks along with note taking when doing scientific research. I found the The Little Seagull
book helpful.