Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum: Unexpected Lessons We Have Learned

by Maureen F. Morrell and Ann Palmer

Book Overview

Maureen F. Morrell and Ann Palmer are raising two very different children: Justin, a whirlwind of activity and mood swings, who is supervised in a residential farm community, and Eric, quiet and passive, who lives independently at college. The authors give an account of the striking similarities as well as the stark differences in their experiences of parenting children at opposite extremes of the autism spectrum.

The two mothers speak openly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1843108070
• ISBN13: 9781843108078
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Winner of the 2007 Autism Society of America "Literary Work of the Year" Award

This outstanding book (and its authors!) have just been recognized by the Autism Society of America for making a "significant contribution to autism awareness, education, and advocacy in the last 5 years." The authors are two very experienced mothers whose sons (now adults) are on the opposite ends of the autism spectrum, and through this remarkable book they offer guidance, hope, and valuable personal insight to all parents of children with ASD. This is a poignant, intelligent, and honest work that has quickly become a classic in the autism literature. The personal experiences and knowledge that the authors share will benefit parents and professionals alike, and the book is highly recommended for anyone who lives or works with individuals on the autism spectrum. If you would like a signed copy of this book (signed by both authors), please visit our website.

Autism of Interest to All of Us

This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to know more about autism. An added treat is that it is well written and well thought out. The authors Maureen F. Morrell and Ann Palmer are moms who raised autistic boys at opposite ends of the severity scale, offering sometimes painfully honest accounts of daily life, disappointments and triumphs. I believe this book could be enormously comforting to parents grandparents, friends and teachers of autistic children--the advice and insights are based on experiences spanning babyhood and diagnosis to adulthood and leaving home. What's it like to be told your child has autism? How can you survive day to day? Will you love an autistic child the same way you love their siblings? What happens when autistic kids grow up? For each mom, the answers were slightly different, and yet the same. I found much of what I wanted to know, including one shocking statistic about the march of this affliction--one in 5,000 children in the 1980s to just one in 166 in 2005! The one thing I wish the book had included was a paragraph or two of opinion and analysis. I wanted to know what two moms in the trenches believe is happening to our kids. How scared should we be? Is there promising news on the horizon? Perhaps they felt that analysis is irrelevant in the reality of day-to-day living with autism. However, they do review a couple of dozen additional publications. I recommend this informitive, sad, funny book to anyone, whether they've been personally touched by autism or not.

Amazing!!

This is a fabulous book that shares with the reader two different ends of the Autism Spectrum. Ann Palmer and Maureen Morrell have managed to share an incredible range of emotions seamlessly. As a parent of a child with ASD I truly felt I was not alone and that there is survival in raising a child with such a baffling disorder. This is a must read for any parent who is going down the ASD road and needs the honest and raw support these two writers offer. I hope all professionals and support people in the ASD area will recommend this book to those they work with. Thanks Ann and Maureen for opening your hearts and sharing your lives with us all.

Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum

An extraordinary book that is helpful both to parents of children on the autism spectrum and to professionals working with parents. For parents it will make you laugh, cry and ponder over the future or the past. Most importantly the book offers insight,experience and gentle but useful advice. It allows parents to read about the growth that inevitably occurs among children on the spectrum that become adults. For the professional working with parents, this book offers a rare and poignant view of the struggles and triumphs in the families they may serve. A must have book to add to your professional library! C. Reagan Psychoeducational Therapist Asheville, NC

Unexpected Lessons for the Reader

This is a book for everyone. The courageous honesty of two Mothers of children with Autism is beneficial to all of us. We learn about working hard for marriage, family and academic success, and that success can mean something very different for each of us. We learn to be an advocate for all of our children, and for ourselves. We learn that it's important to be patient and kind, we never know what someone else' day has been like. We also learn through laughter and tears what that day may have entailed for the family of a child with autism.