Life with Aspergers

You're so happy that your previously mostly silent child is now talking quite a bit. Where, until recently there had only been grunts and one-word answers, now there are whole sentences, often offering what seems to be profound insights on life.  It is only later, when you recognise the same turn of phrase, the same expression or the same accent, that you realise that all this time, he's been quoting from movies and TV shows. You feel cheated and your first impulse is to stamp it out.  The question is; should you? This condition is called echolia and it's very common in children and adults with Asperger's syndrome. There are many books and specialists who say "yes", very strongly "yes", you should stamp this behaviour out. It's even suggested by some of the most progressive writers in the field. I say no. In fact, I'm completely stunned by some of the people saying yes and it's led me to think that perhaps Echolia isn't a...

My latest article; Recognising Sensory Overload, is now available at Special-ism. http://special-ism.com/recognising-sensory-overload/ It's worth a read especially if you have a child who puts his/her hands over their ears frequently.

A Lifetime of Laughing and Loving with Autism New and Revised Stories that will warm and inspire you. Compiled by R. Wayne Gilpin It's hard to describe the gap that this book fills but it's a significant one. I've heard it described as "chicken soup for the soul for parents of children with autism" .  It's not a turn of phrase that I'd normally use, but I guess it's quite accurate. This book was one of the first positive texts published at a time when the world of autism was overwhelmingly negative. The world has changed a lot since then but I've still not seen a book which tells autism stories quite like this. The book reads very much like certain sections of a women's magazine. In Australia, the magazine column is called "mere male" and it's full of stories about partners, family and children who misinterpret things with amusing or revealing results. This book is more of the same but this time with people on the autism...

"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm; Updated and Expanded Edition 2012 Published by Future Horizons This is quite an unusual book. It's not a practical guide to handling day to day issues with Autism, nor is it a dry clinical description of Autism.  It's essentially a book promoting a new paradigm, (a whole new outlook) on Autism. It provides you with an understanding of some key positive concepts and then goes on to show how they can be put into practical use on a daily basis. I feel that this book could be better described with the considerably less catchy title of;  Ten concepts which your future happy and successful grown up child with autism needs you to know, understand, believe and "live" now - in order to ensure that the time line works out for the best. Make no mistake, these aren't ten baby concepts which will only hold true for a small part of your child's life.  They're adult ones, mantras...

We've Been Here All Along: Autistics over 35 Speak Out in Poetry and Prose Edited by Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg Last time on this blog I lamented the "epidemic of autism" and the fact that it promotes flawed concept that autism is only a relatively recent "difference" in our society. In fact Autism has been with us for a very, very long time, some say since the dawn of humanity. We've Been Here All Along is a collection of stories and poems from 22 people with autism who are over 35 years of age. People born before the late 1970s. Before the "epidemic of autism" and before Asperger's Syndrome was even recognised as a possible diagnosis. This is a collection unlike any other, full of amazing stories of men and women from all walks of life coping and not coping with the "curve-balls" that modern society throws them. It contains some amazing displays of empathy, so long considered impossible for those in the spectrum and the sto...

In general, I feel that I'm more "easy-going" than many of my colleagues on the spectrum in that the language of autism generally doesn't faze me. There is however one phrase which really "gets my goat". It's "the epidemic of autism". There is so much fear, inaccuracy and segregation hidden in this phrase that it passes through all of my barriers and actually manages to offend me. First of all, there's the negativity associated with comparing autism with a plague. An association which brings to mind words like; avoidance, quarantine, cure and eradication. Then there's the concept of rapid and uncontrolled spread, suggesting that autism is a new "disease" which has only recently appeared and is "spreading like wildfire". All of these concepts do damage to the work of autism advocacy and to the support networks of children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. They build on the concept of fear and target ...

Today I'm blogging over at Special-ism.  The topic is; Teaching your Special Needs Child to Swim. http://special-ism.com/teaching-your-special-needs-child-to-swim/ If you're in the process of doing this, then this is good article to read.  My kids had a lot of trouble with swimming but they're swimming well now.  They just needed an entirely different teaching method.