Hi would appreciate any parents with children with asd to give feedback...

[killagorilla]

Hi my best friend has aspergers, she wasn't diagnosed until a year ago. She was shunned by her parents that are in denial about the diagnosis. She has always known she was "different" but her parents never took her to see anyone. She is now writing a book from the perspective of a child/young adult growing up with asd.
I was wondering if you felt as parents this would be a good source of knowledge and reference for you, do you think it could help other parents when their child is diagnosed?
It covers everything from bullying at school she suffered, her making friends, interacting with her family, her first boyfriend and her transition to uni.
I would also like to know if anyone in here would like to volunteer to have a read through of what she has written so far (warning it is heart rending). She has very low self esteem and I really think it would make her believe in herself and what she is doing if she had positive feedback.
Any help would be much appreciated,
Thank you :)

Hello you may get better results to repost in Special needs children there is a high level of users there many with children with autism. I have a 5 year old with autism and books that have been written by people with autism explaining the condition has been a huge source of knowledge for me. She should continue with her book.

My DH has discovered he too is on the sprectrum and suffered bullying at school and social problems through his life.

It always helps me to hear how things look through the eyes of someone with ASD. I find it hard sometimes to work out why my girls behave in particular ways then something someone with ASD says can make it all fall into place. That makes it so much easier to help them.

I guess it depends on the purpose of the book. If the purpose is to tell a heart-rending story of being misunderstood and socially excluded it won't help many parents because we're already broken hearted from watching that happen to our DCs. If it explains the whys and wherefores of how someone with AS may behave, how she came to be misunderstood and, with hindsight, how things could have been different I would be very interested to read it and very happy to give feedback at any time she would find it helpful.

I agree wholeheartedly with the above posters.

I've read extensively on this subject, and some of the 'My Story' type books have been less than useful, since they are far too personal and difficult to generalise from.

I think a book like this could be very cathartic to write, and for that reason she should continue, but beware of sharing too much personal info, and people reading it should be prepared to be honest and subjective-if she is feeling sensitive at the moment, that's nothing to how she'll feel if she opens her heart, publishes, and the book is not well received!