Bibliography

Below is a bibliography of works reviewed in connection with the development of the Find Your Voice Autism Debate Workshop^TM.

References

Breland, L. (2022). Pretense awareness context and autism: Insights from conversation analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(6), 2535–2552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05160-z

Cafiero, J. (2005). Meaningful exchanges for people with autism: An introduction to augmentative and alternative communication. Woodbine House.

Cafiero, J. M., & Meyer, A. (2008). Your child with autism: When is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) an appropriate option? The Exceptional Parent, 38(4), 28–31.

Carnegie, D. (1981). How to win friends and influence people. Pocket Books. (Original work published 1936)

Cialdini, R. B. (2021). Influence, new and expanded: The psychology of persuasion. Harper Business.

Donaldson, A. L., Corbin, E., Zisk, A. H., & Eddy, B. (2023). Promotion of communication access, choice, and agency for autistic students. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00031

Frolli, A., Ciotola, S., Esposito, C., Fraschetti, S., Ricci, M. C., Cerciello, F., & Russo, M. G. (2022). AAC and autism: Manual signs and PECS, a comparison. Behavioral Sciences, 12.https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12040123

Frith, U., &Happé, F. (1994). Language and communication in autistic disorders. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 346(1315), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1994.0133

Heimann, M., Nelson, K. E., Tjus, T., &Gillberg, C. (1995). Increasing reading and communication skills in children with autism through an interactive multimedia computer program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 25(5), 459–480. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02178294

Hobson, R. P., Hobson, J. A., García-Pérez, R., & Du Bois, J. (2012). Dialogic linkage and resonance in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(12), 2718–2728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1528-6

Howard, J., Herold, B., Major, S., Leahy, C., Ramseur, K., Franz, L., Deaver, M., Vermeer, S., Carpenter, K. L., Murias, M., Huang, W. A., & Dawson, G. (2023). Associations between executive function and attention abilities and language and social communication skills in young autistic children. Autism, 27(7), 2135–2144. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231154310

Memisevic, H., &Djipa, A. (2023). Content analysis of abstracts published in autism journals in 2021: The year in review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(12), 4849–4862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05751-4

Moon, J., & Ke, F. (2024). Effects of adaptive prompts in virtual reality–based social skills training for children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Musgrave, G. M. (1957). Competitive debate rules and techniques (3rd ed.). The H.W. Wilson Company.

Noens, I., & Van Berckelaer-Onnes, I. (2004). Making sense in a fragmentary world: Communication in people with autism and learning disability. Autism, 8(2), 197–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361304042723

Pascoe, M. I., Forbes, K., de la Roche, L., Derby, B., Psaradellis, E., Anagnostou, E., Nicolson, R., Georgiades, S., & Kelley, E. (2023). Exploring the association between social skills struggles and social communication difficulties and depression in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 16(11), 2160–2171. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3015

Paul, R. (2008). Interventions to improve communication in autism. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 17(4), 835–856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2008.06.011

Pirinen, V., &Loukusa, S. (2023). A comprehensive analysis of speech disfluencies in autistic young adults and control young adults: Group differences in typical, stuttering-like, and atypical disfluencies. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66.

Prior, M., & Cummins, R. (1992). Questions about facilitated communication and autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 22(3), 331–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048237

Rusher, W. A. (1923). How to win arguments. Harper & Brothers.

Senouci, M., & Obeidat, H. (2021). Autism spectrum as a communication disorder: A case study. African Educational Research Journal, 9(3), 687–692.

Sievers, S. B., Trembath, D., & Westerveld, M. F. (2020). Speech-language pathologists’ knowledge and consideration of factors that may predict, moderate, and mediate AAC outcomes. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(1), 238–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04217-4

TIME. (2025, August). Autism (special issue). Time Magazine.

WORKSHOPS

The Find Your Voice Autism Debate Workshop^TM

Getting Started:

Introduction to Debate

Workshop #1:

“Lights Out” Listening

Workshop #2:

“Mirror” Technique

Workshop #3:

Building an Argument: The Three-Legged Stool

Workshop #4:

Rebuttal

Workshop #5:

Repetition as Strength: The Power of Three

Conclusion:

Putting It All Together

Disclaimer

These materials have been developed in conjunction with a review of clinical research on communication challenges faced by children and young adults with autism.

continued

Testimonials

Results that speak volumes.
Read success stories from our workshop users:

“Self-advocacy is something we all must learn and it can be especially challenging for those on the autism spectrum. This innovative workshop engaged and empowered our employees to find their own voices. A life skill that will help them tremendously both inside and outside of work.”

Patrick Bardsley, CEO

Spectrum Designs Foundation
Port Washington, NY

“The curriculum Ava has developed gives a unique take about how individuals with disabilities can use the art of debate to advocate for themselves in a clear and effective way. As a person with a disability who has 15 years of experience teaching self-advocacy training, Ava has brought a fresh perspective on communication and advocacy. I look forward to collaborating with her in the future.”

Kylie Moore, Senior Coordinator of Special Projects & Communications

Bobby Dodd Institute, Atlanta, GA

“The workshop was fun and entertaining and I learned a lot.”

Tom Duffy, Workshop Participant

Spectrum Designs, Port Washington, NY

“Programs like this are essential to our model -- supporting not just employment, but the development of lifelong skills. Empowering our team to communicate effectively strengthens both individual independence and our workplace as a whole.”

Marissa Borzykowski, Chief of Staff

Spectrum Designs Foundation
Port Washington, NY

“Ava is 16 years old. And she has built something remarkable. Find Your Voice isn’t just a curriculum. It’s a vision. Ava sees the autism community refreshingly unclinically, and she challenges the world to expand to meet different minds, not the other way around. . . . These are not just communication skills. They are life skills. Ava gets that. And she’s created something that truly delivers it.”

Rick Sebastian, President & CEO

The Kennedy Collective, Trumbull, CT

“The Autism Debate Workshop was an incredibly valuable experience. I gained a strong understanding of various debate methods in an environment that was both supportive and engaging. Ava presented the material in a way that was accessible to participants of all skill levels while keeping each session informative and interesting.”

Dylan Valic, Head of Marketing

Spectrum Designs Foundation
Port Washington, NY

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Bibliography