One 'alone, but not lonely' boy's triumph over adversity, motivated by his dream of becoming a professional footballer and a longing for truth and connection. Street's childhood memoir is a sensitive and honest portrayal, through a poetic autistic lens, of growing up with learning differences and epilepsy in an unconventional family during the 1950s and 60s. A unique and vivid social document of the period, highlighting much of the discrimination still faced by minority and disabled communities today.

Ilana Estelle grew up not knowing she had a disability, not knowing she had cerebral palsy... and it took forty-six years for her to find out. Spirituality has helped Ilana on her journey and in her new book, Spirituality, Healing and Me, she uses her experience of mental and physical disability in the healing process, to create positivity and healing for others. Packed with inspiring messages and real-life vignettes, Ilana's book shows how spirituality can help us cope with the modern world and reset our moral compass. Based on her own experiences of spirituality and healing, she shows how focusing on values such as understanding, compassion, tolerance, creativity and acceptance can help us find our inner calm. This book will help you to: - Improve emotional balance and wellness - Boost confidence and self-esteem - Stay self-aware, grounded and patient - Appreciate life and each other - Accept changing circumstances - Enhance positive emotions and personal healing

Deep inside everyone, a red beast lies sleeping. When it is asleep, the red beast is quite small, but when it wakes up, it begins to grow and grow. This is the story of a red beast that was awakened. Danni is in the school playground when his friend, Charlie, kicks a ball that hits him in the stomach, waking up the sleeping red beast: `I hate you - I'm gonna get you!'. The red beast doesn't hear the teacher asking if he's okay. It doesn't see that Charlie is sorry - how can Danni tame the red beast? The second edition of this vibrant fully illustrated children's storybook is written for children aged 4-9, and has been updated with inclusive up-to-date language and new illustrations to make sure every child's red beast can learn to be tamed! This is an accessible, fun way to talk about anger, with useful tips about how to 'tame the red beast' and guidance for parents on how anger affects children who struggle to regulate their emotions.

Being diagnosed with autism as an adult can be disorienting and isolating; however, if you can understand the condition and how it affects perceptions, relationships, and your relationship with the world in general, a happy and successful life is attainable. Through an introduction to the autism spectrum, and how the Level 1 diagnosis is characterised, the author draws on personal experiences to provide positive advice on dealing with life, health, and relationships following an adult diagnosis. The effect of autism on social skills is described with tips for dealing with family and personal relationships, parenting, living arrangements, and employment. Important topics include disclosure, available resources, and options for different therapeutic routes. On reading this book, you will learn a lot more about the autism spectrum at Level 1, be able to separate the facts from the myths, and gain an appreciation of the strengths of autism, and how autism can affect many aspects of everyday life. Drawing from the author's lived experience, this book is an essential guide for all newly diagnosed adults on the autism spectrum, their families and friends, and all professionals new to working with adults with ASDs.

For people with ASDs, depression is common, and has particular features and causes. This outstanding book provides a comprehensive review of these aspects, and an effective self-help guide for anyone with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affected by depression. Written by the leading experts in the field, the book explains and describes depression, the forms it can take, and how it looks and feels for a person on the autism spectrum. The authors draw on the latest thinking and research to suggest strategies for coping with the effects of depression and provide a complete step-by-step CBT self-help programme, designed specifically for individuals with ASDs. The programme helps increase self-awareness, including identifying personal triggers, and provides the tools to combat depression.

Challenging existing approaches to autism that limit, and sometimes damage, the individuals who attract and receive the label, this book questions the lazy prejudices and assumptions that can surround autism as a diagnosis in the 21st Century. Arguing that autism can only be understood through examining 'it' as a socially or culturally produced phenomenon, the authors offer a critique of the medical model that has produced a perpetually marginalising approach to autism, and explain the contradictions and difficulties inherent in existing attitudes. They examine and dispute the scientific validity of diagnosis and 'treatment', asking whether autism actually exists at the biological level, and question the value of diagnosis in the lives of those labelled with autism. The book recognises that there are no easy answers but encourages engagement with these essential questions, and looks towards service provision and practice that moves beyond a reliance on all-encompassing labels. This unique contribution to the growing field of critical autism studies brings together authors from clinical psychiatry, clinical and community psychology, social sciences, disability studies, education and cultural studies, as well as those with personal experiences of autism. It is essential and challenging reading for anyone with a personal, professional or academic interest in 'autism'.

