The Slamming Door is a true story. In September of 2008, Clarisse N. Rénard was asked to move in with her cousin-in-law, who had just been diagnosed with bone cancer...by his daughter, Berta. Find out how an Aspie who has learned social skills by rote, one who has earned respectable academic credentials but does not function well in many work environments, navigates a labyrinth of death, dying and loss, and how she copes with anxiety induced by travel and changes in her environment, and how she slowly, painstakingly comes to recognize the signs of hostility around her while making no apology for who she is. Read on to find out how an articulate and meticulous Aspie dealt with all of these problems and situations, and how she viewed it all. There is nothing wrong with those who are different. The problem is those who won't accept or respect them. The memoir includes photographs of points of interest in Manhattan, and other items of interest.
In September of 2008, Clarisse N. Renard was asked to move in and be the caregiver to a man who had just been diagnosed with bone cancer...by his daughter, Berta. The man was her husband's older cousin, Bryn, and they had stayed with him many times. He was like another dad to her.
Have you ever wondered about a friend, a partner, a mother, sister or daughter? Wondered why she says she feels 'different'? Maybe she is a woman on the Autism spectrum, with a unique constellation of super-abilities, strengths and challenges?
Have you ever wondered why she says she feels different to her peers? Wondered why life seems challenging for her? Her peers seem to gracefully and naturally meet their milestones, yet she has reached some developmental milestones early and some late. She may have spoken and read early, asking an endless array of questions. Maybe at age four she was teaching herself to read as you drove down the road by reading street signs. She may have been an overly active child, had sensory issues, or had a speech delay. You knew she was bright from early on, with a sprinkle of some anxiety, social and eating issues, yet the professionals just cannot find an explanation that completely fits her. She may be very artistic, whether she sings, draws, paints, or writes, at times, too mature for her age. Yet, she struggles socially and emotionally, acting and appearing younger than her peers. She may be ten years old now, yet none of your research completely fits her or maybe you have just now come across some information on females that completely makes sense to you. Maybe she is "Aspien," a young female with Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism. She has a unique constellation of super-abilities, strengths and challenges. She may feel or say that she is from another Planet, Planet Aspien(r). If you are looking for a book on the often perplexing and unique female Autism Spectrum traits, then this is the book for you. Watch for "I am AspienWoman," coming soon.
When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss? In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives. Table of Contents: 1. Frozen Grief 2. Leaving without Goodbye 3. Goodbye without Leaving 4. Mixed Emotions 5. Ups and Downs 6. The Family Gamble 7. The Turning Point 8. Making Sense out of Ambiguity 9. The Benefit of a Doubt Notes Acknowledgments Reviews of this book: You will find yourself thinking about the issues discussed in this book long after you put it down and perhaps wishing you had extra copies for friends and family members who might benefit from knowing that their sorrows are not unique...This book's value lies in its giving a name to a force many of us will confront--sadly, more than once--and providing personal stories based on 20 years of interviews and research. --Pamela Gerhardt, Washington Post Reviews of this book: A compassionate exploration of the effects of ambiguous loss and how those experiencing it handle this most devastating of losses ... Boss's approach is to encourage families to talk together, to reach a consensus about how to mourn that which has been lost and how to celebrate that which remains. Her simple stories of families doing just that contain lessons for all. Insightful, practical, and refreshingly free of psychobabble. --Kirkus Review Reviews of this book: Engagingly written and richly rewarding, this title presents what Boss has learned from many years of treating individuals and families suffering from uncertain or incomplete loss...The obvious depth of the author's understanding of sufferers of ambiguous loss and the facility with which she communicates that understanding make this a book to be recommended. --R. R. Cornellius, Choice Reviews of this book: Written for a wide readership, the concepts of ambiguous loss take immediate form through the many provocative examples and stories Boss includes, All readers will find stories with which they will relate...Sensitive, grounded and practical, this book should, in my estimation, be required reading for family practitioners. --Ted Bowman, Family Forum Reviews of this book: Dr. Boss describes [the] all-too-common phenomenon [of unresolved grief] as resulting from either of two circumstances: when the lost person is still physically present but emotionally absent or when the lost person is physically absent but still emotionally present. In addition to senility, physical presence but psychological absence may result, for example, when a person is suffering from a serious mental disorder like schizophrenia or depression or debilitating neurological damage from an accident or severe stroke, when a person abuses drugs or alcohol, when a child is autistic or when a spouse is a workaholic who is not really 'there' even when he or she is at home...Cases of physical absence with continuing psychological presence typically occur when a soldier is missing in action, when a child disappears and is not found, when a former lover or spouse is still very much missed, when a child 'loses' a parent to divorce or when people are separated from their loved ones by immigration...Professionals familiar with Dr. Boss's work emphasised that people suffering from ambiguous loss were not mentally ill, but were just stuck and needed help getting past the barrier or unresolved grief so that they could get on with their lives. --Asian Age Combining her talents as a compassionate family therapist and a creative researcher, Pauline Boss eloquently shows the many and complex ways that people can cope with the inevitable losses in contemporary family life. A wise book, and certain to become a classic. --Constance R. Ahrons, author of The Good Divorce A powerful and healing book. Families experiencing ambiguous loss will find strategies for seeing what aspects of their loved ones remain, and for understanding and grieving what they have lost. Pauline Boss offers us both insight and clarity. --Kathy Weingarten, Ph.D, The Family Institute of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School
