Developmental-disabilities Books

Alphabet Kids is a good resource especially if you are a parent with a child who has mental health issues and/or physical disabilities and you would like a basis from where to start your research. Of course, it isn't all encompassing, but it gives you the highlights of the informations you need, in an orderly fashion. Alphabet Kids is also good for individuals working in social service agencies that provide assistance for kids with mental and physical challenges.

What a great book. I've never written a review before, but I feel like I have to spread the word on this important book. I just received Alphabet Kids for Christmas and I have not been able to put it down. It is fascinating on so many levels: it is incredibly informative and it is a general interesting read like Oliver Sacks's books. The best part is I can get rid of all my other books on this wide and varied subject and just use this as a roadmap. As a former school psychologist and parent of four kids-some of whom are alphabet kids, it is stunning how all of these disorders are getting more prevalent and more and more of our children are becoming Alphabet Kids. What I like best in this book is the riveting introduction where the author talks about how all of these disorders are interconnected, how they are diagnosed and often misdiagnosed, and how girls are so often misdiagnosed. The personal case histories of these remarkable children and the descriptions of all of the disorders and how it is laid out in such a reader friendly way makes this book indispensable. The signs and symptom lists are incredible. The amount of research appears to be massive. My New Year's resolution is to get this book into the hands of every school teacher, administrator and child specialists. For parents like me, it is a no-brainer. Alphabet Kids is invaluable.

I am a retired teacher and I wish I had had this book when I needed it. Not only are Woliver's high quality entries well organized, but his insights into approaching these problems are invaluable. This book should be on every professional bookshelf as well as in the hands of parents no matter what the ages or stages of their children.

Alphabet Kids is a godsend. It is an accessible guide, yet, has substantive information for everyone. This book helped me tremendously, both personally and professionally, in my quest to gain acceptance of the critical challenges we all share in the face of illness. This is the best book out there. It was just what I needed to gain deeper knowledge of the struggles of Alphabet Kids, parents, and caretakers.

After 36 years of teaching I am still excited to find resources in the market place that I can use to expand my knowledge and benefit the students in my classroom. ALPHABET KIDS From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome is one of those must have resource and reference books for every teachers' personal library.
Every classroom teacher can benefit from Robbie Wolivers guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals. The information presented for each disorder is in a format that allows for quick access of the material. It is compiled in section subtitles: Sounds Familiar, Did You Know? Signs and Symptoms, Cause, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis and Sources and Resources. This repeated organization for each disorder makes the reading very clear. The real-life accounts presented for each disorder underscores the need for ALPHABET KIDS, so parents and teachers can help with the challenges that face their children and students.
ALPHABET KIDS will be the book I will recommend to the parents-caregivers of those children in need in my classroom.

As a single mother with two small children and some very big questions, I found some reassurance reading this book. Like the cover I did find the author uncomfortable with the gray that makes up most of our lives! Of course one should have our partners vetted before taking a stroll down the aisle and certainly prior to creating a living partnership but reality is, if we knew so much ahead, would we dare enter any relationship.

What happened to my journey into motherhood, was a fast slide down the years to my early upbringing and that was something I was NOT expecting. Thus many many books later, some questions have been answered and along those lines, this book does do an excellent job, of reminding one of the higher road that is to be taken during parenthood. This road is as the author points out, a hard uphill slog against the stream of survival in the competitive world we live.

Although this book is not in full agreement with the Bible, my Christian brothers and sisters, it is good in that many of the things the author says confirms the truths of Scripture. It's also good evidence that non-Christians are able to recognize major things which Scripture says is true without having to have had their heart changed by God, and therefore are without excuse when they disobey him.

I thought this book pretty much spelled it out. Yes it has information that is common sense, but then common sense is not common. I appreciated the book stating that responsibility is important as well as good decision making and today kids are not given this at a young enough age to work through poor decisions and lagging responsibility. Learning throughout your childhood to improve decision making and take on responsibility - is accomplished through active parenting. Parents need to parent and friends are peers. The world is tough enough as it is and to go out in the world totally unprepared is not going to make life - any life easier!

