When My Autism Gets Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders [Paperback]

Kari Dunn Buron Brenda Smith Myles (Foreword) (Author)

Book Description

OUT OF PRINT--NOW TITLED "WHEN MY WORRIES GET TO BIG"

Editorial Reviews

Review

Engaging and easy to read, this book is personalized as the child develops his or her own self-calming strategies. -- Lori Shery, President and Co-Founder ASPEN® (Asperger Syndrome Education Network, Inc.)

Kari Dunn Buron has great insight and compassion for children who have difficulty understanding and controlling their emotions." -- Tony Attwood, author of Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals

About the Author

Kari Dunn Buron is an autism resource specialist in Minnesota. Kari has worked with students with autism spectrum disorders for over 20 years, has served as president of the Minnesota Autism Society, and works with the Minnesota Autism Network to bring training opportunities to teachers. Kari also developed the ASD certificate program at Hamline University and is the director of Camp Discovery, a summer camp for children with Asperger Syndrome. Kari recently received a fellowship that will allow her to travel throughout the world studying Asperger Syndrome to help determine the critical elements of an appropriate educational program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 44 pages
• Publisher: Autism Asperger Publishing Co. (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193128251X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931282512
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaks to ASD Children in a Way They Can Understand, May 21, 2005

By 

Kristi A. Sakai (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When My Autism Gets Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Paperback)

I am the mother of three children with autism spectrum disorder. I first read this book about a year ago, along with its companion The Incredible Five Point Scale. Initially my intent was merely to use it with my then four year old child with ASD and she did respond remarkably to it. But I was further surprised to discover my older children then aged 9 and 12 were drawn to it too. They asked ME to go over it with them. On their own they individually said to me, "I need a scale for..." For the older son he said, "Mama, you're always telling me to be quiet (he has a BOOMING VOICE even when whispering), maybe I need to learn how to use a lower number for my voice." When My Autism Gets Too Big shows insight into the asd child's world--what he can feel good about and what is hard for him. It doesn't whitewash the difficulties, or downplay them,but at the same time it doesn't make them seem insurmountable. Then it lays out in a very easy to understand way--for example, the levels of stress a child has, what it might look like, how it feels for him, and what to do about it. It gives a clear concise way to not only judge where the child is at--for himself and for his caregivers,but a tool to figure out where to go next. It can be used is such a broad variety of ways, you can use it to address any behavior goal you have with your child. My child with the loud voice, for example: Five is screaming like he's dying (emergency voice), Four is yelling while playing outside, Three is a "normal" speaking voice, Two is whispering and One is completely quiet--no words. Reading this book with my children was the catalyst for making it okay to develop this type of program for each of them for their very different needs, and it has been incredibly effective. Plus,Kari Dunn Buron's illustrations are so gosh darn cute, but more than that they are remarkably expressive. It amazes me that she is able to convey such clear emotions, while at the same time having an almost affectionate humor about the reality of life with an ASD child. The pictures alone, program aside, are worth the purchase of this book. Once read I have donated nearly every book on ASD I have ever purchased to our local therapy center...but I can't part with this one. It is already well worn and much loved. I have pulled it off the shelf many times when one of my kids has a recognizable expression of distress and when I point to the corresponding picture, they often react with relief. I can show them without having to verbally express it, where they are at, and they are glad to be able to see it for themselves. An excellent tool. I also highly recommend buying The Incredible Five Point Scale, which elaborates on this concept and gives many more ideas on how to implement them. Both are excellent for use in both school and home. Incidentally--often ASD parents have their hands full enough without having to manage more visual aides, my philosophy is that's why God must have given us FIVE fingers, so we can use them to show our kid where they are on the Five Point Scale. My digits are regularly used for this purpose.

Kristi Sakai, parent of 3 with Asperger Syndrome and author of
Finding Our Way: Practical Solutions for Creating a Supportive Home and Community for the Asperger Syndrome Family

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Autism Rising!, December 23, 2004

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When My Autism Gets Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Paperback)

This is an ideal book for working with young children and nonverbal people with autism. The book is written using plain, direct language which makes it readily understandable.

The relaxation techniques described in this book are very logical and straightforward. Young children can readily apply the suggestions that are given in this book.

The image of the thermometer and using such a familiar item to "chart" or recognize emotions is an excellent teaching tool. Young children can describe their tolerance level as being a "one," which is in the calm zone or as high as a "five," which often presages a melt-down. Instead of the mercury rising, this book will help youngsters with autism to know when certain emotions are rising and how to verbalize and describe them.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not at all what I was expecting !, April 22, 2006

By 

Bee (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When My Autism Gets Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Paperback)

This book is definitely one of those that you should be able to go through before buying !
After reading the raving reviews I ordered it and it was a huge disappointment ! This book was nothing like what I was expecting !
First it is more a booklet or a leaflet than a real book, it probably has about 20 pages (I don't know exactly because I sent it back right away).
When you open the book you usually have one page with a cartoon representing the child coping with his autism getting too big (I personally didn't like the drawings) and on the other page just a few lines of text. That's it !!
This book is made for kids, older kids, that can look at it and relate to it ! I thought it was for parents to teach their kids ways of relaxing, it's not ! (I guess the one I needed was the one explaining the 5 points scale...) I am under the impression that this book is useless unless you have the other one and your child is used to the 5 points scale !


I really hope Amazon is going to add the "search inside" option on this book because anyone interested in it should take a pick to make sure it is what they think it is !