The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents [Paperback]

Joan Matthews (Author), James Williams (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2000

James Williams is an SP or special person - he was diagnosed with autism during early childhood. His mother, Joan Matthews, is an NP or normal person. As James grew up, his different perception of the world and the lack of understanding from NPs created problems. Together, he and his mother met the challenges with ingenuity and humour. One day, while taking a walk, James and Joan decided to write a book of their practical solutions. The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids is that book.

Covering everything from eye sensitivity, to knowing how far away to stand from other people, to being polite when someone is crying, James and Joan's book describes the problems that an SP may face, and the solutions which they have found to work successfully. Pervaded by their caustic humour and common sense, The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids will be invaluable to other SPs and their families both as a source of advice and a fresh and witty account of how it feels to be an SP.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853029149
• ISBN-13: 978-1853029141
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, revealing, intense, and right on target!, September 8, 2000

By 

Shannon Ahern "Active-but-Odd" (Monterey Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents (Paperback)

I wish every parent of an autistic (or AS or PDD or SID or ADHD) child would read this book. I find myself constantly trying to explain to people how/why my son behaves the way he does. I've understood to some degree right from the beginning (having shadow AS dx myself), but this just brings it all into unbelievable focus. Especially for all those parents who pointlessly physically punish their children for behaviors that are neurologically-based, not attitude-based, this book is/would be a real eye-opener.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting One Another Halfway - NT & a/A, July 9, 2005

By 

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

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This review is from: The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents (Paperback)

James Williams is an extraordinarily bright, articulate and well-rounded young man who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. James, whose inspiring story is featured in "Dancing in the Rain" and "The Sound of Falling Snow" by Annabel Stehli offers further insights to having autism; coping with it and how families work together.

I was impressed with the way James explained how he developed an interest in learning to knit and how soothing he found this activity. He also developed an interest in the American Girls Series, bravely jumping the Gender Bias Barrier to emphasize how one group is usually treated as an underclass at the expense of another (or others).

I loved it when James addresses the very real problem of the word "perseverate" in any tense. He threw down the gauntlet on this harmful word in "The Sound of Snow Falling." It is truly a damning, judgmental, negative and destructive word that is best avoided. "Repetitive behavior / verbalizations" is a preferable replacement and certainly shows more tolerance and is far more accurate. James rightfully points out that overtly autistic behaviors such as lining up items could be the precursor to a talent in draftsmanship and architechture and mathematics. Each "special interest," by far a more tolerant and accurate term than the harmful "perseverate" ever was, can segue into a rewarding interest and possibly career. James speaks to hope and potential and his story is a strong beacon of hope.

James does an exemplary job of explaining how confusing the Tacit Social Codes & Rules are. For many people on the autism/Asperger (a/A) spectrum, the rules seem to change on a whim, based on the needs of the neurotypical (NT) population.

What a wonderful bridge, a link, a meeting point for the a/A population and the NT population to meet each other half way and go the extra mile. This book truly deserves a place of honor and is for everybody.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly practical and useful book, January 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents (Paperback)

Being the parent of a child with PDD, I have been procuring a lot of books and materials on autism. Many of them turned out to be highly specialized and some downright negative. This book turned out to be one of the best buys which gives practical solutions to all sorts of problems faced by an autistic parent and the solutions are suggested by a child who was autistic. Also, the book is highly positive, as the child it seems, has now been fully mainstreamed and therefore this is another success story like that of Catherine Maurice which gives us parents a lot to learn and practise.
PS. The books was bought in the US and sent to me by a friend.