A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive

Customer Reviews

not comprehensive

2007-09-10
This book is ok if you are just beginning to understand aspergers, but it doesn't have the practical advice implied, and it's not as comprehensive as Atwood's books.

My favorite for HFA parents!

2007-01-26
I have read several books on ASD and this one was by far the most helpful. Most books are aimed at younger and more severely affected children, so it was so helpful to read detailed information concerning older childre, adolescents, and adults. As both a parent of a PDD-NOS child and an adult with some autistic-spectrum traits myself, I can attest that the information on learning styles and social difficulties is dead-on.

As an aside, I was surprised that the book mentioned nothing about one major problem common to HFA children and adults: a severe difficulty with recognizing faces.

Packed with information, a must read for new diagnosis

2007-01-22
Our son's psychologist recommended this book following his Asperger's diagnosis and it has been tremendously useful already. We were able to gain understanding of our son with every chapter and implement new strategies immediately with positive results. This book has so much information in such a tiny space that you can read and re-read this many times and still glean more information. It helps you to understand what Asperger's is, why your child does what s/he does, and most importantly how to work with your child, teachers, and others to make life enjoyable and more functional again. I highly recommend this book to any parent of a newly diagnosed child. When you finish this book, you should read Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin - another fascinating and useful perspective on the ASD world of your child.

Positive Outlook

2007-01-09
This book was refreshing in that it focuses on how to use the strengths that ASD children possess in order to work through some of the difficulties they may face. This approach gave me a different way of viewing my son - a little guy with many tools that will help him overcome the challenges that will come his way.

Must read!

2006-07-11
This book provides really good insights into children with Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. Recommended to me by a school social worker, and I understand why.

Extremely helpful and practical

2006-02-25

Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning autism are detected earlier and more accurately today than ever before. Children and teens with these disorders often stand out for their precocious intelligence and language abilities--yet profound social difficulties can limit every aspect of their lives. This hopeful, compassionate guide shows parents how to work with their child's unique impairments and capabilities to help him or her learn to engage more fully with the world and live as self-sufficiently as possible. From leading experts in the field, the book is packed with practical ideas for helping children relate more comfortably to peers,learn the rules of appropriate behavior, and participate more fully in school and family life. It also explains what scientists currently know about autistic spectrum disorders and how they are diagnosed and treated. Real-life success stories, problem-solving ideas, and matter-of-fact advice on everything from educational placements to career planning make this an indispensable reference that families will turn to again and again.

A must read!

2004-06-16
My husband picked this book up at the speech therapists office shortly after our son was finaly diagnosed with Aspergers. It has lots of helpful answers and resources.
A must-read if you are looking for guidance or answers to questions about ASD. Very hard to find at the library or on the shelf, but really glad we did!

Dr. Ozonofff is one of the Best - A really good book.

2003-10-09
I like this book. I am and adult with AS with an adult child on the spectrum. I'm sorry to say that this book is mainly about kids and teens with AS, but it does have some good points that are helpful to adults. If you are interested in parenting, this is a good book. I also highly recommend Karen Zelan's book "Between our world and theirs"

I have met Dr. Ozonoff, she get's big points from me for being a really nice person.

I really appreciate her working to break down the artificial barrier between the AS and HFA labels.

Buy this book. 2003-07-06
I have a son with AS in his third year at a major University in the Northeast. If you are reading this....you will love this book. Very informative, helpful, and very reassuring. I wish that I had found it years ago.

An intelligent thorough review of many options 2003-03-30
There is a research thrust to this book (unsurprising given Ozonoff's research contributuons) that puts it a few notches above others in the market. Unquestionably this, plus a very fluent writing style, puts the book in a different class.

Unlike specific intervention texts, it does not lay out particular lesson plans but reviews methodological principles and best practices. As one would expect from the authors, the book is superb on descriptions of Autistic Disorders and prognosis. It has less advice on specific intervention strategies than one might like, but it does offer reviews of approaches. For interventions, I would recommend looking at Succeeding with Interventions for Asperger Syndrome Adolescents.

So what does this book offer over the many others on the same bookshelf? Well it's horses for courses. It's avery balanaced book and certainly it doesn't understate the difficulties. I think that professionals and researchers will get a more out of it than others. However, there just isn't a whole pile written on AS and adolescence. Hence parents with a research interest will also gain a lot. Ultimately it is a slightly more 'high brow' book than notional equivalents. I have certainly found myself going back to it rather than the others over the past few months.