Disabilities Books

In Artisans of Democracy by Bruno Tardieu and Jona M. Rosenfeld, the authors share with us a view on poverty and the institutions connected with families living in poverty which scrapes below the economic surface to ask questions and give suggestions about the nature of poverty itself and the human relation to it. Compared to conventional North American thinking, the idea of poverty that gives this book its foundation is profoundly different. Tardieu and Rosenfeld propose that poverty is an economic issue on only the most basic level, that poverty means the stigmatization, the exclusion, and the marginalization which the extremely poor suffer at the hands of the rest of society. They propose that our distant, aloof, academic study and theorization of those in poverty only adds to the feeling of exclusion that they experience. Tardieu and Rosenfeld instead give a revolutionarily positive account of 12 social institutions, from schools to judicial systems, from utility companies to international governing bodies, working together with those afflicted with poverty to overcome their exclusion from society and these institutions. They practice their own beliefs by studing in depth the lives of those in poverty and how, through communication and appeals to basic human rights, they work together with complex and bureaucratic institutions to solve a specific problem. They then draw on these stories to reveal how success, or at least a pathway to success, was achieved. A fundamental part of the success begins with the institutions' change in thought about the family living in poverty. Instead of the commonly accepted, paternalistic, "strong helping the weak" relationship, these institutions only make headway when they begin some level of reciprocal learning. When the institution says, "We can learn from you how to work with people living in poverty to allow both of us to succeed", a door opens. Until that first step, until the institution realizes that it is dealing with human beings and not class groups or statistics, all meaningful paths of communication are closed. Tardieu and Rosenfeld do no feign to have an answer to overcoming poverty. They instead ask us to take a small but extremely challenging step, to begin giving all people one of their basic human rights: to be treated as a human being, and to be included in all of human society, despite class status.

I just recently finished reading this book and it is truly an inspiring story of a boy dealing with his disability and the challenges that he faces everyday. He and his mother alone are the reason that kids with disabilities receive the same level of education and did this by fighting the school district, taking the case to the supreme court! I can't believe how much he has achieved being a quadriplegic! Great must read!!!!

Es un libro que en toda casa con un nino con SA debe de tener. Explica de una forma facil que es lo que es el Sindrome de Asperger, ademas de cosas utiles para los papas. Es una forma mas de unir a los padres con sus hijos Aspies.

This book is very encouraging! It is very good to see that someone who has Asperger's himself is fortuante enough to have learned the social skills that are needed in order to be successful in relationships and marriage. I also appreciate books that tell people who have Asperger's about what they need to say and do in order to be successful in situations that they want to be successful in. Books like this one are long overdue!

This is a great book. It's funny and charming and honest. I love the bluntness that Kevin exhibits (even if we're just going to attribute it to AS.) For example:

S: Darling, why won't you marry me?
K: Because you might have an aberration and I might want
to get rid of you. If we were married I would have to give
you half my stuff, and I wouldn't want to do that.

Ha ha ha! Awesome.

Retrospectively, adults with Asperger Syndrome have been through harder times than I would expect in the United Kingdom. I must say the adult Aspies in this book are a lot happier than before they were diagnosed, because they have found how to cope with both their pros and cons in order to get employed. I can see many of them have felt different and/or distant from other people not only at school but at work, which often causes frequent job changes, alienation, and other negative effects. Actually, I still have the same experiences and am between jobs right now.
According to Professor Tony Attwood, one of the most famous specialists on AS, only 10% of adults with AS are diagnosed in Australia! How devastating! After all, Aspies need more support and understanding from other people. Recently more people have come to know developmental disabilities. But we must accept the fact that it will still take time to improve the situation to help developmentally challenged people.

This book sure helps you to strengthen not only your knowledge but strategies of how to cope with your Asperger Syndrome and social lives. So I'd like to recommend this especially to those who remain undiagnosed as AS and bogged down in cruel reality; they may find their unexpected AS symptoms they had never recognized before! It is as if they could finally get out of a long tunnel. And they will get a chance to know themselves objectively.
Certainly, AS itself won't disappear for the rest of Aspies' lives, where they may feel distant and different from society. However, I'm sure they will make the best use of their own pros of AS!

An insightful resource! I found this book to be very informative. The author's explanation of the syndrome was clear and very easy to understand. To read the preface by Luke Jackson, a student identified with Asperger's, was also very moving and validating. I am in the process of referring a high school student for Asperger's screening. This book was my number 1 resource in my own exposure to this disability and its place on the Autistic spectrum. The author covers such innovative topics as; cognitive behavior therapy, exploring friendships,the sexuality of Asperger teens, the importance of occupational therapy, safety issues,diagnosis, parenting, interventions strategies, educational concerns and disclosure & self-advocacy. One would hope a child with Asperger's would be diagnosed at the elementary level. However, with such a new awakening to the topic, I feel there are probably hundreds of misdiagnosed adolescents out there waiting for help and insight. Parents, I urge you to approach your child's teachers if you suspect Asperger-like characteristics in your own child. Then, I recommend you all read this book!

This is a great Asperger's book for counselors, family and especially teenagers. It covers the whole spectrum of symptoms and treatment and focuses on the sexual questions that a teenager or young adult might not feel free to discuss. It is respectful of their natural sexuality and the problems that may arise out of their inability to find release for their sexual desires. It is a reassuring and positive book about life's full potential for those suffering from this often undiagnosed developmental disorder. A great addition to the wide spectrum of books on Aspergers.

This book is the finest compendium of information on thehistory and tools of assessment that I have ever seen. This is amust-read for any guidance counselor, teacher, school administrator or parent that is dealing with exceptional children.

Taylor includes assessments of the screening tools, their effectiveness, and recommended usages. His reporting of research is up-to-date and easily understandable.