I recently read this book and found it to be both relieving and empowering. I could fill a library with the books I've bought about babies and raising children, but this is one of the ONLY books I've read that really tells you to trust your own instincts and to feel confident in being a real parent. You know, the kind whose job it is to both nurture and love their children AND to teach them structure, limits, independence and consequences. Until now, I would have sworn that every other book I've read said the two were independent of one another!

I was baffled to see other reviewers write things like Dr Shaw doesn't promote breastfeeding or completely misconstruing his advice regarding "on demand" feedings, potty training, etc. For instance, he clearly states that breastfeeding is best UNLESS it is making you miserable, your baby miserable and it just isn't working for you.

Of course, if you can't stand the thought of your child ever crying, being mad at you, disagreeing with you or not having their own way, then this book isn't for you. But if you would like to find a way to teach your children how to be fulfilled and get along in both a family and a civilized world, then please read it! And after all, nothing good ever comes easy, does it?

I thought this book was very refreshing. As a mother of two young children (2 years and 11 mos) I am so SICK of the 'experts' who tell us how to raise our children. Most new mothers are so overwhelmed with information that they are left completely helpless when the time comes to actually get down to business of being a parent. I know this because I felt this way when my first son was born.

Thankfully I realized I needed to toss out all the idiot baby books (yeah, I'm talking about Dr. Sears) and trust my own judgement. I have two wonderful boys who are healthy, sweet, and happy. I'm not so cavalier to think that 'attachment parenting' doesn't work for some families, but it was destroying mine. You really need to decide what works for you and your child's temperment.

I have a 7 year old on the autism spectrum. There was much I could relate to, especially the logistic nightmares of having a kid that needs a lot more as well as having two younger siblings. The parents in the book are extremely devoted to the floortime program and also are very fortunate to receive a lot of help from various sources. I thought the book was a good intro to the principles of floortime.
There is one complaint I have and it is the same that would go for a book like 'let me hear your voice' (ABA): It is the 'I went through hell and cured my kid and so could you if you were just working harder at it' mentality. For one - not every kid will respond to every or any treatment. Also - a kid or person does not have to be neurotypical to be loved and loving. I hate this genre of books where the writer never matures emotionally into being able to love their kid unconditionally. All love is put into changing or 'curring' the kid. In both books are segments where the writer looks at someone elses kid with autism and feels compelled to tell the parent that they need to work harder to change that kid and that it is not okay for your kid to sit there stimming or whatever. If you can only look at a person with a disability thinking that they are not okay and your love can only come in the form of wanting to change them, then you need to do some work on yourself ! I am not saying that you should not try treatments that will help but your love and life should not depend on them becoming neurotypical. If Walker would not have been one of the kids who were able to improve dramatically the writer would have lost her marriage and probably her sanity. She gambeled her life on curing her son and she won. But most people doing the same gamble will loose because it is a gamble and at the end of the day you better have some core strength and love for your kid and family to be okay if there is no cure.
I don't consider her a role model. For a role model read a book like 'Elijah's cup'.

My son is on the autism spectrum. He sees an occupational therapist and speech therapist who have been trained in the Floortime approach used in this book. He also is in a therapeutic preschool program based on Floortime principles. These therapies have helped our son tremendously and, by extension, ehanced our family life.

Based on my experience, it seems that the child in this book has a sensory processing disorder, rather than autism.

The author is lucky that she caught it as early as she did. Most of us don't have the luxury of therapy starting when our children are 6 months old. In my son's case, we had Early Intervention services, but the therapists were inadequate. This author had a therapist who would stay three hours at a time, twice a week -- again, most of us don't have this luxury. The author also was able to ignore her other child to focus her energies on her affected child. For most of us, this is not possible.

When reading autism memoirs, I've been annoyed because Applied Behavior Analysis is presented as "the only way". I'm glad that in this memoir, Floortime is getting some attention.

