Customer Reviews

Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is a wealth of advice in this book which all parents and teachers should find helpful. Plenty of checklists are offered and numerous cameo case histories are presented. The references are good but perhaps a bit limited (may be of importance only to researchers - no mention of central coherence deficit for instance). The main point of the book is the get schools to recognise and deal with stress build up in AS pupils before it boils over. Some of this will be familiar from Myles' other book on tantrum management.

The advice for high school transition is very practical. Make sure he knows the schedule, pin the timetable everywhere, fix routine reminders inside textbook covers, make sure he knows which teacher tolerates which behaviour, etc. It is all good sensible advice, though I wonder how deliverable it is in the ordinary school setting?

The authors touch on 'circle of friends', travelcards and a host of other supports, but ultimately pin their support hopes on resource teachers and an enlightened school policy. Unfortunately, this is where I begin to part company with the book. Few schools could make the quantum shifts expected, and the authors could have made much more of their advice if they had identified compromise strategies. Teachers are human, not superhuman. Also in my limited experience, parents of AS teenagers often have unrealistic expectations of their offspring's academic performance and that tends to obscure their grasp of daily school realities. The classic example here is the emphasis on the 'gifted' child who must attend a 'gifted' school irrespective of the impact that has on the school and child. The authors tend to cite gifted children examples a lot in their case studies. I don't think this is helpful.

Perhaps unconsciously the book also portrays the AS teenager as very much a ship in the night steering a lonely course from class to class, from teacher to teacher, etc. How to help out here? Again, while friendship strategies are touched upon, no elabaorated plan is developed. A weakness to my mind.

The book presents the AS teenager as very much a patient to be treated by the environment. I don't want to appear overly critical of the book. It is good that adolescent AS are being addressed, however, for the life of me I could not grasp why there is no section on teenage communication pragmatics - these are extensively treated in another book Succeeding with Interventions for Asperger Syndrome Adolescents. The authors simply skate by the whole problematic of communication skills. It seems that as long as your 'gifted' child is doing well academically and no one is hitting him, then we should be pleased. This struck me as a very lobsided developmental philosophy. Interestingly the book points out in footnote in the beginning that it will ignore sexuality and relationship issues. Ignore these? In a book dealing AS adolescents?

Overall this is a good book for advising on schedule construction and maintenance of the daily school routine. It has limitations and depending on your needs they may be significant or otherwise.

This book addresses a crucial need for parents, educators and children affected by Asperger's Syndrome. In clear, simple and solid terms the authors focus on the impact of Asperger's Syndrome(AS) in middle school and high school. Most important for those of us who are parents of AS children, it integrates specific classroom and support strategies. I used this book as the basis for my IEP meeting with my son's school committee. In fact, the school counselors were so impressed by some of the information that they are ordering the book for their department.

You will find very detailed examples of assessments, classroom setting needs, and organization supports ranging from homework checklists and graphic organizers to transitional checklists. A case study on "Michael" puts all the points into chronological action--with a hopeful outcome. I doubt that any parent with an AS child will not identify with the efforts and emotions associated with the case study.

The authors have managed something quite remarkable in making the rollercoaster teen years--thrown in with the unique challenges of Asperger's--understandable and they do, indeed, provide practical solutions.There are many fine books on AS, including Asperger's Syndrome, by Tony Attwood, but this gave me the concrete tools I needed at just the right time in my son's life.

To Brenda Smith Myles and Diane Adreon, thank you for this great resource. I will be using it often.

This book is a wonderful tool to help children who have Aspergers Syndrome and are about to enter, or are in, middle or high school. Although many times they can "keep it together" until then, many children with AS falter when the academic and social demands of school increase. One of the authors is not only an expert on the field, she is also the mother of a son with AS, so she has been there. A must buy for parents of children with AS.

