On the Spectrum
On the Spectrum

Author: Daniel Jr. Bowman

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2021-08-10

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1493431129

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Nearly everyone knows someone on the autism spectrum, whether it's a niece or nephew, a student in their classroom, a coworker, or a sibling, spouse, or child. One in 54 children has autism, according to the CDC, and autism is reported across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Yet most of what people think they know about autism is wrong. On the Spectrum debunks myths with a realistic yet hope-filled deep dive into the heart, mind, and life of a Christian. Daniel Bowman, a novelist, poet, and professor, received an autism diagnosis at age thirty-five after experiencing crises in his personal and professional life. The diagnosis shed light on his experience in a new, life-giving way. In this captivating book, Bowman reveals new insights into autism, relationships, faith, and the gift of neurodiversity. Rather than viewing autism as a deficiency, Bowman teaches readers--through stories of his heartbreaks and triumphs--authentic ways to love their neighbors as themselves, including their autistic neighbors who are fearfully and wonderfully, if differently, made.

Living Well on the Spectrum
Living Well on the Spectrum

Author: Valerie L. Gaus

Publisher: Guilford Press

Published: 2011-06-09

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 160918050X

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Navigating the "neurotypical" world with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism (AS/HFA) can be extremely stressful. But by understanding the specific ways your brain works differently--and how to tap into your personal strengths--you can greatly enhance your well-being. In this wise and practical book, experienced therapist Valerie L. Gaus helps you identify goals that will make your life better and take concrete steps to achieve them. Grounded in psychological science, the techniques in this book help you: *Learn the unspoken rules of social situations.*Improve your communication skills.*Get organized at home and at work.*Manage anxiety and depression.*Strengthen your relationships with family and friends.*Live more successfully on your own or with others. A wealth of stories, questionnaires, worksheets, and concrete examples help you find personalized solutions to problems you are likely to encounter. You can download and print additional copies of the worksheets for repeated use. Of special note, the Introduction was updated in 2017 with the latest information on how autism spectrum disorder is defined in DSM-5. Finally, a compassionate, knowledgeable, positive guide to living well on the spectrum. Mental health professionals, see also the author's Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Second Edition.

Funny, You Don't Look Autistic
Funny, You Don't Look Autistic

Author: Michael McCreary

Publisher: Annick Press

Published: 2019-03-12

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1773212605

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Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn’t “look” autistic. But, as he’s quick to point out in this memoir, autism “looks” different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Diagnosed with ASD at age five, McCreary got hit with the performance bug not much later. During a difficult time in junior high, he started journaling, eventually turning his pain e into something empowering—and funny. He scored his first stand-up gig at age 14, and hasn't looked back. This unique and hilarious #OwnVoices memoir breaks down what it’s like to live with autism for readers on and off the spectrum. Candid scenes from McCreary's life are broken up with funny visuals and factual asides. Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic is an invaluable and compelling read for young readers with ASD looking for voices to relate to, as well as for readers hoping to broaden their understanding of ASD.

On the Spectrum
On the Spectrum

Author: Jennifer Gold

Publisher: Second Story Press

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1772600431

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Growing up in the shadow of a famous mother, Clara has never felt good about her body. Now, at sixteen, she has an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. After a social media disaster, she decides to escape for the summer to Paris to stay with her estranged dad and her six-year-old brother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum. Charged with his care, Clara and Alastair set out to explore the city. Paris, and a handsome young French baker, teaches Clara about first love, and a new love of food. And Alastair teachers Clara about patience, trust, and the beauty of loving without judgment.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum

Author: Rebecca Dr. Landa

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-04-02

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1611592224

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With its 101 stories from other parents and experts, this book will comfort, encourage, and uplift parents of children with autism and Asperger’s. If you are the parent of a child – from newborn to college age – with autism or Asperger’s, you will find support, advice, and insight in these 101 stories from other parents and experts. Stories cover everything from the serious side and the challenges, to the lighter side and the positives, of having a special child on the autism spectrum.

Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders

Author: Andreas M. Grabrucker

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 117

ISBN-13:

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Autism spectrum disorders are developmental disorders. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders develop differently. These differences are usually present in social interaction, communication, and sensory processing, and become visible through a wide variety of behavioral responses that differ from individuals without autism spectrum disorders. Despite significant research efforts, the exact causes of autism spectrum disorders remain poorly understood; however, researchers have gained extensive insights into possible pathomechanisms, even at the molecular level of cells. Many diagnostic criteria have been developed, adapted, and improved. The eight chapters in this book highlight the current state-of-the-art in many areas of autism spectrum disorders. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders and the current knowledge of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Chapter 2 summarizes the diagnostic criteria and procedures and highlights present and upcoming therapeutic strategies. Chapter 3 reviews the adverse events and trauma in people with autism spectrum disorders. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on atypical sensory processing, and Chapter 6 discusses the genetic overlap of autism spectrum disorders with other neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and schizophrenia. Chapter 7 focuses on the contribution of abnormalities in mitochondria, and chapter 8 discusses gut-brain interactions and a potential role for microbiota in autism spectrum disorders. This book is aimed primarily at clinicians and scientists, but many areas will also be of interest to the layperson.

