Blue Skies

Blue Skies by Robert Fromberg is an excellent story that tells about the life of the speaker and how it relates to his son, David, who has autism. With easy to read sentences, and understandable topic, Blue Skies is a great read for those interested in autism.

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Staying in the Game

Staying in the game: providing social opportunities for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities by James Loomis is an in-depth guide for parents looking to improve the social skills of their children with autism. The book is arranged methodically, beginning with identifying appropriate social opportunities, then progressing to the nitty gritty of interventions and the role of adults and peers in the process.

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Treating Eating Problems

Treating eating problems of children with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities: interventions for professionals and parents is a two-part book written for caregivers and professionals who work with children who resist normal eating patterns. The first half explains the basic origins of eating problems to parents, teachers and caregivers, while the second offers advice to professionals looking to apply behavioral assessment and design individualized interventions.

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Autism: The Search for Coherence

Autism: The Search for Coherence discusses the causes and treatments for autism by the leading experts in the field. They look at these factors through various sides such as psychology, medicine, education, and biology. In the book, the reader will also find the latest scientific and clinical research for autism.

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Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism?

Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism? was written by the leaders in the fields of autism and asperger syndrome. Within the book, the reader will find discussions of diagnoses, interventions in autistic spectrum disorders, assessment of the conditions, issues people might encounter, and treatments.

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Helping Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Helping Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Step-By-Step workbook for Families is an excellent source for parents who have children on the autism spectrum. Within the book, readers will learn how to enable their children to interact better with others, teach your child how to be more independent, help your child participate in community activities and much more. Helping Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder also includes exercises, assessments and suggestions to help identify your child's needs, find and develop sources of support for you and your child and learn when and how to find professional help.

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Gifts for Kids with Autism

The trees are up, the houses sparkle, and the big day is fast approaching. Shopping for gifts can be stressful, and particularly difficult if you're looking for toys for a child with autism.

Julie Bick of the New York Times wrote an article to help. Bick offers several resources from toy companies like the Differently-Abled Toy Guide by Toys 'R Us or the spectrum-friendly gift ideas at Neurodiversity.com. She also covers recommendations from parents and professionals for main-stream toys and options off the beaten path. For example, the author of Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew once gave her son "a tissue-lined wicker basket containing 10 cans of shaving cream, to be dispensed at will in the bathtub, sink or wading pool."

You can read the original article here.

Military Family Autism Equality Act

The Tricare health program, the Pentagon-issued insurance for veterans and active-duty personnel, may soon cover autism therapy for children of retirees.

Republican Representative Jeff Miller of Florida has proposed the Military Family Autism Equality Act, which would allow veterans the same access to autism care as active-duty service members. This would provide "up to $2,500 per month for training, rehabilitation, special education, institutional care and sometimes transportation." Legislators and advocates hope that the act will help take the sting out of costly therapies that, thanks to low Medicaid reimbursements, ex-military families must often pay for out-of-pocket.

You can read more about the proposal in the Army Times.

When Snow Turns to Rain

When Snow Turns to Rain: One Family's Struggle to Solve the Riddle of Autism tells the story of Craig b. Schulze's family's experience while trying to understand their son's autism. In When Snow Turns to Rain, the reader will see the transformation that happened from when Craig's son Jordan was a "happy engaging toddler to a progressively disconnected child with autism." The reader will also discover the struggles that came with trying to understand autism and the determinations to find treatments and educational programs for his son.

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Autism: Information and Resources

Autism: Information and resources for Professionals and Parents by Richard L. Simpson and Paul Zionts is an excellent guide for parents and professionals who experience on a regular basis the frustration that can come with living and working with children who have autism. In the book, the reader can discover answers to some commonly asked questions what the most effective interventions and treatments for someone with autism and what can happen to their child once he or she has become and adult.

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Somebody Somewhere

Somebody Somewhere: Breaking Free from the world of Autism by Donna Williams describes her life after writing her first book, Nobody Nowhere. Within the book, the reader will discover what it was like for Williams to continue trying to complete her education, continue on with her psychiatric treatment and more. Williams describes what it was like beginning to teach children with autism, while still trying to work with her own.

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Autism Fact Sheet

Last week, CeDIR updated the collection of Fact Sheets available on our central website. Among these was the Autism Spectrum Disorders fact sheet, which serves as a starting point for parents, teachers or individuals facing a new diagnosis of autism. The sheet also makes a good handout for students or basic information for the general public.

For more disability-related facts, visit the Disability Information section of our website.

Preparing Your Child for Santa

Santa-America, an organization that provides volunteer Santas to visit children with special needs in homes, hospitals or hospices, has put together a very useful video to prepare children with autism to meet Santa Claus.

The video, which you can view on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YGLYeOorJM), shows Santa describing each of the elements that make him different from other people. He describes his beard, his glasses, his hat, bells, gloves, etc., as well as the events that surround Santa (like waiting in line and taking pictures). The video finishes with an example of a boy visiting with Santa, so your child will know exactly what to expect and how to behave.

For more winter holiday prep tips, visit the IRCA's article on Making the Most of the Holidays for Your Family and Your Son/Daughter on the Autism Spectrum.

Ask and Tell

Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum aims to try and help those on the autism spectrum learn how to effectively self-advocate in order to become independent, happy members of society. Ask and Tell includes advice on what to do and say by six people on the autism spectrum. Within the book, the reader will find information about how perceptions and behaviors can limit access to opportunities in education, social groups, and employment.

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Precious Treasure

Precious Treasure: The Story of Patrick by Elizabeth Matthews tells the story of her son Patrick, who was diagnosed with autism. Precious Treasure contains letters written to her son about the good, the bad, the joys, and challenges of raising a child with special needs. Within the book, the reader will also discover that through her relationship to God, Matthews gained a better understanding of her son.

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Getting Services for your Child on the Autism Spectrum

Getting Services for your Child on the Autism Spectrum by DeAnn Hyatt-Foley and Matthew G. Foley tells the story of two parents who, after their child was diagnosed PDD, searched for the proper educational care because professionals were not sure what to do to cater to their son's needs. Getting Services explains how the family went about getting educational services and information about those with disabilities, what they learned from these experiences and what other parents can do to help their child. Getting Services is an excellent source for those looking for advice on getting educational services for their children.

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