Review by Jennifer Covelli, Special Educator & Hunter College Graduate Student
This site, authored by the father of a young child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, is more than just another blog. ASD Dad writes with the candid tone of a journalist and spares no details of his journey with his 3-year old son and their family, all the while maintaining a sense of hopefulness and pure adoration for his children. The site is organized in a standard blog format, with updates at least 2-3 times a week. It includes an “About Me” section with a very short but touching autobiography and provides links to Autism-related websites that he has found helpful.
ASD Dad recounts his experiences with his child, “C”, who also suffers from a rare lung disorder, and his relationship with his twin brother “M”, a typically developing child. ASD Dad shares triumphs and tragedies, visits to the psychologist and other therapists, and his own experiences with a variety of apps, toys, websites, and anything a parent of a child with ASD may encounter. Many of his best features are those that provide readers with reviews of articles and research related to Autism as they surface on the web and in academic circles—he offers his own opinion on the subject matter of each article and provides a link to the original copy. It is easy to navigate, well-designed, and features beautiful photographs of his two children in almost every post. The photographs offer a personal touch and glimpse into his life that some parent bloggers are afraid to share.
Though geared toward parents of children with ASDs, professionals could certainly turn to his site to read valuable firsthand accounts from a parent that seems to have a knack for expressing his experience with Autism with an expert eloquence. The resources listed are limited and the site is relatively new, but parents will find exactly what they are looking for at ASD Dad: A companion, a voice of reason, and answers to some very difficult questions. If the site continues to post on a semi-daily basis, it will most certainly continue to improve its already valuable content.