When Your Man is on the Spectrum
When Your Man is on the Spectrum

Author: Pnina Arad

Publisher:

Published: 2020-09-13

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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Could your partner be on the autism spectrum? Many women cope with indescribable hardship, communication lapses and severe emotional deprivation in their romantic relationships, without even suspecting that their partner might be on the autism spectrum. Others realize this was the issue all along only after years of living with self-doubt, confusion, and the feeling of having lost their sanity. In this book you will discover: Why most adults with high-functioning autism are not diagnosed. How autistic traits are expressed in a romantic relationship while going unnoticed by others outside of it. What experiences women in neurodiverse relationships share in common. Drawing on her extensive doctoral research, the existent body of literature and her professional experience as a couple counselor and coach specializing in neurodiverse relationships, Dr. Pnina Arad invites you to join her on a startling and enlightening journey that will open your eyes and provide new perspectives on the familiar life stories of friends, relatives and patients. Some may even echo your own personal story. This book brings together for the first time, the most comprehensive current empirical data and clinical knowledge, while telling the stories of women throughout the most significant stages of their lives. The information is presented in a simple and clear language, accessible to anyone who wants to know, understand and overcome the puzzling challenges of neurodiversity in romantic relationships. Dr. Pnina Arad is the founder of 'LeadUp', a qualified couple counselor, group facilitator and women's empowerment life coach, specializing in neurodiverse relationships. She has helped hundreds of women and couples in Israel and around the world to surmount their challenges and change their lives.

Living on the Spectrum
Living on the Spectrum

Author: Elizabeth Fein

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2020-07-07

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1479848166

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Honorable Mention, 2020 Stirling Prize for Best Published Work in Psychological Anthropology, given by the Society for Psychological Anthropology Honorable Mention, New Millennium Book Award, given by the Society for Medical Anthropology How youth on the autism spectrum negotiate the contested meanings of neurodiversity Autism is a deeply contested condition. To some, it is a devastating invader, harming children and isolating them. To others, it is an asset and a distinctive aspect of an individual’s identity. How do young people on the spectrum make sense of this conflict, in the context of their own developing identity? While most of the research on Asperger’s and related autism conditions has been conducted with individuals or in settings in which people on the spectrum are in the minority, this book draws on two years of ethnographic work in communities that bring people with Asperger’s and related conditions together. It can thus begin to explore a form of autistic culture, through attending to how those on the spectrum make sense of their conditions through shared social practices. Elizabeth Fein brings her many years of experience in both clinical psychology and psychological anthropology to analyze the connection between neuropsychological difference and culture. She argues that current medical models, which espouse a limited definition, are ill equipped to deal with the challenges of discussing autism-related conditions. Consequently, youths on the autism spectrum reach beyond medicine for their stories of difference and disorder, drawing instead on shared mythologies from popular culture and speculative fiction to conceptualize their experience of changing personhood. In moving and persuasive prose, Living on the Spectrum illustrates that young people use these stories to pioneer more inclusive understandings of what makes us who we are.

Spaces on the Spectrum
Spaces on the Spectrum

Author: Catherine Tan

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2024-01-23

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0231556330

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Winner 2024 Sociology of Disability in Society Outstanding Publication Award, Disability in Society Section, American Sociological Association Movements that take issue with conventional understandings of autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability, have become increasingly visible. Drawing on more than three years of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with participants, Catherine Tan investigates two autism-focused movements, shedding new light on how members contest expert authority. Examining their separate struggles to gain legitimacy and represent autistic people, she develops a new account of the importance of social movements as spaces for constructing knowledge that aims to challenge dominant frameworks. Spaces on the Spectrum examines the autistic rights and alternative biomedical movements, which reimagine autism in different and conflicting ways: as a difference to be accepted or as a sickness to treat. Both, however, provide a window into how ideas that conflict with dominant beliefs develop, take hold, and persist. The autistic rights movement is composed primarily of autistic adults who contend that autism is a natural human variation, not a disorder, and advocate for social and cultural inclusion and policy changes. The alternative biomedical movement, in contrast, is dominated by parents and practitioners who believe in the disproven idea that vaccines trigger autism and seek to reverse it with scientifically unsupported treatments. Both movements position themselves in opposition to researchers, professionals, and parents outside their communities. Spaces on the Spectrum offers timely insights into the roles of shared identity and communal networks in movements that question scientific and medical authority.