Brotherly Feelings: Me, My Emotions, and My Brother with Asperger's Syndrome [Paperback]

Sam Frender (Author), Robin Schiffmiller (Author), Dennis Dittrich (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

It isn't easy being eight years old and having an older brother who other children often misunderstand. They don't realize that when he doesn't laugh at their jokes it's because he doesn't understand them. They don't know that when he doesn't speak to them or look at them it's because he doesn't know what to say or how to make eye contact. They don't realize that he behaves this way because he has something called Asperger's Syndrome. Sam knows that his brother Eric is different from him because his brain works differently. So, when the other children bully Eric, it makes Sam feel protective of him. But sometimes, when Eric behaves oddly, Sam feels embarrassed too. Sometimes, when Eric gets lots of attention, it makes Sam feel resentful - then, when he considers that Eric needs a lot of help and attention, it makes Sam feel guilty for feeling resentful. There are so many different feelings Sam experiences! "Brotherly Feelings" explores the emotions that siblings of children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) commonly experience. With illustrations throughout, this book will help siblings to understand that their emotional responses - whatever they are - are natural and OK. It is the ideal book for parents and professionals to use with siblings to discuss their emotional experiences, and will also help children with AS to form an understanding of the feelings of other family members.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sam Frender is eight years old. He is in second grade. He lives in North Carolina with his parents, his older brother, Eric, who has Asperger's Syndrome and his two cats. His hobbies are listening to music, telling jokes, playing with Lego and reading. He is very interested in math, science and art. When he grows up, he would like a career that will enable him to help people. Robin Schiffmiller is Eric and Sam's mother. She founded a Sibling Support Group for children with siblings on the Autism Spectrum, and is the Director of Sibling Support for a local chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1 edition (February 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184310850X
• ISBN-13: 978-1843108504
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An EXCELLENT Book!!!!, June 15, 2007

By 

Henry "Enterprise-D" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brotherly Feelings: Me, My Emotions, and My Brother with Asperger's Syndrome (Paperback)

I recently purchased this book because I have Asperger's. I found the book to be very insightful and well written. Even though I do not have any brothers or sisters, it was nice to realize that I am not the only one who has these problems. My mother also enjoyed reading the book and too could identify with the characters in the book. For people who have Aspergers or who are growing up with a brother/sister with Aspergers I strongly recommend this book! For people in the medical field this book is ideal. It will give you a better insight on how siblings relate to one another when one or the other has Aspergers. This is a great book and I hope that its writers will consider publishing more books on this subjest. Please, BUY THIS BOOK!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brotherly Feelings, November 28, 2007

By 

L. Avery - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brotherly Feelings: Me, My Emotions, and My Brother with Asperger's Syndrome (Paperback)

Excellent book. Our family related to this well. My 10 yr old son loved it and realized he wasn't alone in his "adventure" with his 16 yr old brother w/ AS. Very easy reading. He read it all in the first day. Wonderful!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better then expected, May 31, 2011

By 

L. Barie "LuvMyTwoBoys" (cherry hill, new jersey United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brotherly Feelings: Me, My Emotions, and My Brother with Asperger's Syndrome (Paperback)

After buying and wasting a lot of money on similar books/DVD's that were not worth 1/3 of the money...THIS book is refreshing. I am amazed how accurate this is and how easy it is to pick and choose where to start. I have an 11 year old with Aspergers and an 8 year old who just doesn't understand his brother.

I picked a few sections of the book to start with so that my younger son could identify with things and not get bored or annoyed and it worked beautifully. We have tried explaining his brothers actions so many times and finally feel like we have the proper tools with this book. This puts things a way that he can understand and identify with. It's not babyish nor is it too mature. I would use it (and maybe modify for the really young) for ages 5-15+. My son with Aspergers even loved it and copied a few sections as a cheat sheet so he knows how to explain some things. I highly, highly recommend this book!!! And I don't recommend so easily!