My Child Has Autism, Now What?

10 Steps to Get You Started

Susan Larson Kidd

"Your child has autism"-four small words with the power to leave parents feeling helpless, overwhelmed, and confused. This concise, no-nonsense book will enable parents to regain control of the situation and take the first practical steps towards a calm and happy life with their newly-diagnosed child.

Dr. Larson Kidd's approach draws from the vast amount of information available on parenting a child with autism and distils it into ten manageable steps. It covers the key aspects of life with a child on the autism spectrum, including the basics such as sleeping, eating, and toileting, through adapting the home, creating routines, and exploring therapy. Ready-to-implement strategies are outlined simply and clearly, and are firmly grounded in the author's extensive experience of supporting children with autism.

This practical book will be essential and empowering reading for every parent whose child has recently been diagnosed with autism or for parents still struggling with where to begin to help their child.

Contents

Introduction: Beginning the Path.
Step One: Help Your Child with Sleeping, Eating, and Toileting.
Step Two: Help Your Child by Using Visual Supports.
Step Three: Incorporate Sensory Integration Strategies.
Step Four: Simplify Areas in Your Home.
Step Five: Use Music to Help Your Child.
Step Six: Create Routines.
Step Seven: Take Your Child to Speech/Language Therapy.
Step Eight: Start Educational Services.
Step Nine: Start with the Basic Biomedical Interventions.
Step Ten: Build a Support Team.
Afterword: You Are on Your Way.
Appendix A: Sensory Plan Format.
Appendix B: Samples of IEP Goals and Services.
Appendix C: Educational Services Information in the United States.
Bibliography.
Index.

MY REVIEW

I think this would be the perfect book to give to every parent right after they get the diagnosis. It is an excellent starting point. It is very practical and very user friendly. I wish I had been given this book after my son Aiden was first diagnosed with Autism! I had no idea what to do or where to start and this book provides that.

It is well written and easy to read. Even if not every step relates to every case it is still a very handy guide. I am in Canada so the only thing I would ad is more international resources instead of just USA ones. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone just starting out on the path of parenting an Autistic child.

Thanks so much to Jessica Kingsley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Learning About Friendship

 

Learning About Friendship

Stories to Support Social Skills Training in Children with Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism

K.I. Al-Ghani
Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani 

Description:

Making friends can be a challenge for all children, but those with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) can struggle more than most. This collection of ten fully-illustrated stories explores friendship issues encountered by children with ASD aged four to eight and looks at how they can be overcome successfully.

Key problem areas are addressed, including sharing, taking turns, being a tattletale, obsessions, winning and losing, jealousy, personal space, tact and diplomacy, and defining friendship. The lively and entertaining stories depersonalize issues, allowing children to see situations from the perspective of others and enabling them to recognize themselves in the characters. This opens the door to discussion, which in turn leads to useful insight and strategies they can practise and implement in the future. Each story has a separate introduction for adults which explains the main strategies within it.

This book will be a valuable resource for all parents and teachers of children with ASD, along with their friends and families, and anybody else looking to help children on the spectrum to understand, make and maintain friendships.

Contents:

Introduction.
1. The Dinosaurs: a story about starting school and learning to share. Overview. Story.
2. Spit and Chase: a story about joining in playground games. Overview. Story.
3. Golden Hour: a story about winning/losing, taking turns and managing anger. Overview. Story.
4. Timothy Tattletale: a story about when to tell. Overview. Story.
5. Too Much Thomas the Tank Engine: a story about obsessions. Overview. Story.
6. Ablutions: a story about personal hygiene. Overview. Story.
7. Space Invaders: a story about personal space. Overview. Story.
8. Billy Blunt: a story about using tact and diplomacy. Overview. Story.
9. The Barbie Club: a story about being taken advantage of. Overview. Story.
10. The Beach Ball: a story about jealousy and what makes a friend. Overview. Story.
Appendix: Useful books and resources.

MY REVIEW

Learning About Friendship is an excellent book. My 8 year old son Aiden has high-functioning Autism so this has been perfect for our family. I really appreciated the user-friendly way this book is put together. The social stories included in each chapter were really easy for us to use as-is with our son. It has been so helpful that we actually sent it to school with Aiden for his Aid to use with him as necessary.

The stories are easy to understand and deal with stuff that we deal with daily. The illustrations helped to keep Aiden's attention focused on the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a kid on the spectrum.

Thanks so much to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for sending me a review copy of this book.

Siblings and Autism

Stories Spanning Generations and Cultures

Edited by Debra L. Cumberland and Bruce E. Mills

What is it like to grow up with a sibling on the autism spectrum? What kind of relationship do such siblings have? How does that relationship change as the siblings get older?

In this moving collection of beautifully-written personal accounts, siblings from a variety of backgrounds, and in different circumstances, share their experiences of growing up with a brother or sister with autism. Despite their many differences, their stories show that certain things are common to the "sibling experience": the emotional terrain of looking on or being overlooked; the confusion of accommodating resentment, love, and helplessness; and above all the yearning to connect across neurological difference.

Siblings and Autism is a thought-provoking book that will appeal to anyone with a personal or professional interest in autism, including parents of siblings of children on the spectrum, teachers, counsellors, and psychologists.

MY REVIEW

I really appreciate that this book addresses the siblings of Autistic kids. They are often overlooked and they need support in their unique role. I love that this book acknowledges that their lives ARE different from many of their friends. Having a sibling with Autism certainly changes the dynamic of a family.
I enjoyed reading from the many different perspectives and seeing the unique ways in which various people coped with their Autistic siblings. I thought the book was well written and easy to understand.

Thanks so much to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for sending me a copy of this book to review.

No fighting, No biting, No screaming

No Fighting, No Biting, No Screaming
How to Make Behaving Positively Possible for People with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Bo Hejlskov Elvén
Fighting, biting, screaming and other behaviours that challenge the people dealing with them are often triggered by unsuitable surroundings or unrealistic demands. In this fresh and effective approach, Bo Hejlskov Elvén shows how identifying and adapting these problem areas can dramatically improve behaviour in people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

This practical book explains how to reassess difficult situations and offers easy and effective strategies for eliciting positive responses without resorting to restraint and punishment. Based on the successful low-arousal approach, it is a proven method of stepping away from distress and towards calm, improving the quality of life of everyone involved. Helpful examples covering a wide range of developmental disabilities from autism to Down's Syndrome illustrate the positive changes that can be achieved.

This empowering book will be invaluable to anyone attempting to deal with unproductive behaviour in individuals with developmental disabilities, whether at home or in a professional environment.


MY REVIEW

I really liked the ideas presented in this book... but the tone of the book felt condescending to me so I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. I'm not sure I could put my finger on exactly WHY it felt that way, just something about it made me feel like the author thinks that their way is the only right way to do things.

I appreciated all the examples the author gave and I did find the advice very practical. It was not a particularly easy read and it took me quite awhile to get through. I would have enjoyed No fighting, No biting, No screaming a lot more if it had been a bit more user-friendly.




Thanks so much to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for sending me a review copy of this book.