Our Library

My son was diagnosed October 1, 2009. Since then, we have purchased a new book on Asperger's, autism, twice exceptional, or something related to those about once a week. In addition to that, we have checked out and read numerous other books and we've barely made a dent in the number of books that discuss our son's condition.

A simple query for "Asperger's Syndrome," on Amazon yields search results of 1,279 books, 36 movies/tv, 144 Kindle, 8 VHS, and so forth. If you search for "autism," hold on to your hat: 5,173 books, 177 movies, etc. Not too terribly long ago, parents whose children were diagnosed with Asperger's had very few researches to which to turn. Fortunately, parents of newly diagnosed children now have many resources at their disposal. The difficulty now lies in determining what books will help us the most. Since Asperger's and autism manifest in a variety of ways, it's expected that one book will help one family and child while the same book won't be helpful at all for another.

Although my opinion of books is subjective and dependent on how it helps us understand our son with is own unique issues, I intend to post reviews of the books I have read in order to provide some information about what issues the books address as well as what we found beneficial about them. Since money is tight for any family with a special needs child, I suggest checking books out from the library where available then, if the book proves to be useful, purchasing a used copy of it if possible.

To start, it seems only appropriate to review the very first book we read when we suspected that our son might have Asperger's. This book was recommended to us by a psychiatrist with many years of experience with autistic children who thought, prior to evaluating our son, that it was possible he may be autistic.

Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Tony Attwood.

As I flip through the book now to remind myself of its contents, I'm struck by my highlights, underlines, and hand drawn stars, exclamations and comments written in the margins. The book started our journey from ignorance to understanding, from confusion to validation. Initially, we focused on the chapter regarding diagnosis where he includes the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome, around 30 questions covering topics such as social and emotional abilities, communication skills, cognitive skills, specific interests, and movement skills. After completing the questionnaire, we had a pretty strong indication that our son likely had Asperger's.

As devastating and discouraging as this possibility was, the book gingerly yet honestly led us through each chapter and explained what a diagnosis of Asperger's meant as well as the many ways it presented itself in children. As I flipped each page, I repeatedly recognized my son in his descriptions and often was simultaneously tearful and relieved to find an explanation for my son's unusual and bewildering behavior. Shortly after reading the book, my son was evaluated and the psychiatrist diagnosed him as having Asperger's. So confident was he that he joked he'd bet his house on it. Between a book that described my son and a well respected psychiatrist confidently diagnosing him, we had found the answer we needed and, although things are still difficult, our son has made progress in several areas of concern thanks to his being diagnosed and being treated it for it by dedicated and competent professionals.

Would I recommend this book? Certainly. I would definitely recommend it for a parent who suspects their child has Asperger's or for parents whose child has recently been diagnosed with it. It would also be good for anyone who loves a person with Asperger's who is interested in gaining a basic understanding of Asperger's.