Speaking of books

[Guest guest]

Children with Autism, a Parents' Guide by D. Powers

Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin

These two are my favorites and I recommend them over and over. Below is a

list I have been compiling from books others have recommended. Hope it

helps

Pretending to be Normal " by Leann Holiday Willies

Have you read " The Explosive Child " , by Ross Greene? He is a

psychologist who works with kids who, for various reasons---including

sensory dysfunction and developmental challenges---do not have the

tools to deal appropriately with their anger/frustration. I think it

is one of the best books out there...

One of the best books I've found for helping me understand my kids is called

" The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents " by Joan s

and s.

It has small chapters by subject matter like ; Being polite when someone is

crying...then has a scene about what you probably see from your child in

this situation. Next it tells you why your child probably behaved this way

and then a small section on how to possibly handle it the next time. There

are 84 different catagories (chapters), all only 2 to 4 pages long. I'm

sure you'll find lot's of helpful information in it for you, even if it

doesn't cover the exact problem you seem to be facing right now. Oh, the

authors are a mom and her 'special kid'.

Siblings: Growing Up With Someone With A Disability " by McHugh

Feelings by Aliki Brandenberg - It has sweet cartoons showing the

situation, what happens and how they feel.

My Friends and Me (a First Look at Friendship) by Pat - It's a book

about friendship and what makes a good friend (also says that some people

only like to have one or two)

Mama Rex and T (The Horrible Play Date) by Vail- Title is self

explanitory!

Sometimes I Feel Awful by Joan Singleton Prestine- It's a Kids Have Feelings

Too book. It shows several different situations that happen to a little

girl and how she reacts and what she could have done.

How To Be A Friend by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown-Some of the

chapters are; Me, Myself, and I-Who Can Be Your Friend?-Ways to Be a

Friend-Feeeling Shy-Bosses and Bullies-Making up With a Friend.....

Leo the Late Bloomer by Kraus-shows a lion cub who isn't developing a

quickly as the other living things around him....not speaking, not drawing

as good, being clumsy, then learning that his time will come and it's ok to

be a late bloomer.

Two new books that are fascinating to me

are Autism/Aspergers: Solving the Relationship Puzzle and

Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children. Both are

by E. Gutstein, who runs the Connections Center website.

Now, the first book was interesting, but mostly explained the theory

behind RDI (relationship development intervention) and how they run

it at their workshops, clinic and school (which are VERY expensive!)

The second book is activities to do with children 2-8 years to

encourage them to work with parents, peers and others in a

relationship where they learn to reference others' faces and language

for references to what is appropriate, regulate their behavior based

on what their partner does, reciprocate conversation (not just talk

at someone) and synchronize their actions to coordinate with

anothers. All of the activities are designed to give the child

intrinsic rewards and enjoyment.

I think you would

find this second book (Relationship Development Intervention for

Young Children)fascinating for yourself and for . It seems to

have many great ideas for getting a child to interact in a fun,

spontaneous way.

Dangerous Encounters - Avoiding Perilous Situations with Autism: A

Streetwise Guide for all Emergency Responders, Retailers and Parents

" Dangerous Encounters: Avoiding Perilous situations

with Autism " by Bill

This was written by the father of a boy with autism

who gives courses on autism to police, firefighters

and parents. A hard read, some of his examples are

truly terrifying, but full of important information

and suggestions for anyone who has to deal with people

with autism. My hubby will be using this book and the

video " Encountering Autism " to train emergency

personnel in our area.

Tuna