GOLD Learning Speakers
Sharon Storton, MA, MS, Reg. Psych.
- Speaker Type: GOLD Perinatal 2019
- Country: Canada
Biography:
Sharon Storton is an Alberta Registered Psychologist, and Canadian Registered Couple/Family Therapist, with a specialty in the support of women and families in the childbearing period. Sharon was one of the founders, a dozen years ago, of the still-active Internet-based peer-support forum, Solace for Mothers. Those years ago, few recognized the experience of trauma as it related to childbirth itself, the impact of abuse on women during the childbearing period, and the prevalence of health protocols that may lead to feelings of oppression and even depression in women and their partners.
CE Library Presentation(s) Available Online:
This Presentation is Currently Offline
Navigating Childbirth and the Perinatal Period through the Lens of "Aspergers" and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal year are unique time periods in a woman’s life, that impact her identity, agency, and her ability to transition to a new or expanded role as mother. Socially, childbirth is loaded with expectations of joy, fulfillment, and love. What happens when a woman’s experience is coloured by the overlay of autism spectrum disorder? Perhaps her sensory threshold, her ability to read social cues in unfamiliar environments, or her partner’s ability to support her are all challenged by the settings and protocols of perinatal care. In the postnatal period, attachment, infant needs, and physical healing can be intensified by autism-spectrum differences. This presentation will consider current research on ASD in childbearing women, the roles of her family and care team when ASD is present, and will offer suggestions provided by women themselves who balance ASD and family demands in this unique and critical life phase.
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
(IBCLC) Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
