Navigating the Social World: A Curriculum for Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and Related Disorders

Rating:
Summary: Good if your child is able and not MR
Review: I do some work experimenting with pragmatics teaching for autistic adolescents. This book is definitely a 'good' book in this regard. Importantly it is written by a parent for other parents. I have no doubt but that it has something for everyone, but I am less sure whether it has as much for parents with genuinely autistic as opposed to high functioning autistic children. I would still recommend the book but with that caveat.

The book seesm to be largely derived from observations and techniques related to Tony Attwood's practice in Australia. Fans of Attwood should be pleased with that. It doesn't hurt its marketing either.

The author is a medical doctor and while that may lend some authority to the text, it is her position as a parent of a high functioning autistic child that drives the text along. Many lesson plans and exercises are described in detail. A lot of form filling is recommended for recording behaviour (and hopefuly progress). Some aspects of these procedures may not be applicable to all parental situations (awkward, time consuming, presuming too much of parents, etc.) but one has to look first at what can be done, rather than ruling out options in advance.

It seems like a useful programme. I suspect it is would be very practical in the hands of extremely well organised parents.

While being as fairminded as possible, it is important to point out that the book doesn't dwell much on evaluation studies. Hence what is recommended is often the result of rewarding personal persistence and experience, rather than scientific validation.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a snake oil book by any means (and there are so many about), but evaluation studies are important to some parents in helping to choose between approaches.

Of course I would recommend this book. It is focused on the (very) able autistic child in my opinion however. Personally if I had the budget for only one social skills book I would probably be inclined more towards Kathleen Quill's work than this one. It is a personal choice, and I suspect most interested parents will buy both.

Rating:
Summary: Good if your child is able and not MR
Review: I do some work experimenting with pragmatics teaching for autistic adolescents. This book is definitely a 'good' book in this regard. Importantly it is written by a parent for other parents. I have no doubt but that it has something for everyone, but I am less sure whether it has as much for parents with genuinely autistic as opposed to high functioning autistic children. I would still recommend the book but with that caveat.

The book seesm to be largely derived from observations and techniques related to Tony Attwood's practice in Australia. Fans of Attwood should be pleased with that. It doesn't hurt its marketing either.

The author is a medical doctor and while that may lend some authority to the text, it is her position as a parent of a high functioning autistic child that drives the text along. Many lesson plans and exercises are described in detail. A lot of form filling is recommended for recording behaviour (and hopefuly progress). Some aspects of these procedures may not be applicable to all parental situations (awkward, time consuming, presuming too much of parents, etc.) but one has to look first at what can be done, rather than ruling out options in advance.

It seems like a useful programme. I suspect it is would be very practical in the hands of extremely well organised parents.

While being as fairminded as possible, it is important to point out that the book doesn't dwell much on evaluation studies. Hence what is recommended is often the result of rewarding personal persistence and experience, rather than scientific validation.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a snake oil book by any means (and there are so many about), but evaluation studies are important to some parents in helping to choose between approaches.

Of course I would recommend this book. It is focused on the (very) able autistic child in my opinion however. Personally if I had the budget for only one social skills book I would probably be inclined more towards Kathleen Quill's work than this one. It is a personal choice, and I suspect most interested parents will buy both.

Rating:
Summary: Navigating the Social World
Review: This book is excellent! Written in simple terminology for parents, school staffs or caregivers of High Functioning Autistic children. Contains detailed "how to" information on emotional development, communication/social skills, abstract thinking skills, and behaviorial issues. Finally a plan I can follow as a parent to help my child meet some of his developmental milestones.

Rating:
Summary: Navigating the Social World
Review: This is an excellent resource for parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome, HFA, or similar disorders such as NLD (Nonverbal Learning Disorder, a dual diagnosis of mine). Several of the techniques are of at least some potential use for adults on the spectrum.

Once the autistic traits that are academic barriers have been overcome, it is of secondary importance to overcome the social barriers that will make it difficult for your child to function in society. This book looks very useful for that purpose, though I suspect that educating the public as to the talents and the truly neurodevelopmental basis of our differences and getting society to accept these differences would be of greater and longer-lasting importance. Alas, lacking a perfect world where J.Q. Public would be knowledgable about every "disorder" that could prevent a person from acting like the average neurotypical (NT), this book runs a close second.

This book is probably not as helpful for parents with children on the lower functioning end of the autistic spectrum, since the academic barriers (especially sensory integration dysfunction) are still in place, and the child is frequently nonverbal. It is almost impossible for a nonverbal autistic child to master social techniques of any kind. Aspie, HFA, and NLD children and adults rely almost entirely upon language to achive even a minor level of social "success". I think it might be useful to note that the "best" way to pick out a child on the autistic spectrum at an early age, NO MATTER WHAT THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING is to (as a toddler) have the child spend time with other toddlers. I highly suggest this "early diagnostic tool" to families that have several people on the autistic spectrum - including families with multiple engineers and/or computer programers ;-). NT children can "communicate" with each other, somehow, without language. They can hold whole "conversations" preverbally (it is truly an amazing sight for adults on the spectrum). NT adults can do this to a great degree as well, and can "converse" with people who speak a different language from them by using body language. From LFA to HFA to Aspergers, children and adults on the spectrum do not have this ability. It is similarly lacking in people diagnosed with NLD.

