Recommended Reading on AS/Parenting

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Not a book, but a web page and recommended website:

From http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10167.aspx

A couple I don't think have been previously mentioned:

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism - by Naoki Higashida and KA Yoshida
Managing Anxiety in People with Autism: A Treatment Guide for Parents, Teachers and Mental Health Professionals - Anne Chalfant

Be Different: My Adventures with Asperger's and My Advice for Fellow Aspergians, Misfits, Families, and Teachers - John Elder Robinson

Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives - John Elder Robinson

A Parent's Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, Second Edition: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive - Sally Ozonoff PhD

I looked EVERYWHERE, and I mean EVERYWHERE for good books to explain autism to kids. I bought and discarded so many books as unsuitable it isn't even funny. To make my list books had to be self-esteem affirming - or at least not harmful - as well as accurate, kid friendly, and at least mostly applicable to most children on the spectrum, not just the bio of one specific child. Here's the list I came up with, along with links where you can purchase them. I'm not affiliated with them at all, just someone who was looking to explain autism to kids on the spectrum and their siblings and finally narrowed it down to these five books. Hope it helps!

1. "Autism is...?"
Link: "Autism Is...?"
Target audience: Young child or any child who prefers short picture books. This book is aimed specifically at younger children on the spectrum, but siblings and other young children who want to learn about autism would also benefit.

Description: "Autism is...?" is the story of a grandmother explaining autism to her autistic grandson. I think it talks about autism in a self affirming way, and unlike many other books is also quite general so many children on the spectrum should be able to relate, particularly sensory seekers. Because of these generalizations, and the fact that the author made it with her six year old grandson in mind (which means it has a focus on being fun and general more than explaining diagnostic features), it doesn't do the best job of giving all the details on what autism is. However, for the target audience I don't think that going into the details is necessary. The important thing is to give children a brief, self-esteem enhancing idea of what autism is, and if they have questions they can ask them and you can move into one of the more advanced books when you think they're ready.

2. Ian's Walk
Link: Ian's Walk
Target audience: Siblings of children on the spectrum, although other children seeking to learn about autism would also learn from the book. The autistic child highlighted in the book appears to be non-speaking, or at least doesn't speak during the book, so it might be a particularly good fit for siblings of non-speaking children on the spectrum. There are more words in this book than "Autism Is...?", although it is still most definitely a picture book, so the age level/attention span of the child being read this may need to be a bit higher than "Autism Is...?", though young children would still benefit.

Description: I really loved Ian's Walk. It's actually got a nice story line which I think a lot of siblings can relate to - Ian's big sister starts out a bit annoyed with him, but when Ian gets lost she has to try to see things from his perspective, and appreciates his company more afterwards. I think it's a wonderful book for siblings and it may help them see their autistic brother or sister with more understanding.


3. Can I tell you about autism?
Link: Can I tell you about autism?
Link to Asperger's version: Can I tell you about Asperger Syndrome?
Target audience: The nice thing about this book is that you could adapt it to work for different age ranges/attention spans. There are pictures on every other page, so for shorter attention spans you could just go through and look at the pictures and read the caption underneath. For greater attention spans, you can read the entire story to them (there's a page of text that goes along with each picture), and get a lot more detail and explanation that way. Unfortunately, the pictures aren't in color, so children who need engaging pictures to be interested may not appreciate this book.

Another nice thing about the book is that it's not just for children. The first half of the book is the story where autism is explained for children. The second half of the book is a parent's section with advice about helping children on the spectrum. I thought that was an unexpected bonus!

For children previously diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome, or who would still fit that profile even if the name wasn't used, there's a book specific to that which the same authors put out called "Can I tell you about Asperger Syndrome?" which you could use instead, or better yet, in addition to "Can I tell you about autism?" to help children understand the diversity of the spectrum. You can simply preface it by saying Asperger's Syndrome is something people used to call some autistic people, and use that for a bouncing off point to talk about the autism spectrum.

Description: Basically in the book a boy about eight talks about his difficulties with different situations. This book does the best job of describing the details of what it's like to be autistic of any of the books I read, and it explicitly states at the beginning that not everything that Tom (the character) feels is going to apply to all autistic people. I wish it had something positive about being autistic in it - it's not that it's a negative book, but it doesn't do as much to encourage pride in oneself as I think the other books do. For that reason, I'd combine it with Different Like Me, the next book I'm going to highlight.

4. Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes
Link: Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes
Target audience: This is intended for older children on the spectrum, potentially those with longer attention spans, but the same as "Can I tell you about autism?" I think you could adapt it to fit shorter attention spans. The book is broken up with a picture on one page and a story about that famous autistic person on the other. As a result, you could simply read one at a time to break it up for children with shorter attention spans, or you could just go through the book and talk about the pictures.

You can adapt the book to make it fit a variety of needs, and I love that. This book could go as far down as around age seven or eight (if you break it up and the child likes books), and safely as far up as middle school. (Although I'll be honest, I myself enjoyed the read and learned a lot, so it could potentially go up even higher than that.) Though it's made for children on the spectrum, I think siblings and any other children who are interested would definitely benefit.

Description:
So often autistic children can feel alone, like there's no one else like them. All the books help with that to some degree, but this book does the best job. It gives some really great autistic role models for kids to see that not only are they not alone, but there are some pretty cool autistic people out there! I love it, it's absolutely fantastic, and I really think most all kids on the spectrum would benefit from it.

Einstein, Fossey, Warhol, Banneker, Kaufman, Kandinsky, Julia Bowman Robinson, Piet Mondrian, Turing, Sophie Germain, Lewis Carroll, Tesla, Paul Erdos, Glenn Gould, Kant, McClintock, Cornell, Hans Christian Andersen, and Temple Grandin are highlighted within. I love how there are lots of examples, not just of men, but of women as well.

I think this post applies to both parents and children: http://eponis.tumblr.com/post/113798088 ... estions-to

If you've got a nonverbal child, this is probably a good first step if you can't figure out what is wrong (with consideration to sensory sensitivities, etc.)

1. The Complete Guide To Asperger's Syndrome by Dr. Tony Attwood
-A great resource for anyone who wants to know more about/understand Asperger's (parents, people on the spectrum, educators, professionals, etc.). It is comprehensive but is written clearly for any level of familiarity.
2. The Discovery of Aspie Criteria by Tony Attwood and Carol Gray
-I recommend this article to everyone who is starting out on their diagnostic journey whether they are the individuals themselves or parents. It balances the diagnostic process by showing the positives and it is easy to find a copy on Dr. Attwood's website in the archived paper section.
3. Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Dr. Tony Attwood
-A good resource for parents who want something more focused to them than book 1 but by the same leading professional.
4. Unstrange Minds by Richard Grinker
-This is a great source for re-thinking about what autism means and how to view it for any parent with a child of any ASD written by a father.
5. The OASIS Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Barbara Kirby and Patricia Bashe
-A comprehensive guide for Asperger's Parents written by two mothers.
6. Been There. Done That. Try This: An Aspies Guide to Life on Earth ed. by Tony Attwood
-I have not been able to read this yet but have heard good reviews of it and it has advice by Aspies for Aspies which is a useful resource for Aspies and also parents on learning what things have worked best for others in similar situations.

Title: Strategies for Building Successful Relationships with People on the Autism Spectrum: Let's Relate! by Brian R. King, Liane Holliday Willey, Susan Giurleo

Main author has Aspergers, but it is also a licensed social worker. He has great insight.
I'm not a parent but this one helped me understand a LOT of things about my husband and it also gives specific strategies for communicating.

Sesame Street has a new autism initiative, which includes a parenting support section http://autism.sesamestreet.org/

The new book NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman is supposed to be quite good. I haven't gotten to read it yet but would like to.

this is great, please keep the reference coming

For cat (and animal) lovers on the spectrum:

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome (a really cute sounding one I'd love to read!)

Temple Grandin's Animals In Translation and Animals Make Us Human (I love all of her books, but the animal-related ones are my favorites)

I can second the book neurotribes. It is amazing that the history of autism and autism research has been fraught with so much misinformation and downright stifling of other folks research due to ego. If there was one solid takeaway from the book I've decided to try and make a commitment to allow my son's their autistic behavior because it is part of who they are and not something to be cured of.

It also made me very leery of those offering "cures". When my children were younger I did try various diets and supplements all to no avail and with much protest from them and heartache from the parents.

Tatally agree NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman is amazing. I helped my understatnd and accept many things with my kid.

Start Here: a guide for parents of autistic kids - Autistic Self Advocacy Network