The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper: A Workbook for You and Your Child [Paperback]

Philip Abrams (Author), Leslie Henriques (Author), Dr. Lorna Wing (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2004

“DEMYSTIFIES THE DAY-TO-DAY CHALLENGES OF A SON OR DAUGHTER WITH AUTISM BY CREATING ORDER AND LEARNING IN THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES. IN SO DOING, IT CREATES HOPE.”
--AMI KLIN, PH.D., YALE CHILD STUDY CENTER

As the parent of a child with autism, you know how difficult it can be to simply get through the day. From getting dressed in the morning to brushing teeth before bed, raising a special needs child can turn ordinary events into extraordinary challenges. This book focuses on those kinds of everyday events.

YOUR WORKBOOK
Discover the methods for breaking through to your child and reaching into his or her world while supporting his or her learning style. Designed specifically for parents, this section introduces you to the exercises and activities you will be doing with your child. Everything is carefully explained, using lay terminology and simple illustration, including:

•Visual strategies
•User-friendly schedules
•Excursion plans

YOUR CHILD’S WORKBOOK
Hands-on activities in this section of the work-book will teach your child basic skills, using humor and time—tested educational techniques. On handy tear-out pages, these engaging games and exercises help your child learn how to:

•Recognize emotions
•Get dressed
•Read the clock
•Understand safety sights.
•Visit doctors, dentists, friends and family comfortably
And much more. . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The authors have taken on board three important facts about children with any type of autistic spectrum disorder. First, such children have a desperate need for life to follow a predictable, set routine. Second, they are distressed by anything new and unexpected. New experiences must be introduced gradually through links with familiar things. Third, they have severe problems in understanding concepts that are at all complicated, especially if presented in spoken words. They find it much easier to cope with concrete pictures or, if they can read, written words.

The workbook is designed to take these basic issues into account, with simple pictures and texts that illustrate each daily task or experience in small concrete steps. One of the book’s strengths is that the authors are not wedded to any single educational method—they go for what works in practice. They recognize that each child with autism is a unique person with her own special needs, as well as special skills and interests.

One particularly useful feature are the sample pictures and labels, which the authors suggest replacing with specific images and content familiar to the child. This is especially appropriate for the second part of the book, which gives suggestions for helping each child build up a workbook of his own, providing a visual record of everyday experiences. I was very happy to see that the authors include fun and games for the children as well as the serious tasks of everyday life. So much of life is distressing for children with autistic spectrum disorders; it is wonderful to be able to make them laugh and enjoy some activities.

The workbook is aimed at more able children. Because the autistic spectrum includes children with such a wide range of abilities and needs, it is appropriate for a practical book of this kind to be aimed at a specific subgroup. It would be most welcome if the publication of this book were to lead to workbooks as good as this one becoming available for other subgroups.
--From the Foreword by Lorna Wing

From the Inside Flap

Years ago, autism was a private matter, dealt with in the confines of the family, and isolated from science and from community resources. Today’s clinicians and researchers would have liked for this wrong to have been righted by the academic establishment. But it was parents who took the lead and caused the revolution in our understanding of individuals with autism and their needs. Clinicians, scientists, and finally governmental resources followed their path, and today, there is no need for confusion and desperation if one’s family is affected by the condition.

This book belongs to the path breakers. It demystifies the day-to-day of a son or a daughter with autism by creating order and learning in their daily activities. In so doing, it not only creates hope; it conveys the message that there is much of great practical importance that should be done for individuals with autism in order to maximize the quality and meaningfulness of their lives. And we are all enriched by this.

—Ami Klin, Ph.D.
Harris Associate Professor of
Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
Yale Child Study Center

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ulysses Press (March 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569753865
• ISBN-13: 978-1569753866
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love, Humor and Infrastructure, May 26, 2004

By 

Patricia Taylor (Westport, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper: A Workbook for You and Your Child (Paperback)

The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper is a pracitical, wonderful, and loving guide and workbook for parents guiding their children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder through daily tasks and enriched and empowered lives.

This workbook is simple, attractive, and engaging. It is full of love and good humor - The writers reach out to parents facing the, at times, daunting task of helping their children learn the necessary skills, like getting dressed, telling time, and navigating daily schedules, that will help lead them to independent lives and communicative relationships within the range of their own abilities.

There are loads of strategies, games, and visual aids in this workbook. Many of the sheets are designed to be torn out or cut up so you can adapt them to your own or your child's specific needs. There are plenty of games and fun ways to attack simple tasks.

What struck me most of all was the palpable sense of love and fun that permeated this workbook. It is a rare and fine example of how simple and good it is to reach out to those you love and how powerful it is when you empower your children to order their own reality.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I COULD RELATE TO THIS BOOK COVER TO COVER, May 1, 2004

By 

Stacy Satlin (Los Angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper: A Workbook for You and Your Child (Paperback)

WOW..... how many self help books can you relate to ,and implement from the first page to the last? This was absolutly the case with The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper.
As a parent of an autistic child, not only did I think the ideas in the book were suberb, but it gave me comfort in realizing that I am not alone.
This book gives parents great ideas and help in making everyday tasks that can be so challenging for parents and kids easier. I especially like the cards that you hand out to people who may be looking at you or your child in a funny way.
I highly recommend this book to parents who are just starting out on this journey, or have been involved for a while. You will all walk away with some great practical information.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Parent's Absolutely Necessary Buy, April 27, 2004

By 

Susan Marion (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autistic Spectrum Parents' Daily Helper: A Workbook for You and Your Child (Paperback)

This book is very unique in that it is very practical in its approach as well as eclectic with an emphasis on humor and fun. Parent's of autistic children have needed a "self-help" book like this for a long time. It discusses many current theories in an abbreviated form and stresses practical solutions for teaching our kids the "hard to learn" items.
I was able to utilize the method recommended for teaching my son many skills (including dressing and brushing his teeth independently)with total success. There are dozens of helpful , useful ideas that approach learning from a playful place. That assisted my son in learning as well as adding to my enjoyment of teaching.
THIS IS A MUST READ FOR PARENTS. DON'T MISS THE VARIETY OF IMPLIMENTABLE IDEAS. THIS BOOK IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR YOUR AUTISTIC CHILD.