Recommended Books On Autism

TOP TEN TIPS BY TERESA A. CARDON M.A.

I get by with a little help … Do you ever feel like you’re in this parenting thing alone? Like no one understands what you’re going through? Parenting children on the autism spectrum is an adventure with countless twists and turns. However, with a little help from 44 fellow parents and professionals your daily journey can be a little less bumpy.

Top Ten Tips offers 520 practical, tried-and-true tips. The book is organized so that you don’t have to read through theories or lengthy descriptions – it is all practical; short and sweet. The stuff you want to know NOW! The book is broken down into nine chapters with topics ranging from family outings, holidays, and frequent activities (bath time, meal time, etc.).

This at-your-fingertips tool will help families with a child on the autism spectrum navigate their way through everyday activities and occurrences in. Contributors include speech language therapists, occupational therapists, autism experts, parents, and individuals on the spectrum.

I immediately was impressed by all the topics Top Ten Tips covers.  Everything is covered, from the everyday topics such as eating and bed time, to the infrequent such as Disney World.  In fact, we just happened to be going to Florida for Christmas and the travel tips and theme park tips saved me.  The tips are practical and cover the Autism Spectrum.  I found Top Ten Tips easy to read and will be referencing it for years.  The appendix guide and reference guide at the end of the book are worth the price alone too.  I already found an amazing documentary to send to my family from the tips that has helped tremendously.  I highly recommend this book to parents, family and care givers to learn more about how to help the amazing child with Autism in their life.   You can read an excerpt here and buy Top Ten Tips for $19.99 at  AAPC Publishing Company.

WHAT’S THAT LOOK ON YOUR FACE BY CATHERINE S. SNODGRASS

Recognizing and interpreting facial expressions and the feelings they represent poses great challenges for children with language and communication difficulties, including those with an autism spectrum disorder. This strikingly illustrated book helps young readers link faces to feelings by presenting situations they can all relate to. Each page spread is devoted to a feeling expressed through an exaggerated facial expression accompanied by a short poem that further elaborates on the expression to reinforce its meaning.

The Foreword by Diane Twatchman-Cullen includes activities designed to help children develop the skills necessary to recognize common facial expressions using the accompanying poster-size chart of the twelve basic feelings covered.

What’s That Look On Your Face  is recommended for grades 3-5th but my five year old and I enjoyed reading it tremendously!  I adapted it more for his age by having him act out the facial expressions.  The words are definitely for older children.  I absolutely adore the illustrations!  My son really responded to them.  They are unique and impressive.  Twelve feelings are covered and with each one is a rhyming poem of other words for those feelings. The activities in the beginning of the book are a great additional resource. What’s That Look is available for $18.95 at AAPC PUBLISHING COMPANY.  Below is an example of the adorable illustrations.  You can read an excerpt here.

MY SENSORY BOOK BY LAUREN H. KERSTEIN L.C.S.W.

*   This text is set up for adults to use with children and older children to use on their own (although adult facilitation may be quite useful).

Children struggling with sensory integration issues have limited, sometimes even no, ability to do anything else. My Sensory Book: The More I Know About My World, The Better I Will Feel is a workbook designed to assist children with establishing a clearer understanding of their sensory systems and the impact sensory input may have on their emotions. The book provides clear descriptions and specific information about sensory systems and illustrates the link that can exist between sensory input and emotions.

This relationship can be useful in children and adults establishing and understanding the triggers for their strong emotions, which helps make it easier to put strategies in place that may mitigate these feelings and ultimately help them cope more effectively with the world around them. The workbook includes activity opportunities for self exploration in the areas of sensory systems, arousal levels, and emotions and walks children (and their adults) through determining a personal plan for difficult situations.

My Sensory Book is laid out effectively and simply to understand more about sensory issues that some children may struggle with.  Each chapter covers each sensory and describes symptoms, strategies and resources for the parent and the child to utilize.  It includes effective worksheets and activities parents can work on with their child to help them understand their triggers and how to effectively manage them.  I think My Sensory Book is a wonderful resource for parents and children struggling with this topic.  You can read an excerpt here and My Sensory Book is available for    $21.95 at AAPC Publishing Company.