Our Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: A Roadmap (Paperback)

~ Linda Andron (Editor), Tony Attwood (Foreword), Liane Holliday Willey (Foreword) "Every once in a while, I notice Glen galloping around the house, drumming at the air with his hands and squealing softly, and think, that's..." (more)
Key Phrases: classic autism, central coherence, high functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome, New York, Lola Bunny (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'[This] is an excellent travelers' guide because it is written by people who have been there. The stories are enthralling and the authors' experiences enable us to understand the culture and perspective of people with autistic spectrum disorder. This book is recommended for anyone who has embarked on a journey to explore a part of our world that we have only recently discovered.' -from the foreword by Tony Attwood 'I had a great many of my bunches and hopes confirmed when I read the words of the generous parents, and their even more generous children, who contributed to this book... Most important, I learned it is possible to be inspired to see the glass as half full, no matter how many leaks there seem to be in the cup... I believe the community who reads this book will join me in thanking those who wrote it, for their courage, their wit and their plethora of ideas.' -from the foreword by Liane Holliday Willey

Product Description

For the families who have contributed to this book, living with autistic spectrum disorders has been a journey of self-discovery. With honesty and humor, they describe the ways autism has affected their daily lives, the challenges they have faced and the approaches they have found beneficial. They share their practical and original strategies for dealing with issues such as helping children to develop empathy and humor, developing and maintaining friendships and explaining their autistic spectrum disorders to other people. This book will be a source of advice and inspiration for families of children with autism and the professionals who work with them. It is practical, realistic and positive - autism is seen as something to be understood and celebrated. As 11-year-old Glen states in the Appendix, written by some of the children with autism featured in the book, `I like myself and consider my difference something positive.'

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Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1 edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853029475
• ISBN-13: 978-1853029479
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #790,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real People, Real Solutions, May 16, 2001

By	Susan Price (Warrenville, IL) - See all my reviews

This book is a very readable collection of individual families' methods of coping with their own experiences of children with High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome. The authors are all parents who have been coping with a child who fits one of these categories. Their stories offer both specific activities and approaches to aspects of socializing and educating children with autism or Asperger's, and the valuable perspective of seeing what problems other families have and how they deal with them.

What fascinated me was the glimpse these stories offered into the variant function patterns of the minds of individuals with Asperger's. However, I believe the creative and useful teaching techniques described throughout the book can also have much wider applicability than merely within the world of autism. For instance, the cartoon approach presented in the chapter, "Humor, Imagination and Empathy in Autism," would work well to teach these traits to any children--and all the better on children whose brains are hard-wired to learn them more easily.

As I have a background in publishing myself, I once used short, hand-drawn picture books to teach my preschool/early grade school-aged sons what to expect when I traveled on business. Therfore, I fully appreciated the hard work and imagination that went into the creation of the interactive, autobiographical "book" produced by the parents of Max to ease his entry into second grade, described in the evocatively titled chapter, "Making Friends with Aliens." This technique would be equally applicable to the introduction of any child, but particularly one who is noticeably "different," to a new social milieu.

An Appendix, "Thank You for Trusting Me," rounds out the book with collection of comments by the children themselves: how they see themselves, what helps them, what upsets them. I am impressed by their awareness of how they differ from other kids but also by their willingness to try to overcome the habits and patterns that will get in the way of their ability to function well in a world of people whose brains work differently than theirs.

I thoroughly enjoyed "meeting" these creative and intelligent people, and getting to know a little more about how else the human mind can work. I think these insights would be of immense value to anyone teaching, caring for, or friends with someone who has to struggle with Asperger's syndrome.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Springboard for your child's future, November 9, 2001

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

This book is made up of several different authors and gives a multi-faceted view of dealing with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism. The most helpful section of this book for me was when a parent made a book for his Asperger child's class. It gave me the inspiration to make a book with my own AS child to give out at his IEP mtg. (which was a huge hit.)I also found the discussion of the special relationship difficulties AS kids have and how important it is to fascilitate friendships between them. It reminds me constantly that although getting AS kids together is really tough sometimes it is really an important and valuable experience for all involved over the long run. I also LOVED the chapter called Humor Imagination and Empathy in Autism. The author of that chapter made simple stick figure cartoons for her AS and High Functioning Autism sons as a regular tool to help them understand their daily lives. I have adopted this technique (and believe me I am not artist) and found it VERY effective with my AS son and my "normal" son as well. Overall, I liked this book and would recommend using it as a tool for your child's future. Knowledge is power!

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

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Mystery Tour! Step Right This Way!, July 1, 2005

By	BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

All aboard for the mystery tour! Step right this way! Take a Magical Mystery Tour into the sensory world of autism/Asperger's Syndrome! And who better than somebody on the spectrum to act as a tour guide for the neurotypical population to understand autism!

Tony Attwood is certainly one of the leading experts on Asperger's Syndrome. This book is an interesting and easily absorbed collection of how several individual families interact with children on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) specrum. Since these families had to sign consents to be included in the book, I somehow doubt they will find their input will come back to haunt them, although that is possible. The people involved knew going in that their accounts would be included and hopefully, instead of feeling embarrassed about being at a certain point in childhood, the people featured in this book will see how they have moved far beyond that point and not be held accountable for previous times.

I loved the accounts of how people on the a/A spectrum respond and what educational as well as socialization approaches each family used.

The cartoon method in the chapter about humor and empathy are redolent of Carol Gray of her famous Social Stories - draw comic strips with appropriate captions to explain social exchanges. I like the way the experts' work in some ways overlap and yet arrive at a reasonable explanation. People on the a/A spectrum do not, repeat, do NOT lack the ability to empathize. Rather, people on the a/A spectrum often have to be cognitively "taught" to perceive viewpoints from another person's stance.

Having each child offer input in this book with the statement of trust makes for a very neurotypical (NT) and a/A friendly book. The world is for everybody and not just the NT and this book does a stellar job of being as inclusive of all people. Most people on the spectrum are keenly aware that they are "different" and want nothing more than to fit in and be indistinguishable. The poignant pleas for acceptance and the explanations of a/A behaviors and sensory responses will certainly help propel the NT population further down the Long & Winding Road towards that Acceptance.

No doubt people with Asperger's Syndrome will take this book to heart and learn a lot from it. This is a book that is certainly worth reading and does a fine job of bridging the NT-a/A gap ("Sensory Gap").