Like Sheldon, I like research. Thus, books and therapies have been the topic of my latest blogs. I have not tried any of the therapies myself but feel they are a resource worth looking into.
As for books, here is my personal rating of three recent reads.
1. Quirky Kids by Perri Klass MD and Eileen Costello MD.
Published in November 2003, this is the earliest of the books covered here, so some information may be outdated. It is divided into three sections as follows:
1. Noticing and dealing with difference in your child. 2. Adjusting the home and school environment. 3. Science of Autism, including meds and other drugs.
What sets this book apart for me, is the inclusion of parental anecdotes which illustrate concerns, anxieties and solutions .
My take? It’s a comforting book for parents of ASD children.
2. Understanding Autism for Dummies by Stephen Shore and Linda Rastelli.
Truly a professorial approach, this book could be called “Everything you wanted to know about autism but didn’t know who to ask”.
Because the author himself is a person with autism spectrum disorder, he writes about the syndrome in a very positive way. Quite refreshing.
Information wise? Autism for Dummies is a 10/10.
3. FAST MINDS: How to Thrive if you have ADHD or think you might. By Dr Craig Surman and Tim Bilkey. February 2013 first edition.
Latest in this list of books, I found this a most practical guide. Take the logic behind my weird schedule for instance. The authors explain how my habits more than my brain, keep me up late at night until the wee hours of the morning.
Thus I’m often exhausted which can lead to poor motivation to do anything. Doing nothing when I have lots to do makes me feel out of control. That can be depressing.
But the doctors also explain how forming new habits can change this pattern, and what new habits need to be developed. (they also explain the brain science behind developing new habits).
So I figured out I like to write between midnight and 5 a.m. because there are far fewer distractions at that time.
However, this is only productive if I am getting enough sleep at other times of the day.
And thanks to FAST MINDS, I now know to slot sleep with other scheduled tasks. In other words, I can be organized about being weird! How great is that?
I really like this book. It has opened a lot of mental windows for me, helping me to see where a lot of my issues stem from organically.
Therefore? In terms of being helpful? I’d give this book a 13 out of 10.
Yours so very truly,
Margaret Jean.
Margaret Jean 