This book gave us hope and helped us to deal with our emotional dificulties. When we first received the diagnosis we did not know anything about autism. When we had strict ABA my son only cried after reading this book we started seeking the floortime approach and also used VBA and my child started to learn having fun. Recovery is possible. It is a hard work and we are still working as hard as we can but we have seen the light coming. The book is like if Pat were my friend giving me support and hope whenever I need it.
Thanks, Mrs. Stacey.

I bought this book because it had so many favorable reviews on this website. I've read approximately 25 books written by parents who have a child with ASD. This book is, by far, the worst I've read. I frequently found myself rolling my eyes while reading it.

First of all, I firmly believe the mother is out of touch with reality. I wasn't surprised when, in the middle of her story, she writes that people were trying to get her to check into the local psychiatric ward. Her inability to spend time with her son and the rest of her family was unbelievable. She "weeped" when the REACH program wouldn't provide someone to take care of her son for most of his waking hours. The program supervisors told her time and again that her son did not need services - that he wasn't autistic!

Second of all, her son was sensitive, not autistic! She didn't cure him of anything! Many babies like to look at windows because they like the color contrast. Many babies dislike a lot of noise. Her son, Walker, was pointing by his first birthday. He was talking like a pro by his second birthday. He was playing with other children, laughing, pretend playing, gesturing. Anyone who knows anything about ASD knows that these traits are commonly deficient in ASD children.

As a parent of a child with ASD, I was irritated by her whole story. There are so many parents out there who really DO have children with ASD and we're doing everything we can to help them, including getting services through our local and state programs. To think that this author demanded so many resources from REACH, when they could have been given to a child who really DID have ASD is very sad. I really believe the author should change the subtitle of her book and remove the word "autism". Maybe she should have written - A child threatened by SENSITIVITY.

When we were frustrated with the lack of fun during the ABA sessions, and my child had a very hard time with them, I read this book where Mrs. Stacey share her experience with a much more flexible model of therapy for her son, this model worked for my child and he started to learn.
I am from Brazil and I was no able to find a floortime therapist. I contacted Mrs.Stacey and she OFFERED to help me guiding me WITHOUT charging a dollar!
Then we found a therapsi but I must say not only the book is wonderful but Mrs Stacey is a wonderful woman with a big heart, taking her time to answer emails from someone she does not know and offering free help!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Simone.

As a teacher of many students with learning differences and a parent of two ADHD children, this book was very helpful. The chapter about medications was especially helpful. The principal at my school, Saint John Catholic in North Charleston, SC, is making this a required reading assignment for all the teachers!!

I'm a grandmother, trying to help my daughter find information on how to deal with the behavior of children with possible ADHD. Her son is 3-1/2 and can be difficult to control at times. I didn't pass this book on to her because I didn't feel it would help.

The book gives the readers who are lay persons in psychology a very clear and easy approach to understand the various impairments that their children may have. I found it very useful and informative.

This book contains a great overview of many of the challenges a teacher might see in her students. My son has many of the challenges described in the book while some of his peers are faced with the other challenges.

This book is wonderful, it made me realize that other parents go through the same issues with children in the mix, and gives great ideas on how to combat some of the behaviors and help to better understand your child and the issues they face everyday.

A great overall book. It covers pretty much everything you need to know on the subject. I enjoyed it.

and easy-to-understand. The author offers her professional and personal perspective on the subject. For another mother's perspective, I recommend He's Not Autistic But...: How We Pulled Our Son From the Mouth of the Abyss.

When we first learned our twins were both on the Autism Spectrum, I needed more information and direction to immediate resources. This book has both and so much more from a PARENT's prespective. I found it helpful, empowering, and realistic for moms like me reeling from the initial shock. I'm so glad I bought it, read it and have it on my shelf as a reference guide!

I had great expectations for this book and was very disappointed. If you have a child "somewhere" on the spectrum, you might be like me searching for a comprehensive book that details characteristics, dev info, etc on every part of the spectrum, instead of spending hours sorting through all of the web-based mumbo-jumbo about autism. Just give me the facts.

However, I won't bash this book completely -- it is useful for helping you navigate ASD resources and the slew of doctors that you will face and how to negotiate more early intervention services for your child. The book just isn't a "guide" as the title suggests -- although the author tells where else to go for more information.