'A hymn to life, love, family, and spirit' DAVID MITCHELL, author of Cloud Atlas The vividly told, gloriously illustrated memoir of an artist born with disabilities who searches for freedom and connection in a society afraid of strange bodies. ***WINNER OF THE BARBELLION PRIZE*** ***SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD*** In 1958, amongst the children born with spina bifida is Riva Lehrer. At the time, most such children are not expected to survive. Her parents and doctors are determined to 'fix' her, sending the message over and over again that she is broken. That she will never have a job, a romantic relationship, or an independent life. Enduring countless medical interventions, Riva tries her best to be a good girl and a good patient in the quest to be cured. Everything changes when, as an adult, Riva is invited to join a group of artists, writers, and performers who are building Disability Culture. Their work is daring, edgy, funny, and dark-it rejects tropes that define disabled people as pathetic, frightening, or worthless. They insist that disability is an opportunity for creativity and resistance. Emboldened, Riva asks if she can paint their portraits-inventing an intimate and collaborative process that will transform the way she sees herself, others, and the world. Each portrait story begins to transform the myths she's been told her whole life about her body, her sexuality, and other measures of normal. Written with the vivid, cinematic prose of a visual artist, and the love and playfulness that defines all of Riva's work, Golem Girl is an extraordinary story of tenacity and creativity. With the author's magnificent portraits featured throughout, this memoir invites us to stretch ourselves toward a world where bodies flow between all possible forms of what it is to be human. 'Riva Lehrer is a great artist and a great storyteller. This is a brilliant book, full of strangeness, beauty, and wonder' AUDREY NIFFENEGGER 'This astonishing, heart soaring and often shocking memoir of a Jewish woman with spina Bifida born in the 50's is bright and dark, terrifying and wonderful. An ode to art and the beauty of disability' CERRIE BURNELL

This collection of narratives from autistic adults is structured around their decades of experience of life, covering 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60 and 70s+. These are varied and diverse, spanning different continents, genders, sexualities and ethnicities, yet the author highlights the common themes that unite them and skilfully draws out these threads. Each chapter is based on accounts from one age group and includes accounts from people of that age, giving an insight into the history of autism and signifying how gaining a diagnosis (or not) has changed people's lives over time. The book is about ageing with an autistic mind, and helping the reader find connections between neurotypical and neurodiverse people by acknowledging the challenges we all face in our past, present and futures.

The transition from high school to adulthood is one of the most challenging times for young people on the autism spectrum. What will happen when all their familiar teachers, educational assistants and friends disappear after graduation? Who will replace them in the adult world? How will they manage this drastic change? Drawing on her experiences as the mother of a child on the autism spectrum and a child psychiatrist, Katharina Manassis shares common transition-related challenges and offers real solutions for each. The book helps parents and teens plan for every stage of the journey. The book includes discussion of what a successful transition means and how to set realistic goals. It explores specific aspects of the transition such as employment, independence and social life, and looks at how to address long-term concerns such as living arrangements and financial support.

A resource of fun games for parents or teachers to help young children learn social and motor skills

Barbara Sher, an expert occupational therapist and teacher, has written a handy resource filled with games to play with young children who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other sensory processing disorders (SPD). The games are designed to help children feel comfortable in social situations and teach other basic lessons including beginning and end, spatial relationships, hand-eye coordination, and more. Games can also be used in regular classrooms to encourage inclusion.A collection of fun, simple games that can improve the lives of children with ASD or other SPDs.Games can be played by parents or teachers and with individual children or groups.Games are designed to make children more comfortable in social situations and to develop motor and language skillsAlso included are a variety of interactive games to play in water, whether in a backyard kiddie pool, community swimming pool, or lakeAll the games are easy-to-do, utilizing common, inexpensive materials, and include several variations and modifications

"A skilled science translator, Denworth makes decibels, teslas and brain plasticity understandable to all."-Washington Post Lydia Denworth's third son, Alex, was nearly two when he was identified with significant hearing loss that was likely to get worse. Denworth knew the importance of enrichment to the developing brain but had never contemplated the opposite: deprivation. How would a child's brain grow outside the world of sound? How would he communicate? Would he learn to read and write? An acclaimed science journalist as well as a mother, Denworth made it her mission to find out, interviewing experts on language development, inventors of groundbreaking technology, Deaf leaders, and neuroscientists at the frontiers of brain plasticity research. I Can Hear You Whisper chronicles Denworth's search for answers-and her new understanding of Deaf culture and the exquisite relationship between sound, language, and learning.