This is the only text to examine the experience of disability in relation to theories of human growth and development. It provides a foundational and comprehensive examination of disability that encompasses the intellectual, psychiatric, physical, and social arenas. The second edition is updated to underscore its versatility as an introductory text about the developmental tasks of people with disabilities for all the helping professions. Reorganized to illuminate the book’s interdisciplinary focus, it includes new demographics, new case studies and first-person accounts, discussions on cultural aspects of disabilities, family concerns, and more. The text delivers practice guidelines for each of the conventional life stages and describes the developmental tasks of individuals with disabilities (IWDs). It emphasizes the positive trend in the perception of IWDs as normal and underscores the fact that IWDs have the same motivations, emotions, and goals as those without disabilities. Learning activities, suggestions for writing exercises, and websites for further study reinforce learning, as do graphs and charts illustrating trends and demographics. NEW TO THE SECOND EDITION: Introductory chapter on understanding disability Demographic updates throughout New case studies and first-person accounts Expanded discussions about cultural considerations, intersectionality, and family considerations Updated Instructor’s Manual and an Instructor’s Test Bank KEY FEATURES: Examines the conventional stages of human growth and development from the perspective of individuals with disabilities Integrates disability concepts with developmental theories and stages of the lifespan Addresses common ethical issues to illuminate the real-world implications faced by individuals with disabilities and their families Includes learning activities, suggestions for writing exercises, and websites for further study Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers.
Neurocutaneous Syndromes unify a group of rare neurological disorders in which the initial identification depends on simple visual disgnosis. They include a large group of neurological disorders which feature cutaneous and ocular lesions, brain malformations, central and peripheral brain tumours, mental retardation, seizures and psychiatric problems. In the last few years, our knowledge of neurocutaneous syndromes has increased substantially. The aim of this volume is to provide an updated developmental perspective on these multifaceted conditions and to review their major clinical features, in particular their embryological basis, clinical molecular genetics, diagnostic protocols and novel therapeutic approaches.
This open access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities and rationales of key leaders in their own words since it organized into a unique community in 1992. Sandwiched by editorial chapters that include critical analysis, the book contains 19 chapters by 21 authors about the forming of the autistic community and neurodiversity movement, progress in their influence on the broader autism community and field, and their possible threshold of the advocacy establishment. The actions covered are legendary in the autistic community, including manifestos such as “Don’t Mourn for Us”, mailing lists, websites or webpages, conferences, issue campaigns, academic project and journal, a book, and advisory roles. These actions have shifted the landscape toward viewing autism in social terms of human rights and identity to accept, rather than as a medical collection of deficits and symptoms to cure.
From concerns about an ‘autism epidemic’ to the MMR vaccine crisis, autism is a source of peculiar fascination in the contemporary media. Author Stuart Murray, himself the parent of an autistic child, contends that for all the coverage, autism rarely emerges from the various images we produce of it as a comprehensible way of being in the world—instead occupying a succession of narrative spaces as a source of fascination and wonder. A refreshing analysis and evaluation of autism within contemporary society and culture, Representing Autism establishes the autistic presence as a way by which we might more fully articulate our understanding of those with the condition, and what it means to be a human. “This is an outstanding volume of empathetic scholarship. . . . Representing Autism is a truly significant piece of cultural criticism about one of the defining conditions of our time.”—Mark Osteen, Loyola College
This comprehensive textbook covers common psychiatric conditions encountered in adults, children, adolescents and old people. This book provides core information you need for undergraduate examination and future clinical practices. A smartphone application is now available for free download on both the Apple ITunes store as well as on the Android Play Market. https: //itunes.apple.com/us/app/mastering-psychiatry-core/id720709591?mt=8 https: //play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tiseno.psychiatry Or simply search "Mastering Psychiatry" and you will be able to get a free preview copy of the entire book with all the multimedia features.
