What are the neurocognitive and social benefits of an inclusive book club on children and adolescents with developmental disorders?
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Project description
My passions in reading, neuroscience, and psychiatry led me to spend my summer creating a research-informed reading program for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. My hope was to provide an inclusive space where they can read, learn, socialize with others, and most importantly, have fun! This led me to create an online blog encompassing the topics of neuroscience, psychiatry, and reading.
In this blog, I share informational posts that focus on the brain mechanisms of reading, the value of organized social groups for individuals with developmental disabilities, neural implications in developmental disorders, and the impact of reading on children and adolescents with autism, along with my experience conducting the book club. Through the synthesis of my research, I hope to spark initiatives to enrich the intellectual and social lives of individuals with developmental disabilities to pave the way toward a more diverse and accessible society.
Mentor review
Kathryn first took me through the basics of neuroscience before guiding me deeper into my project. I found this particularly useful because it provided me the background information I needed to understand the papers that I was going to be reading later during the process. She also helped me develop a plan for the timeline of my project, which made the whole process less underwhelming. Furthermore, she allowed me access to any locked articles that I needed to read, which saved a lot of resources and allowed me to learn more about my topic. Finally, she was very helpful in providing suggestions on edits and revisions on my blog posts.