The ability to speak is an important part of human interaction. In this book, a glimpse into the lived realities of 37 adults and 3 children with communication disorders whose humanism is somewhat compromised by their speech, language, or voice disorders is offered in humorous and heartbreaking detail. The patient's struggle to communicate is often matched by their listeners, who are struggling to understand. Stories are presented of patients treated in medical settings for such problems as aphasia, dementia, Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other CNS diseases, apraxia, and head trauma. Other stories look at people who were treated in university clinics for such disorders as cerebral palsy and stuttering. The last few stories look at speech/voice treatment for a transgender woman, the loss of voice in a young man in a state penitentiary, and finally a humorous story of a pilot with left hemiplegia flying the author. Seasoned specialist Daniel Boone does not offer therapy suggestions for either the SLP or the patient's family or friends to try. Rather, for anyone with a communication disorder, he strongly recommends that such patients should seek the guidance and therapy of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). The SLP determines what to do in therapy and practice. The stories illustrate the struggles of those who cannot always make their listeners understand. They may only be able to repeat the same phrase over and over. They may not be able to articulate words clearly enough to be understood. They may give bizarre, confusing answers to everyday questions. Taken together, they also illustrate the difficulties listeners, those who wish to understand, have in trying to make heads or tails of the intended communication. Ultimately, this work provides a sensitive look at the various disorders people have, their attempts to overcome them, the treatments that might be available, and the actions listeners can take in making communication easier and more productive.

Parenting an autistic child as a neurotypical adult can be challenging but it doesn't need to feel impossible! This essential guide will help you reshape your approaches to parenting. Packed with lived-experience insight and easy-to-follow advice this transformative guide will change how you view the behaviour of your autistic child and challenge you to rewire your thinking to see the world through the autistic lens. This guide challenges the common misunderstandings surrounding autistic behaviour, such as emotional dysregulation in public settings or meltdowns at mealtimes. Parents and carers will be given a deeper understanding of why your child behaves the way they do and how a change in your parenting approach is key to relax and resolve difficult situations. This book gives you all the tools you need to not only parent your autistic child, but also to understand them. With tips on how to support and interpret emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, food aversions and much more, you will learn how to see the world through your child's eyes, using communication techniques that will help you and your child thrive.

Meet Harry - a young boy who stutters. Harry invites readers to learn about what it is like to stutter from his perspective and how it affects his daily life and makes him feel. He talks about techniques that can help reduce stuttering and describes how friends, family and others can help him to feel at ease and reduce his stutter further. This illustrated book is full of useful information and will be an ideal introduction for young people, aged 7 upwards, as well as parents, friends, teachers and speech therapists working with children who stutter. It is also an excellent starting point for group discussions at home or school.

The purpose of special needs planning is to create the best possible life for an adult with a disability. This book provides comprehensive guidance on creating a life plan to transition a special needs child to independence or to ensure they are well cared for in the future. Beginning with a vision of a meaningful life for the child, Hal Wright explains how to form a practical plan to reach these goals, how to mentor personal empowerment and task skills, and how to create circles of support to sustain a life plan. He next looks at employment and residential options, and government programs available in the United States. Finally he talks the reader through important financial and legal considerations, including how to fund and manage a special needs trust. This book will be essential reading for all parents or guardians of a child with a cognitive, mental or physical impairment. It will also be of interest to attorneys, financial planners, insurance agents, trust officers and other professionals looking to better serve the special needs community.

A four-stage programme for parents and families looking to introduce a dog into their home for the therapeutic and practical benefits that can be brought to a child with autism, including development of communication skills and toilet training. Based on first-hand knowledge, the programme was created through the successful experience the author had bringing up two children at opposite ends of the autism spectrum. This guide is comprehensive and highly practical, with case examples, tips and advice throughout. It covers all aspects of responsible ownership and training of the dog as a companion dog, and it provides tips throughout the dog's entire life cycle. Accessible for families and professionals alike, this innovative programme can have a huge impact on the life of children with disabilities.

Growing up with Asperger Syndrome (AS) can throw up all sorts of challenges, but never fear, The Brain Guru, The Sensory Detective and The Social Scientist are here to help! These likeable characters guide children with AS through some of the trickiest, stickiest conundrums known to humankind: from anxiety and negative thinking, to sensory overload, emotions, friendship and trust and social situations. By working through the activities and using the cut-out-and-keep tools with a parent, carer or teacher, children with AS will learn how to build upon their strengths and develop techniques for coping with areas of difficulty - as well as how to handle setbacks and celebrate successes along the way! The important topic of staying safe in the digital world is also covered, providing children with the knowledge and know-how they need to use the internet, social networking and text messaging safely. Original and highly interactive, with attractive colour illustrations throughout, this is an essential toolkit for every family with a child with AS.