This easy-to-read book fully describes the characteristics of Asperger Syndrome(AS) that have the greatest impact during the teen years and how to assist each individual with the appropriate level of support and structure. The importance of assessments in covered, letting parents and teachers know what diagnostic assessments are important, how to assess the characteristics of AS, how to do a curriculum based assessment, how to measure sensory-motor, social language, student learning traits and how to do a functional assessment on behavior.

I found chapter four (Supports for Students with Asperger Syndrome in Middle and High School)to be the most beneficial. The chapter provided goals that every person needs and how they can be reached by the individual with AS. Several academic modifications are shared along with social and environmental supports. In each secion the supports on explained in an easy to understand manner. I felt comfortable enough to implement the supports in the book right after I read the chapter.

A case study is shared in the last chapter. The entire chapter is full of examples of difficulties and how with the appropriate supports a child went successfully from third through eigth grade.

The entire book is full of examples, charts and graphs that you can use. I highly recommend this easy-to-read book. If you have a family member or work with individuals with AS this is an excellent resource.

This book focuses specifically on academic issues of children with Asperger's in middle and high school. There are many other books about other aspects of Aspergers, but this is the only good book I have found on this specific topic.

Diane has a great understanding of the difficulties faced by child aspies who on the surface may be getting "good grades" but are failing in many other ways. Learning difficulties in these children can be subtle and often show up as incomplete assignments or "behavior problems".

The book has extensive information and checklists on evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, and needs for accomodations. The information is detailed and exhaustive.
A large part of the book is dedicated to supports and accomodations which can help students achieve their potential.

The book also covers the oft overlooked area of transitioning between elementary school and middle school. Many children getting by in elementary school can suddenly fall apart in middle school because of problems with executive functioning.

This book is a great book for both parents and school personnel. All parents of adolescent asperger children should read this book. It will help you identify the problems your child is having and help you brainstorm about possible "solutions." The book gave me a greater appreciation for the difficulties my son faces. I wish all schools would incorporate the many accomodations listed, but understand that the reality falls short of what these children need. You may not be able to get all the accomodations listed, but you can identify key areas and focus insuring those get included in your child's IEP.

Parents should buy one copy for themselves and one for the head of the special ed/exceptional student department.

As a clinical psychologist specializing in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders, I have found this book to be an excellent resource. I recommend it to many families, and to teachers who work with this population. One of the strengths of this book is its articulate examination of the interplay between the cognitive, social and behavioral issues experienced by individuals with Aspergers. The book also suggests a number of intervention strategies that are realistic, practical and helpful for addressing skills deficits and encouraging the potential for individuals with Aspergers.

Although the literature on Asperger Syndrome has increased in the last few years, few people know what to do when these children reach adolescence and need accomodations at school. This book is full of practical interventions so these children can remain in regular classrooms but, at the same time, receive the help they need. A must for parents and teachers of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

I bought this book when it first was published 6 years ago. At that time I also went to a Smith-Myles workshop about the book. I am a special education teacher and parent of a child with Aspergers. My son with Aspergers just started Junior High. I've read several books on the subject, and it is the best I have seen having to do with Aspergers, adolescence, and school issues. Clear descriptions of the challenges kids face, modifications that may be necessary, tools to ensure success, and more. I recommend it to any parent or teacher of an adolescent with Asperger Syndrome.

This book is a fantastic starting point for parents getting ready to transition a kid on the spectrum from elementary to middle school. Lots of evaluation tools and guidance on who, how and when to use them. Lots of "backbone to borrow" when working with teachers, administrators and therapists to get a strong, individualized program designed and set up. Help with timelines, objections and obstacles, resource ideas, and setting priorities. The case study and personal history sections were very comforting (I really am not alone in this struggle) and informative (just what is important to a 12yo boy on the spectrum about school).

Highly recommended - but start early!

I have to say this is my favorite book and it is full of vaulable information. I want to buy one for the staff at my child's school as this could enlighten them. I would highly recommend this book to every one. Brenda Smith Myles is highly knowledgeable and extremely helpful!