Wow, this is the best I have read yet on autism,it actually covers other disorders on the spectrum and after reading it at the library first,I went to buy my own, as i wanted to have it always with me.This includes grief for me! now that is a good thing,(also for carers),then the list goes on, to much to list here,definately a guide for us,in understanding these disorders,i found this material also good for understanding ASD adults. A must read for sure.

Helps with understanding how a child with Aspergers or autism thinks. May help with another form of discipline/encouragement that may help motivate.

As a matter of fact, Kenneth, I've never seen such a smart guy like you who can write about developmental disabilities! In Japan, that's out of the question; fewer people know so much about Asperger Syndrome. Even many specialists are unaware of developmentally challenged people.
I don't mean to be sarcastic, Kenneth, but please take no offense; you're lucky enough to know you are diagnosed as AS earlier than me. On the other hand, I found that I have ADHD, AS, and PDD(=Pervasive Developmental Disorder) when I became 34. I should've noticed that earlier! - that's exactly how I feel right now. I have had a lot of difficulties to keep getting along with other people. So I had to change my jobs thousands of times, which a lot of people in Japan see as a big problem.
You don't want to live a hard life like me, Kenneth, because you're still young. Your mother, Mrs. Brenda Boyd must feel the same.
I'm sure to buy the book you will be likely to write next time! Just say hello to Mrs. Brenda Boyd!

I am the parent of a 10 year old son with Asperger's syndrome, and purchased this book in the hope that my son could read it and identify with the author and know that there are other kids out there "like him". While I knew going into it that this was written by a 10 year old, I really expected that more substantial editorial or at least parental guidance had gone into the final product. The book is basically stream-of-consciousness writing from a child who tends to perseverate on several favorite topics (as children with Asperger's are prone to do!) So- while it's a fine effort from a child- it was a lot like reading a kid's "Write an essay about who you are" report for 5th grade Language Arts class. Also, the fact that the author is Irish led to some vocabulary differences and cultural references that would be difficult for my literal-minded son to decode. So, by the end of the book I was disappointed that it didn't offer our family what I hoped it would, but also had the impression and Kenneth and his family are remarkable people and wish them the very best.

Before reading this book, my daughter would never discuss her Asperger's with me. She would talk about it with my husband, but not me. Now she will. When she was 3 years old, I met with her teacher to discuss her 'quirks' and began to realize that she fit the Aspie profile. After my initial shock and grief, I realized that the labels are only as damaging as we let them be, and they can be helpful, as we found many resources for parenting a quirky kid. We weren't alone; other parents had done this. This book helped my daughter come to that same realization. She knows she's different, but putting a name to the difference and knowing that she's not alone in the difference makes it easier to deal with.



Kenneth Hall is her hero, and she wants to write a book just like he did when she reaches the ripe old age of ten.



Only 4 stars because since Kenneth lives in England, many of the resources available to him are not applicable to people in the US, and it is challenging for my daughter to understand that fact.

This book was a tremendous disapointment. Ridiculous. A waste of the short time it takes to read - unless you are an ABA teacher and need to read something to build your ego. Other than that - save your money.

Our almost 5 year old son on the autism spectrum has had much difficulty with bowel movement training to the point where we have been in tears together. Finally, something gave clear input on things to try and they are working for us. I am so thankful for this book!

I am so thankful that I chose this book over others that deal with toilet training. I did not realize how teaching someone on the spectrum how to use the potty is very different in many ways, than someone who's not. This book deals with those issues. It brings to light some very important routines and activities to follow. Especially for someone who is new to the world of Autism, this is a book that I highly recommend that you include in your library.

I have a six-year-old with Autism who is yet to be potty trained. I was beside myself until I purchased this manual. Now, I understand more about his point of view when it comes to learning this new task. I was perplexed by his ability to control his bladder and bowel, but his unwillingness to use the toilet. It never occurred to me that using the bathroom could cause anxiety or that I needed to provide a calm and relaxing atmosphere for him while he was on the toilet.

