When young people have questions about a brother or sister with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, clear answers are hard to find. 'Why does Daniel do that?' is the question ten year old Emily recalled asking her parents as a young child when she first sought to understand her older brother and his differences. Written by Eve Band, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, his book gives voice to Emily's story: her questions about her brother, her search for answers about autism, her exploration of her feelings as a sibling of a high-functioning autistic brother. Told in her voice, Emily's story is as uplifting as it is filled with valuable information for parents and siblings - or any individual whose life is touched by a person with autism or Asperger's Syndrome.

Examining the overlooked subject of non-disabled siblings in families where there is a disabled child, Brothers and Sisters of Disabled Children details the experiences of these children and explores what it means to have a disabled brother or sister. Through family interviews and one-on-one meetings, Peter Burke records siblings' views on issues ranging from the everyday social restrictions of their lives and the discrimination they face at school; the difficulties of finding their own identity in 'disabled' families and competition for parental attention; through to their concerns about the future.

When I'm Away From Home is a workbook designed to provide specific information about the individual care requirements of a disabled child for anyone responsible for their care. It includes the child's medical and physical needs, their daily routine and a section which they can fill in themselves about their personality, preferences and habits. The workbook will benefit everyone involved: it will be an invaluable resource for the carer; the child, who may find it particularly difficult to understand and adapt to change, will benefit from the continuation of their everyday routine; and it may help to alleviate the anxieties of a parent or carer when they entrust their child into someone else's care. This clear and comprehensive workbook will help ensure that children's mental, physical, medical and emotional needs are met whenever they are being looked after by someone other than their primary carer.

This book offers professionals and parents, in a step-by-step approach, "How to" instructions for addressing a variety of sleep-related problems. These widely tested, largely drug-free techniques have helped hundreds of children with special needs.

Sammy's a special brother but he doesn't need special love -- he's just like any other brother. Sammy is autistic, and our narrator, Sammy's older brother, tells us how he (sometimes) wishes Sammy weren't so special. But as Sammy and his brother learn to share time together, our narrator discovers that he's 'lucky to have a special brother because that makes me special too.'

This book is a much-need resource that specifically addresses the eating challenges of children who may have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dysfunction in sensory integration (DSI), or other developmental delays. Poor oral-motor skills, physical impairments, a fear of new foods, and even a stressful mealtime environment can all contribute to eating problems and food aversions. In this guide, the authors provide invaluable information on the complexity of the eating process, the most common factors contributing to food aversions and food selectivity, and the creation of a written treatment plan. Chapters include: identifying a resistant eater; oral-motor development; environmental and behavioral factors that contribute to eating problems; sensory-based and motor-based problems; designing and implementing a treatment plan; environmental controls; gastrointestinal, physical, and oral-motor development; stages of sensory development for eating; and additional considerations. This is a comprehensive handbook for parents and professionals who live or work with resistant eaters.

In this wise, compassionate account, Helen Featherstone, educator and mother of a severely disabled child, traces the long, often heartbreaking road toward complete acceptance of disability. Drawing on interviews with parents and professionals, published accounts, and her own personal experience, she discusses how parents and siblings cope with their feelings of fear, anger, guilt, and loneliness. She also explains what kind of support and understanding can be provided by professionals - doctors, therapists, and teachers.

Sibling relationships involving a brother or sister with an autism spectrum disorder present enormous emotional and practical challenges throughout the life span. In a unique combination of narrative context and deeply moving first-person excerpts from interviews with 20 siblings, this informative guide offers in-depth coverage of the issues of paramount concern to typical siblings. A chapter devoted to coping strategies is enhanced by end-of-chapter professional advice on how to maximize the sibling relationship.

Autism is one of the most mysterious and disabling of all childhood development disorders, commonly appearing in the second year of life. The object of this work is to explore aspects of the family's experience of autism, and in this regard, it offers a sociological account of what it is like to be parents of an autistic child. In doing so, certain issues are examined that are commonly addressed in the sociological study of the illness experience. These include stress, coping, stigma and notions of illness causation. An ethnographic approach informed the study's methodology, which combined in-depth interviews and participant observation. Thirty-three parents, whose children attended an autistic treatment center, were selected for study and, depending on their preferences, were interviewed at home or at the center. Interviews were also held at the center with key staff, including administrators and social workers. During most of the study, the author resided at the treatment center, which enabled him to learn how it operates and about the relations between the staff and the clients and the latter's parents. This text serves as an excellent resource for parents, families, therapists, professionals and those who work with autistic children.

