Recommended Reading on AS/Parenting
From anxiety to Meltdown by Deborah Lipsky
Such a brilliant book available in paperback and kindle.
I have found this book so useful. The author is aspergers her self. You really get to know how the aspergers person thinks and great advise on what to and not do when having a meltdown. Also advice about autism in general and it is humours in parts.
Im currently reading Asperkids by Jennifer Cook O'Toole.
From Anxiety to Meltdown is the best book on autism I have ever read (I have read about 25 in the past year). It really shows the difference between tantrums and meltdowns. I found all the former books really mady my 13 year old daughter worse. She got diagnoses last fall and I read book after book trying to help her and I was making her worse. She got louder and more aggressive even though I was trying so hard to help her. All of the books I read before said it was not her fault and I had to find her triggers and I couldn't take away anything that would calm her down. (I have always taken away dessert or videogames in the past to get her to behave).
So I was so sad and frustrated watching my aspie daughter get worse and it turns out she was mostly having tantrums, not meltdowns and it was this book that showed me the difference. And since I wasn't really giving her consequences, her behaviours were getting worse. Now that I read this book, I am going back to parenting more like I did before her diagnosis and things are way better.
Thanks for suggestions! I add my one as I haven't found it through the lists, it's a novel for teens (in Italy it has been translated by the same publisher who put on the market Anything but typical) and is The London Eye mystery by Siobhan Dowd.
The metaphor of the different OS the main character uses to describe Asperger's to his NT cousin was so fascinating I used a simplyfied version when the classmates of my son (who has autism, not Aspergers') last year asked me if he was a kid with problems.
(It worked by the way, they came back with the vision that "he has a different brain which works").
These are more 'experience' type books - The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida and George and Sam by Charlotte Moore. The latter gave me some real insight and reassurance that we weren't alone when my son was diagnosed and the former a next level understanding of the autistic perspective on the world.
On a different note, I'd also recommend The Adventure of Maisie Voyager by Lucy Skye, a mystery for older children with a positive, female protagonist on the spectrum.
Sorry if any of these have already been suggested.
One of the most practical helps I have found at our library - The Asperkid's Launch Pad, Home Design to Empower Everyday Superheros, by Jennifer Cooke O'Toole.
It is a home design book about how to create a home environment that works with your child and not against them. We are implementing things at home already and it is helping the whole family!
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We picked it up from the library a week and a half ago & it's a wonderful primer on how our kids see 'home'. Even better, it explains how to make all sorts of little changes that make your home a safe-feeling place for learning basic living skills. As an Aspie parent of an Aspie, I find myself amazed at the perfect fit of the seemingly small home environment changes Ms. Cooke O'Toole recommends (herself an Aspie, married to an Aspie raising Aspies!).
In a word, yes. Especially if the skill targeted has not yet been learned. I am using some of her suggestions for myself as well as teaching them to our pre-teen. Although, I *wish* I could still climb into a modified, well-lit, lower kitchen cabinet to read a book! I'd say about half of the suggestions are for teaching lower level basic skills, but the others translate into teaching your child lifelong organizational skills to survive as an Aspie. Little things as simple as using "buckets" (fancy baskets or nice wood boxes as you get, um, ...less young) to keep things organized & getting in the habit of using them.
Another of O'toole's works, "The Asperkids' (Secret) Book of Social Rules: A Handbook of Not-So-Obvious Guidelines for Tweens & Teens with Asperger Syndrome" is also quite good and can give you great insight based on the strategies discussed.
I'm finding books written by *non* Aspies researchers / therapists / authors so often miss the mark ever so slightly (...or not so slight in some cases) and end up seeming a bit...almost condescending at times, and appropriating or patronizing at others. And sometimes the assumptions they've built into their theory of what it's like to be someone with AS are just plain wrong.
Not a book, but a web page and recommended website:
From http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10167.aspx
ASPEN (Asperger's Syndrome Education Network) is a national organization recently formed to provide support and information to individuals with neurological disorders like Asperger's, High Functioning Autism, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. They provide a helpline at (904) 745-6741, and they publish a quarterly newsletter for members. Their excellent website ( http://aspennj.org/ ) provides an annotated list of the latest publications about the disorder, as well as helpful links to other sites.
Able autistic individuals can rise to eminent positions a
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'm BAP and a big sister to an Autistic woman. We made some websites to help kids on the spectrum and parents understand autism in a positive way: http://www.teachmeaboutautism.com/
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/
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