What I like most about this book is that it gives you not only an overview but solutions and ideas for making a very important milestone in your child's life possible. Any parent of a child with learning disabilities wants their child to be able to assimilate into society as much as possible. This book helps to knock down one more wall standing in the way of social acceptance.

Our family has a child with both sensory integration and developemental delay challenges. This book provided some ideas on how to proceed with the toilet training process, which is especially difficult for children who have less awareness of their need to go to the bathroom.

I had been struggling with toilet training my autistic child. This book gave me a better understanding of what autistic children experience when toilet training them. It gave me different techniques and helpful hints to toilet training my child. It was so helpful that I purchased a copy for his teacher.

I got this because my gf is studying to work with autistic and other developmentally challenged kids, and it seemed like something that she'd be interested in

So I gave it to her, and she loves it. She says it really helped her look at some of her subject matter in a new way and that's all I really could have asked for

If you know an autistic kid or are planning to work with them or teach them, you should check it out. If not, it might be a little niche-oriented for you

I have just finished reading this book and am so grateful to Ross Greene for having written it. I am a long time follower of his work, having read his two previous books, "The Explosive Child" and "Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach", and having attended several of his presentations. I am the mother of a teenager who was an explosive child, and I am also a pediatric occupational therapist and special education instructor. This new book is valuable to me for all of those roles.

The way this book is set up makes it very user friendly. It combines both the background and strategies of the CPS model with ongoing scenarios commonly found in schools. In addition there are excellent questions and answers found at the end of each chapter. As I was reading them, I could think of the exact teachers and parents in my school who would be asking those questions, and having a ready answer will be quite valuable. I have used the CPS model at home and in my work in pediatrics and have had great success. The changes I have seen in children's willingness to take part in helping themselves and in trusting adults has been exceptional. Perhaps one of the most profound things this book and the CPS model do is to promote a major paradigm shift in the way adults view children with behavioral issues. Once you read this information, it is hard to ever go back to viewing a child's behavior the same way again. I am planning to try to implement this approach within our school with as many of the staff as I can get on board.

For those who have read Ross's previous books, there will be some repetition about the actual set up of the plan. However, I found the specific school application added a new dimension to my understanding of CPS. Additionally, review of these strategies is always a good idea in order to carry them out with the greatest success. Thanks Ross! Through this book you have once again touched the lives of many children,professionals and parents in a very positive way!

There is so much conflicting information out these days about education, discipline, and parenting, it's nice to find a book that makes sense and supports it's theories. This book does a good job of discussing kids with behavioral challenges, and ways to address their needs that can work.

I have really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be straightforward and easy to follow. I have been an educator for many years, first as a classroom teacher and now in an alternative setting (a juvenile detention facility). For many years now we have been told to differentiate our teaching, to understand that children learn in different ways and we, as educators, should be sure to address all children's learning styles. It makes sense that we should also understand that behaviors need to be addressed differently. As I read through this book I could "see" children I had taught in the past, children who seemed to be unable to control their behavior. I believe this would be a valuable tool for a classroom teacher and for parents of a child who is having difficulty in school.

I don't think this book will solve every problem for every child, but I do believe that the methods set forth in this book could be a godsend for many teachers, parents, and especially for many children who are getting lost in the shuffle.

I highly recommend this book for parents and teachers dealing with children who are struggling with behavior issues.

If you are a real teacher (or principal or dean) in a real school, this humane and engaging book will surprise you with its combination of practicality and idealism. It will inspire you to change things and to believe in the possibility of change.

After teaching for eight years, I have spent the last three as "the discipline guy", Dean of Students, in a small, rural middle school. As both teacher and now as dean I have developed a deep suspicion of a certain sort of books. You know the ones: written by theoreticians or one-on-one therapists who have never had to juggle a roomful of 25 actual young human beings with not enough time, not enough resources and far too much of paperwork, testing, and ringing bells; and more and more deeply-troubled youngsters. These are the books that anxious or angry and frustrated parents bring to meetings that tell them how you should be meeting the needs of their unsuccessful or disruptive child. These books make things far worse for everyone involved.