Special Brothers and Sisters is a collection of real-life accounts from the brothers and sisters of children with special needs, disability or serious illness, ranging in age from 3 to 18 years. They explain, in their own words, what it's like to live with their siblings. There is a lot of advice available for parents of a child with a disability or illness, but very little about the important issue of educating their siblings about how they feel, and why they may behave differently from other children. These stories -- from 40 different families -- come with related tips to help siblings deal with some of the things that happen in their family lives. The book also provides a helpful glossary to explain, in child-friendly language, the disabilities and medical conditions mentioned, including ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome. Special Brothers and Sisters is an engaging and educational collection that will enable young people and adults to share in the extraordinary experience of being a sibling of a child with special needs, a disability or serious illness.

An invaluable guide to understanding sibling relationships, how autism affects these relationships, and what families can do to support their children as they cope with the intensive needs of a child with autism.

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) affects as many as one in ten people. With humour, optimism and compelling honesty throughout, this is an insightful handbook that provides invaluable practical advice, including: AS Facts and figures; Asperger's questionnaires; Advice and guidelines on diagnosis; Asperger's and employment; How to handle the difficult times; and Personal accounts from people with Asperger's. By researching expert opinions and telling her own compelling human story, Barbara Jacobs reveals the truth about those with Asperger's and all those who love them.

Meet the Karasiks, a typical middle-class 1960s family: one mother, one father, one daughter, and three sons, one of whom, David, has autism. The Ride Together is an extraordinary family memoir told in alternating chapters of comics and text. With a narrative that stretches over nearly fifty years, Paul and Judy Karasik -- he writes with pictures, she with words -- unite to relate the story of their family, their brother David, and the history of their relationship with him. In doing so, each comes to understand the responsibility David represents and the meaning his life gives theirs. In the pages of The Ride Together, David grows from child to man, remaining dependent on others, even as he witnesses his siblings leaving home -- and him – for careers and lives of their own. He speaks in a code of his own; he performs his own versions of The Adventures of Superman and Face the Nation; he writes page after page of television synopses. What he understands of life and death no one can truly tell, yet David walks through his days with dignity and, as it turns out, endurance. At first glance the adventure of this book is its brilliant experiment of form -- the story of a brother with autism told in a style that is as unusual as the subject matter. But The Ride Together goes deeper than that: It takes a family that may appear strange to some -- like many families with disabilities -- and reveals a group of people whose acceptance of what life has dealt them helps them persevere through good times and bad. Praised by writers for its craft and by families for its authenticity, The Ride Together provides a remarkable portrait of a family with a difference.

This one-of-a-kind book discusses the pros and cons of hiring in-home care providers for children with autism spectrum and other neurological disorders. Everything from assessing the family’s needs and core values to advertising for, interviewing, hiring and training care providers is discussed, along with the special considerations necessary to support the needs of children with neurological disorders.

Children with autism and their life partners - their parents, families, peers and educators - who are not on the autism spectrum can feel as though they live in separate, and even incompatible worlds. Communicating Partners, the result of over thirty years of clinical practice, research and professional teaching, offers an innovative approach to working with children with ASDs that focuses on developing these relationships through mutual understanding.

Today, more grandparents are taking an active role in the lives of their grandchildren with autism. This loving book began as a series of love letters from grandfather to grandson and grew into one of the most touching and insightful books we have to offer.

A long-awaited and much-needed book, Strengthening Relationships deals with the impact a special needs child has on the family and, most particularly, the parents' relationship. Subjects covered include avoiding blame, support and guidance; sex, affection, and intimacy; money matters; time alone; effective communication; divorce; and affordable child care. It even contains a six-week program for couples.

