This Is Asperger Syndrome

Introduces children to the world of their peers who display the confusing behaviors of Asperger Syndrome.

Asperger's Syndrome For Dummies covers everything that both people living with the condition and their families need to know. From explaining symptoms and getting a diagnosis, through to overcoming bullying in schools and choosing between the therapy and medical treatments available, this is a complete guide to surviving and thriving with the condition. Asperger's Syndrome For Dummies includes: Part I: Understanding Asperger's syndrome (AS) Chapter 1: Introducing Asperger's syndrome Chapter 2: Discovering the causes of Asperger's syndrome Chapter 3: Diagnosing Asperger's syndrome Part II: Living with Asperger's syndrome Chapter 4: Enjoying Life with Asperger's Chapter 5: Getting the most out of education and the workplace Chapter 6: Finding independence and advocating for your rights Part III: Supporting people with Asperger's syndrome Chapter 7: Parenting and Asperger's syndrome Chapter 8: Relating to adults with Asperger's syndrome Chapter 9: Creating an AS friendly environment Part IV: Discovering therapies, medication, diet and environments for AS Chapter 10: Navigating Behavioural Therapies for Asperger's Syndrome Chapter 11: Understanding medication and diet in Asperger's syndrome Part V: Part of Tens Chapter 12: Ten Organisations to go for help and information Chapter 13: Ten positives about living with Asperger's Chapter 14: Ten famous people who probably had Asperger's

This is an excellent travelers' guide because it is written by people who have been there. The stories are enthralling and the authors' experiences enable us to understand the culture and perspective of people with autistic spectrum disorder. This book is recommended for anyone who has embarked on a journey to explore a part of our world that we have only recently discovered.' - from the foreword by Tony Attwood 'I had a great many of my hunches and hopes confirmed when I read the words of the generous parents, and their even more generous children, who contributed to this book ... Most important, I learned it is possible to be inspired to see the glass as half full, no matter how many leaks there seem to be in the cup ... I believe the community who reads this book will join me in thanking those who wrote it, for their courage, their wit and their plethora of ideas.' - from the foreword by Liane Holliday Willey For the families who have contributed to this book, living with autism spectrum disorders has been a journey of self-discovery. With honesty and humor, they describe the ways autism has affected their daily lives, the challenges they have faced and the approaches they have found beneficial. They share their practical and original strategies for dealing with issues such as helping children to develop empathy and humor, developing and maintaining friendships and explaining their autism spectrum disorders to other people. This book will be a source of advice and inspiration for families of children with autism and the professionals who work with them. It is practical, realistic and positive - autism is seen as something to be understood and celebrated. As 11-year-old Glen states in the Appendix, written by some of the children with autism featured in the book: 'I like myself and consider my difference something positive.' Linda Andron is a licensed clinical social worker, Adjunct Lecturer in Psychiatry and Bio-Behavioural Sciences and Clinical Instructor at the University of California at Los Angeles. She is the director of the UCLA Family Support Community Program and the clinical director of the Center for Asperger's Assessment and Intervention at the HELP Group. She has worked with over 500 families of children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome and is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Autism Society of Los Angeles. She has written many articles and chapters on developmental disabilities.

Learn about the possible cause of autism and Asperger Syndrome, new treatments and diagnostic tools, and therapies available.

Asperger's Syndrome, often characterized as a form of "high-functioning autism," is a poorly defined and little-understood neurological disorder. The people who suffer from the condition are usually highly intelligent, and as often as not capable of extraordinary feats of memory, calculation, and musicianship. In this wide-ranging report on Asperger's, Lawrence Osborne introduces us to those who suffer from the syndrome and to those who care for them as patients and as family. And, more importantly, he speculates on how, with our need to medicate and categorize every conceivable mental state, we are perhaps adding to their isolation, their sense of alienation from the "normal." -This is a book about the condition, and the culture surrounding Asperger's Syndrome as opposed to a guide about how to care for your child with Aspergers. -Examines American culture and the positive and negative perspectives on the condition. Some parents hope their child will be the next Glenn Gould or Bill Gates, others worry that their child is abnormal and overreact.

This book clearly explains proven and practical approaches in education and care that will enable young people with AS to thrive. The author uses anecdotes from his extensive teaching experience to illustrate potential problems relating to anxiety, communication, social rules, relationships and classroom behaviour, and put forward solutions.

Asperger syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder impacts millions of Americans, and can be diagnosed in sufferers as young as two years old. Your readers are provided with essential information on Asperger Syndrome. This book also serves as a historical survey, by providing information on the controversies surrounding its possible causes. Compelling first-person narratives by people coping with Asperger Syndrome give readers a first-hand experience. Patients, family members, or caregivers explain the condition from their own experience. The symptoms, possible causes, treatments, and potential cures are explained in detail. Essential to anyone trying to learn about diseases and conditions, the alternative treatments are explored. Each essay is carefully edited and presented with an introduction, so that they are accessible for student researchers and readers.

One of the increasing number of people diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in adulthood, New Zealand-born Jen Birch relates her story with humour and honesty, taking us through the years of frustration and confusion that led to her diagnosis in 1999. Now that she can put her life experiences into context, she candidly describes her continual search for 'normality', including her experiences at work, her difficulties with relationships, her time spent in a psychiatric hospital and her struggle for correct diagnosis in a country where the syndrome is relatively unknown. Talking positively about how her life has changed since the 'revelation', Jen aims to use this new-found knowledge to inform others about the syndrome and how, once its pros and cons are understood, life can be lived to the full.