Done...

... with Phase 1, anyway.

Sidney drove up from Chico California on Thursday, and we spent the long weekend producing a very clean and concise copy of the COAST (Continuum of Autism Spectrum Traits). Sidney and I work well together, and I think that shows in the finished product.

Thanks to Jake's very skilled (surgical) wielding of the editor's pen, the COAST now reads like a novel -- telling the story of six children with autism and their non-autistic friend.

Phase 2: Get ready for publication.

Phase 2.1: Flow the text into a book layout (I'm brushing up on my InDesign skills).

Phase 2.2: Develop the Evaluator's Manual and data recording/graph pages.

Phase 3 Focus groups of professionals and hopefully parents, giving us feedback.

Phase 3.1: Publish. Even if it's self-published.

Phase 4: Write some grants.

Phase 5: With the funds from the grants, run a variety of validity and reliability (correlational) studies.

Phase 5.1: Also with the funds from the grants, translate the COAST into Spanish. Run validity and reliability studies on the Spanish version.

Phase 5.2: Develop a web-based data entry site (in English and in Spanish)

Phase 5.3: Develop a handbook to compliment the COAST.

Buy a copy... we'll autograph it for you.

GO Ducks ! ! !

Game Day.

And Oh SO Much More than Game Day.

Even the Eugene Police have upgraded their Official Image – Note the Oregon Flag attached to the rear window.


Update, January 11, 2010: Oh MY, what a game. We didn't win, but we have nothing to be ashamed of.

"Learn to write well..."

This was the advice Dave gave to Jake as he prepared for college... Great advice.

And Jake apparently took it seriously.


Sara and I traveled to Seattle this weekend to watch the staged reading of Jake's fourth play. Staged readings are essentially professional readers theater; the purpose is to elicit feedback from actors and audience about the play. The playwright then considers the feedback, edits where appropriate, and then produces a finished play -- ready for performance.

The staged reading was brilliant. The actors were amazing, there was a large audience (unusual, apparently), and the feedback session lasted nearly two hours. The audience were engaged and generous in their praise.

This play will make Jacob famous.

You can watch a YouTube video of the staged reading (Vitriol, by Jacob Sherman). But really, you should just come to Seattle in July and watch the play.

Jake and friends have formed their own production company, Handwritten Productions. They will produce the play this summer: July 7th-9th, 14th-16th, 21st-23rd. I will be there the weekend of the 14th to the 16th. I'll rent an apartment for the weekend and host any overnight guests who need a bed... Anybody wanna join me?

Learn to write.

Jake did.


[update, May 17: Looks like I'll be in Seattle for Vitriol on July 8 and 9. Come join us!]