Books for children about autism

[Hathor]

Are there any good books about autism for primary age children? Children with ASD in dcs school are first of all just mates, but dc recently asked "what is "wrong" with them?" - meaning why do they have different behaviour.
I can explain a bit. Are there any good books on this subject?

[PeachyWontLieToYou]

there's one called my brother has autism, if you can explain it's for friends too it is very good, if ssimple.

best place to look is tha national autistic society website shop

[KarenThirl]

Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome by Jude Welton is a good one. There are workbooks you can get to help children come to terms with their dx, but this one is specifically aimed at explaining AS to family and friends. Is your dc AS or ASD? It might make a difference.

[KarenThirl]

Also Kenneth Hall's Asperger Syndrome, The Universe, and Everything, written when he was ten.

[Hathor]

Thanks. I will have a look for those. Just want something straightforward and positive, for 8 year old to explain a bit about how children with ASD experience things.

[Buckets]

All Cats have Aspergers by Kathy Hoopman - a nice coffee table book to have anyway, full of photos of kittens illustrating common AS behaviours. My DD is 5 (doesn't read the words yet) and was very chuffed to show off how her little brother was like a cat.

[Hathor]

Peachy - do you mean this one:
My Brother is Different - from NAS website?

[PeachyWontLieToYou]

Ah yes that would be it! )school nicked my copy lol, but I dont mind)

[Hathor]

Thanks.

[KarenThirl]

Just come across this posted on another forum. You would probably need to modify the language a bit but essential it explains ASDs and how they affect people:

Autism was once thought to be incurable, but individuals with autism are now showing us they can overcome,
compensate for, and otherwise manage many of its most challaenging aspects.
Here are 10 things every child with autism wishes you knew:

1 I am fi rst and foremost a child. I am not primarily autistic. My autism is only one aspect of my total character.
It does not defi ne me as a person.

2 My sensory perceptions are disordered. The ordinary sights, smells, sounds and touches of ordinary life can be
downright painful for me. I may appear withdrawn or belligerent, but I am really just trying to defend myself. Here is
why a simple trip to the supermarket may be hell for me:

• My hearing may be hyper-acute. The loudspeaker booms, the music whines from the sound system, babies

wail. My brain can?t fi lter all the input and I?m in overload.

• My sense of smell may be highly sensitive. The guy standing next to us hasn?t showered today, the deli is

handing out sausage samples, they?re mopping up spilt bleach in ailse three...I am dangerously nauseated.

• I am very visually orientated, and because of this, vision may be my fi rst sense to become over-stimulated.

Fluroescent lights hum and vibrate, the lights appear to pulsate and distorts what I am seeing. The ceiling fans
are on and there are so many people moving around. There are too many items for me to be able to focus on
(I may compensate with ?tunnel vision?) All this affects my vestibular sense, and now I can?t even tell where my
body is in space.

3 It isn?t that I don?t listen to instructions, it?s that I can?t understand you. When you call me from across the room, this
is what I hear, ?@*%@ Billy.?... Instead, come over and speak directly to me in plain words: ?please put your book in
your desk Billy, it?s time to go to lunch? This tells me what you want me to do, and what is going to happen next.

4 I am a concrete thinker. I interperet language very literally. It?s confusing for me when you say, ?hold your horses?, if
what you really mean is, ?please stop running?.

5 Be patient with my limited vocabulary. It?s hard for me to tell you what I need when I don?t know the words to
describe my feelings. I may be hungry, frustrated, frightened or confused, but right now those words are beyond my
ability to express. Be alert for body language, withdrawal, agitation, or other signs something is wrong.
There is a fl ip side to this: I may sound like a little professor or movie star, rattling off words or whole scripts well
beyond my developmental age. These are messages I have memorized from books, television or other people to
compensate for my language defi cits. I may not understand the context or the terminology I?m using.

6 Because language is diffi cult for me and I am visually orientated, show me how to do something rather than just
telling me. A visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. It relieves me of the stress of having to
remember what comes next.

7 Focus and build on what I can do, rather than what I can?t do. Like you, I can?t learn if I?m constantly made to feel
not good enough and that I need ?fi xing?. Look for my strengths and you will fi nd them. There is more than one
?right? way to do most things.

8 Help me with social interactions. It may look as if I don?t want to play with other kids, but it?s just that I simply don?t
know how to start a conversation or enter into a play situation.

9 Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. Meltdowns and blow-ups are even more horrible for me than they are
for you. They can occur because one or more of my senses have gone into overload. If you can fi gure out why my
meltdowns occur, they can be prevented.

10 View my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you see as limitations, and see the gifts
autism has given me. I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed that I don?t lie, cheat
at games, or pass judgement on other people? With my attention to detail, and capacity for extraordinary focus,
I might be the next Einstein, Mozart or Van Gogh. They had autism too.

Be my advocate, be my friend, and we?ll see just how far I can go.