For the academically advanced child, or for the high-functioning adult, a college-level class on primate behavior is also likely to be useful. I took one in an anthropology department that showed me some of the common characteristics between the body language of "lower" primates and humans and gave me some basic interpretation tools (even if I have to think of them cognitively, which is far slower than the instinctual reaction most people have to kinesics/body language). My class included time at a zoo and observation periods (mostly of other students from a balcony) in which we made cross-species comparisons (some of which were truly eye-opening, such as the degree of self-grooming female primates tend to subject themselves to when being regarded by a desirable male primate - a process which was drastically INCREASED in noticability in the college students).

I should mention, however, that no matter how early the intervention with an autistic child, skills such as the minimal amount of reading of body language/facial expression that can be achieved are still performed at a cognitive level, rather than at an instinctive level. This being the case, reaction/response time is markedly slower, leading to many "well-trained" children acting like social robots. Again, I am not entirely sure that this is more "functional" than educating people about the autistic spectrum and the various forms of social "blindness" that are an integral part of these disorders.

In many ways, my attempts of learning body language and their meaning to NTs has been characterized by an "intellectual-only" understanding. For me, characterizing the physical responses of NTs to the feeling of anger is like a blind person explaining that red is a color just below "infra-red" in the visual range, or that Monet is an impressionist painter noted for his wide range of color and paintings of flowers in France. This intellectual understanding of the subject does not mean that I can really utilize the information, just as the blind person cannot tell red from green or a Monet from a Picasso. All the techniques and explanations in this (or any other) book cannot change that.

Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: An Aspie/NLD Reader
Review: This is an excellent resource for parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome, HFA, or similar disorders such as NLD (Nonverbal Learning Disorder, a dual diagnosis of mine). Several of the techniques are of at least some potential use for adults on the spectrum.

Once the autistic traits that are academic barriers have been overcome, it is of secondary importance to overcome the social barriers that will make it difficult for your child to function in society. This book looks very useful for that purpose, though I suspect that educating the public as to the talents and the truly neurodevelopmental basis of our differences and getting society to accept these differences would be of greater and longer-lasting importance. Alas, lacking a perfect world where J.Q. Public would be knowledgable about every "disorder" that could prevent a person from acting like the average neurotypical (NT), this book runs a close second.

This book is probably not as helpful for parents with children on the lower functioning end of the autistic spectrum, since the academic barriers (especially sensory integration dysfunction) are still in place, and the child is frequently nonverbal. It is almost impossible for a nonverbal autistic child to master social techniques of any kind. Aspie, HFA, and NLD children and adults rely almost entirely upon language to achive even a minor level of social "success". I think it might be useful to note that the "best" way to pick out a child on the autistic spectrum at an early age, NO MATTER WHAT THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING is to (as a toddler) have the child spend time with other toddlers. I highly suggest this "early diagnostic tool" to families that have several people on the autistic spectrum - including families with multiple engineers and/or computer programers ;-). NT children can "communicate" with each other, somehow, without language. They can hold whole "conversations" preverbally (it is truly an amazing sight for adults on the spectrum). NT adults can do this to a great degree as well, and can "converse" with people who speak a different language from them by using body language. From LFA to HFA to Aspergers, children and adults on the spectrum do not have this ability. It is similarly lacking in people diagnosed with NLD.

For the academically advanced child, or for the high-functioning adult, a college-level class on primate behavior is also likely to be useful. I took one in an anthropology department that showed me some of the common characteristics between the body language of "lower" primates and humans and gave me some basic interpretation tools (even if I have to think of them cognitively, which is far slower than the instinctual reaction most people have to kinesics/body language). My class included time at a zoo and observation periods (mostly of other students from a balcony) in which we made cross-species comparisons (some of which were truly eye-opening, such as the degree of self-grooming female primates tend to subject themselves to when being regarded by a desirable male primate - a process which was drastically INCREASED in noticability in the college students).

I should mention, however, that no matter how early the intervention with an autistic child, skills such as the minimal amount of reading of body language/facial expression that can be achieved are still performed at a cognitive level, rather than at an instinctive level. This being the case, reaction/response time is markedly slower, leading to many "well-trained" children acting like social robots. Again, I am not entirely sure that this is more "functional" than educating people about the autistic spectrum and the various forms of social "blindness" that are an integral part of these disorders.

In many ways, my attempts of learning body language and their meaning to NTs has been characterized by an "intellectual-only" understanding. For me, characterizing the physical responses of NTs to the feeling of anger is like a blind person explaining that red is a color just below "infra-red" in the visual range, or that Monet is an impressionist painter noted for his wide range of color and paintings of flowers in France. This intellectual understanding of the subject does not mean that I can really utilize the information, just as the blind person cannot tell red from green or a Monet from a Picasso. All the techniques and explanations in this (or any other) book cannot change that.

Good luck!