"Lost at School" is different; and that's clear from the beginning. After a brief introduction which pulls no punches in saying "school discipline is broken" the book launches into a story! Every teacher I know likes a good story - and this one feels so much like real (school)-life from the beginning that it sets the hook for the rest of the book. The different thing about this story is not the characterization of the troubled and challenging kids, but of its inclusion of the realistic range of adult personalities that combine to make education what it is - and sometimes isn't. The book sets out to follow the path of a handful of youngsters and another handful of fictional teachers and administrators who are struggling with the limitations of their own range of personalities and world-views as well as the real constraints of what schools can and cannot do. It is quite eye-opening and, in my opinion, dead-on accurate.

Now don't let me give the impression that this book is just another entertaining "Up the Down Staircase" or "Room 222" or even merely another inspirational "Stand and Deliver". "Lost at School" is ultimately focused on a suite of methods for understanding children who exhibit challenging behaviors in school and for working with them to help them change. The "storyline" serves as an opportunity to view those methods in action as used by some fictionalized but well-drawn characters.

The core assumptions of Greene's approach are that behaviorally challenging youngsters (a) "know how we want them to behave" and (b) "want to behave the right way". They don't need us to keep depriving them of privileges or offering them rewards to learn these two bits.

The basic premise of the book is that these youngsters lack specific thinking skills which make it difficult or impossible for them to behave in circumstances that come up too-frequently in their school lives. Much as education has come-around in the past 20 years to acknowledge that cognitive deficits, learning disabilities, must be acknowledged as part of a youngster's learning of reading or mathematics, we need to move to a similar approach with behavioral difficulties.

The goal, then, for educators, parents and the students, is to identify these missing or lagging cognitive skills and help students develop them - as central parts of their education. Greene provides an inventory which will remind educators of the sorts of rubrics we use frequently, for instance, in assessing students for attention or hyperactivity disorders. Some of these skills may well have come up in your conversations about a difficult student, e.g. "difficulty handling transitions". Some of them have probably been parts of conversations about students without the notion that they ought to be taught, e.g. "difficulty considering likely outcomes or consequences of actions". And some of them might just not have occurred to you as loci of behavioral challenges, e.g. "difficulty taking into account situational factors that would suggest the need to adjust a plan of action". Rarely, though, have you or I managed to systematically think about what to do with these anecdotal observations.

Having worked through the assessment of lagging skills, the next task is to "teach" these skills. In this regard Greene shifts gears and does not provide a "curriculum". Instead he provides an approach - a way of communicating with behaviorally challenging youngsters that he terms "Collaborative Problem Solving" or CPS. Some might find this unsatisfying. I did, at first; hoping for a "methods" approach to teaching this as any other group of skills. But I found Greene's system ultimately satisfying and revealing instead. He gives us CPS and weaves his ongoing story of sixth-grader Joey into its explication

The CPS approach is interesting because it sounds so simple. Greene calls it simply "Plan B"; distinguishing from "Plan A" - wherein the teacher or institution imposes its will on the student, and from "Plan C" in which we "drop an expectation completely, at least temporarily". I have to compliment Green on boldly sticking to such a simple naming scheme instead of coming up with typical ed-psych jargon to describe his schema or its alternatives. But the real power of such a simply-named approach is that describing it reveals how much we are all rooted in bouncing between poorly-implemented versions of plans A and C as part of school discipline. The "Plan B" or CPS approach assumes and requires listening to and the meaningful participation of the student -- and that is revealed to be a deeply-buried skill of even the well-intentioned educators in the storyline. But it can be learned and is the key to making things work.

Greene is very open to all the ways things can go awry in dealing with real kids in real school environments. He peppers the book with "Q&A" sections, and sample dialogues. But central to his acknowledgement of the "real world" is his fictional one! He weaves in, throughout, the ongoing tale of Joey and Mrs. Woods; of the Assistant Principal who got knocked in the jaw by Joey back in chapter one; of Joey's anguished mom and even of Mr. Armstrong, the "these kids just have to learn how to behave" guy, whom seems so familiar to any educator. This side-story becomes in many ways a central one as all of these people move through a year of struggle and transformation.

