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![[The DRM Guide to Disability Resources on the Internet]](COVER-SMALL.GIF)
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DISABILITY RESOURCES ONLINE |
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Monitoring, Reviewing and Reporting on Resources For Independent Living |
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Four New Autism Resources
At disabilityresources.org, we receive a lot of books related to all types of conditions and diseases. While each book could be an important resource to individuals with that particular disability, it is rare that we get a number of books on the same topic in a short amount of time – except, that is, in the case of autism. With the rise in the number of children now having a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, the need for information is great, and publishers seem to be meeting this demand.
In order to help consumers, health professionals, and librarians find relevant material in a timely manner, we are spotlighting four new autism resources. Whether you are looking for educational or therapy ideas or a glimpse at life with autism, we hope you will find knowledge and empowerment in the following books.
Like all youngsters, children on the autism spectrum have personal interests that they bring with them into the classroom. For students diagnosed with some form of autism, though, focusing on one specific area of interest is often seen as an obsession that needs to be eradicated so that classroom-appropriate learning can take place. In Just Give Him The Whale, two experts in special education and inclusion put forth another way of viewing obsessions in a school setting. Re-framing a student's obsession into a positive talent and tool to facilitate educational, emotional, and social goals is the theme of this innovative approach that should prove intriguing and useful to teachers and other school personnel, families, and individuals with autism.
Paula Kluth, who co-authored the above book, is also a co-author of A Land We Can Share, a work aimed at teachers looking for ways to develop inclusive reading programs for students with autism. Incorporating some of the ideas found in Just Give Him The Whale, this volume focuses on successful literacy interventions for children along the autism spectrum. Believing that expectancy on the part of the instructor is a vital key to unlocking ability and that literacy can take many forms, the authors offer both teacher guidance and real-life accounts of individuals with autism.
In addition to educational inclusion, individuals with autism face challenges in many social interactions, typical lifeskills, and developmental and age-appropriate accomplishments. One form of increasingly explored and accepted techniques is animal-assisted intervention, as Merope Pavlides points out in her thorough exploration of this topic, Animal-assisted Interventions For Individuals With Autism. The author, who has a son diagnosed along the autism spectrum, takes a studied but lay-reader friendly look at the ways service dogs and animal-assisted therapy can benefit individuals with autism, their families, and society. Consumers, educators, health professionals, and anyone wanting a good introduction to this topic with an insider's perspective will find Pavlides' volume very useful.
As helpful as works by professionals and family members are in opening our eyes to the lives and needs of people with autism, there is nothing more enlightening than a first-person account by someone who has autism. In the best-selling Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's, John Elder Robison has written a memoir that takes readers into his world and challenges them to reconsider what society calls "normal." A troubled teenager with a savant knowledge of electronics, Robison found professional achievement, along with marriage and family life, despite realizing he was different in many ways. A diagnosis of Asperger's at the age of forty allowed the author to reassess his life and accomplishments and, in turn, to write one of the best autism memoirs of recent years
About the reviewer: A former college librarian and occupational therapist, Sally Rosenthal now writes frequently on the topics of disability, companion animals, and working dogs.
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