For most people, family life means both love and compromise. Within families where one or more members have Asperger Syndrome (AS), this compromise becomes yet more crucial to mutual happiness. In a revealing and candid account, the McCabe family discusses how Patrick's AS affects each relationship - with his wife (Estelle), son (Jared), other family members, friends and colleagues - and how they have all learned to accommodate each other's varying needs. Focusing positively on the relationships that are both the most important and the most difficult to maintain, this book is invaluable for anyone closely involved with AS.

When a child is born, family life changes forever. If that child has special needs, the changes can seem overwhelming. What are the daily blessings and challenges that await parents when their child is not who they expected? How can they deal with their complex emotions, build a relationship with their special child, and maintain family unity? Dr Robert A. Naseef, a professional psychologist and father of a son with autism, answers these critical questions with keen insight and honesty. Special Children, Challenged Parents is both a father's intensely personal journey and an invaluable professional guide for parents of children with disabilities.

A real-life story about a young boy with a brother diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. In story-like fashion, text tells of the brother's relationship, their trials and tribulations, and ultimately, their genuine affection for each other.

The pressures, strains and sometimes joys of looking after a child with autism are increasingly recognized in professional and academic circles. This book presents key findings from a research study conducted by the Family Assessment Unit that involved many long discussions with the parents and siblings of children and young people with autism. The authors provide a unique approach dealing specifically with the needs of families informed interventions for helping the family units The authors demonstrate how autism affects parents, siblings and carers. They provide case studies that examine their experiences as individuals and as family units over the life course of their son or daughter, brother or sister with autism. They identify various stressors from this study and an examination of previous research in this area. For example, families often face enormous stress in having the disorder diagnosed. There is also the complex stress associated with increasing social and behavioural difficulties, and guilt arising from others labelling the parents 'mismanagement of the children. The authors examine the diagnostic process from the viewpoint of parents and primary carers and chart the developments that have taken place in research and practice with families. They develop strategies for supporting and empowering families to better assist their children with autism, including contingency management approaches. Supporting the Families of Children with Autism is a valuable resource for a wide range of professionals who work with autistic children and their families, including health visitors, specialist teachers, social workers and p'diatricians. It will be of interest to educational psychologists and families of children with autism.

The first book to focus on the treatment issues of couples and families and the full range of chronic and life-threatening disorders that affect them.

The first nine chapters in this book are devoted to describing what is known about autism (and related disorders), along with diagnosis and treatment and intervention. There are a few stories and observations in the first person, but for the most part the presentation is factual. The next four chapters consider the difficulties and joys of being a sibling to an autistic child, and advocacy. This section offers sympathetic and practical advice about dealing with negative feelings, overburdened parents, and curious neighbors. Peer support and when to get professional help are also discussed. There is not much available on this subject for a young audience, although much of the advice is similar to that in other books dealing with illness and disabilities in families. Though teens could also benefit from reading Sandra Harris's Siblings of Children with Autism (Woodbine House, 1994), it is written with parents in mind. -- School Library Journal

Parents have a key role in making sure their child develops healthy sexuality, that sense of self and confidence that helps make us all well-adjusted and strong individuals. In this touching and lively book, you'll learn how to interact with your children - no matter their age or ability - in a way that increases self-esteem, encourages appropriate behavior, empowers them to recognize and respond to abuse, and enables them to develop life long relationships. Parents share with you the joys and challenges of raising a child with an intellectual disability as they offer you helpful advice and practical strategies. And you'll hear individuals with intellectual disabilities explain what's important to them. Let authors Karin Melberg Schwier and Dave Hingsburger show you, in this inspiring book, how to accomplish one of the most significant tasks every parent faces - raising a proud and confident son or daughter.

True to its title, this comprehensive resource offers parents and other caregivers practical and effective approaches to solving the many puzzles of daily living with a child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) - from dressing, toileting, and eating, to going to the playground, visiting the dentist, getting used to a new baby, and many, many more. Each of the everyday scenarios presented is broken down into four components for ease of use: The presenting problem is defined; Its possible relevance to ASD is explained; Recommendations and strategies are offered; A summary conclusion is provided.

The Perfect book for young siblings and as a guide for helping preschool and kindergarten-aged students better understand their peers with autism.

Thomas’ oldest grandchild is autistic, and the book is the story of the 10 years since Katie was diagnosed.