I won't tell you how it ends but will reassure you that it does end, as most school years to, not with a bang of disaster or triumph but with a deep breath and a look ahead as all the good but flawed folks involved anticipate the next year's labors. In this Greene manages to honor the motives and efforts of everyone who chooses to work in the often thankless business of education while he deftly reminds us of how much better we could and should be doing with these youngsters.

This is an excellent overview of Asperger Syndrome and its impact on the marriage compact. It's useful for everyone, but has less usefulness for men with female partners who have the syndrome. That's because the syndrome is found predominantly in males and Ms. Aston's research was with couples of this composition.

Very timely for me and tells it like it is. Nice to know I am not alone.

You don't have to be married to someone with Asperger's to value this book. Anyone who has autism in their family will see the patterns and traits outlined here in ways surprising and unexpected, and will recognize themselves in the process. Living with a person with autism can make you think you are crazy because of the coping mechanisms you put in place - people with autism can be orderly in a way that is enviable and makes you feel completely disorganized yourself and the next thing you know you're alphabetizing your medicine cabinet and sorting playmobil toys by the date they were manufactured.

The Other Half of Asperger's helps people without autism measure the impact of autism on theirs lives and empowers them to value the good things and minimize the bizarre ones. It allows you to knit those two halves (be they of a marriage, parent-child or brother-sister relationship) back into a whole.

What I really liked about this book is it's clarity and to-the-point writing. There isn't a whole lot of fluff (it's a short book) but it covers the basics very well. If you've been in a relationship with a man who as Asperger Syndrome for any length of time, you'll likely find yourself nodding your head, pleased to see that your feelings and thoughts are so well-addressed in this book.

What impressed me perhaps most of all is that this book manages to address some of the difficulties faced by the partner of someone with AS without making it seem as if they are a victim of their partner's AS. There is a refreshing tone of "this can work" throughout the book, acknowledging that, while some things can be difficult, men with AS also have some very redeeming qualities. AS is not a disease, and you shouldn't look at your partner as defective. People with AS just process their world differently. As in any relationship, partners need to decide what they are and are not willing to accept.

The book does touch a bit on women with AS, though it is brief and I feel it misses the mark somewhat. Still, I give this book five stars because I truly and honestly believe that any partner of a man with AS will benefit greatly from reading this. Men with AS may also benefit, as this book is a key to understanding his partner's experience.

I would highly recommend this book.

While this book is well written, I did purchase it hoping that it would include more about women with Aspergers who have a neurotypical partner. I struggled with the fact that I identified more with the author's said issues with her Partner with AS, than i did with her explanations for the partner with AS. I was disappointed that her experience only included two women with AS. Having said that, i still think that it is a good book for my partner as he still has to come to terms with my being on the Autistic Spectrum.

Thank you to the writer of the response to "the author states opinion as fact". One more reference regarding the presence of autistic-like characteristics in family members of autistic kids:

Piven J, Palmer P, Jacobi D, Childress D, Arndt S. Broader autism phenotype: evidence from a family history study of multiple-incidence autism families. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1997; 154(2): 185-90.

The author has a habit of stating "heresay" and her opinions as facts.In chapter 10.. "Family issues and support" on page 298, the author states "Some of Bruno Bettelheim's "cold & distant" mothers, could have had mild forms of autism themeselves" This, the author states, is from "some professionals." I never heard this before! Also, that parents of ASD children have a "slightly higher incidence of depression and other mental disorders..and health problems in general, perhaps related to an underlying immune system dysfunction." THIS IS NOT A MEDICAL FACT AT ALL! THE AUTHOR IS VERY NEGLIGENT IN EVEN STATING THIS!! To further add insult to injury, Ms. Waltz, who is not a physician, states.."Some of this may be genetically based, although some may derive from being in a difficult situation." This is the the most ridiculous claim, that being the parent of an autistic child will compromise their health! So much of this book is just an opinion and not researced at all in fact. I would take with a grain of salt what this author has to "say" about autism!

As the parents of a three-year boy diagnosed with PDD-NOS in Jan. 2002, my wife and I are quickly devouring as much information on the subject as we can as we begin to advocate for our son's future (therapy, special education, behavior modification methods and possible nutritional/dietary changes). We have purchased or read nearly twenty books on the subject and, by far, Mitzi Waltz' summary of this broad spectrum disorder is the most well organized and written summary we have found.

Here is a list of chapters/appendices of the book:

1. THE MEDICAL FACTS ABOUT PDDs
2. PDD CATEGORIES
3. GETTING A DIAGNOSIS
4. GETTING STARTED
5. MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
6. THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS
7. OTHER INTERVENTIONS
8. INSURANCE
9. SCHOOL (EXCELLENT DISCUSSION OF IEPs, 504's, EDUCATION OPTIONS)
10. FAMILY
11. FINANCES
12. SUPPORT
13. LIVING WITH PDDs
A. RESOUCES (OUTSTANDING LIST OF BOOKS, WEBSITES)
B. SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY (A ONE-STOP SHOPPING LIST OF AUTISM SOCIETIES/SUPPORT GROUPS WITH ADDRESSES, PHONE #'S, INTERNET SITES)
C. RESEARCH AND TESTING FACILITIES
D. MEDICAL REFERENCE
E. SUPPLEMENT REFERENCE
F. DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS
NOTES
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS (A MUST FOR ANYONE NEW TO PDDs)
INDEX (EXCELLENT WAY TO PINPOINT YOUR NEEDS)

Several other excellent books tell the personal accounts of parents as they come to grips with the aftermath of a diagnosis and are wonderful therapy for parents to validate their feelings and outlooks. The Waltz book is written in plain language while covering the topic in a comprehensive and logical manner. It will serve as a reference for my family for years to come and I highly recommend it to EVERY parent who faces the challenges of living day-to-day with a child/adult diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Thank you Mitzi!...

Since I feel that the majority of the reviews below give a good picture of this text, I will confine
myself to commenting on the review headed "The author gived some opinions as facts!"

Actually, it is well-established that there are genetic factors in some forms of autism, and that
autistic-spectrum behaviors are much more likely to occur in families with autistic children
than in the general population. The fact that Bettleheim was wrong about "refridgerator
mothers" does not mean that there are no mothers of autism-spectrum children who have
autistic behaviors. The occurances of allergies and resultant sinus problems are certainly more
common in persons on the autism-spectrum. And there are a number of medical conditions
that have a genetic component that are commonly co-morbid with autism-spectrum disorders.

None of these facts would actually imply that "being a parent of an autistic child will
compromise their health!" Parents are no more responsible for the specific genetic makeup of
their children than they are responsible for whether a coin they toss turns up heads or tails. In
fact, the genetic traits associated with autism are now believed to be also so strongly
associated with extreme skill in science, mathematics, engineers, and related areas. Genetically speaking, people who are severely "classically" autistic are massively similar to those who are
sciences "whizzes" (and, of course, both autism and strong science skills often occur in
the same people).

Additionally, parents with autistic behaviors and traits are of great benefit to their aut-spec
children, as such parents have more ability to empathize with them. It certainly was/is true in my relationships with my parents!

The above statements re family traits and co-morbidity can be confirmed by looking up a few
of the following (in order of ease of reading):

Grandin, Temple 1995. _Thinking in Pictures_ (chapters 9 and 10).

Silberman, Steve 2001. "The 'Geek Syndrome'." _Wired Magazine_ December 2001.

Delong and Dwyer, 1988. "Correlation of family history and specific autistic subgroups:
Asperger's syndrome and bipolar affective disease." _Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders_ 18: 593 - 600

Smalley, McCracken, and Tanguay 1995. "Autism, affective disorder and social phobia."
_American Journal of Medical Genetics 60: 19 - 26

_The Biology of the Autistic Syndromes_ by Christopher Gilberg and Mary Coleman (see
section III: "Diseases that Have a Subgroup of Patients With Autistic Symptoms.")

This book is a must for all parents who fear that their toddler is not meeting developmental milestones. It provides great summary information about a diagnosis of PDD, possible therapies,etc. with being overly pessimistic or optimistic.