Diseases & Physical Ailments, Child Psychology, Autism & Asperger's Syndrome, Parenting, Special Needs, Neurology 

Charlotte's son, John, born very prematurely in the 1970s, is on the autism spectrum (Asperger's syndrome), as well as having dyspraxia, ADHD, and special educational needs. Even though there was virtually no professional help, he has developed into a happy, fulfilled and independent adult who works in a job which stretches him intellectually and creatively. This book describes the parenting methods Charlotte used in order to help her son reach this position, the decisions she made with the reasoning behind them, the challenges met, and what (with the benefit of hindsight) could have been done better. It provides encouragement and hope as well as ideas and understanding. A key feature of the book is John's input; his voice can be heard throughout explaining why he behaved as he did and how the world felt to him. Charlotte’s book differs from many others in the field of autism; it looks at many aspects of child development from the point of view of a person on the autism spectrum as well as their parents and also provides links to the literature. Topics covered include: child rearing and play, sensory sensitivity, fear of change, motor problems, language and communication, special interests, memory and concentration, school issues, siblings, assessments and diagnosis. The book is intended for a wide readership; parents and carers, those on the spectrum and those who suspect they might be, health and educational professionals (qualified and in training), researchers and possibly employers who come into contact with people on the spectrum. ‘I can see immediately that this is a very valuable book which will be helpful to many other parents and also to many researchers… I think that your endeavour to tell your story from the point of view of self-help is going to be inspirational. I completely agree with you that it is usually in vain when parents wait for experts to tell them what to do and they really do know better themselves – after all, they ARE the experts for their own child. I like the idea that you have included practical points that have proved to be helpful.’Prof Uta Frith, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience & Dept. Psychology, University College London ‘This looks to be really great!… I think it is very worthwhile… I am most impressed… you seem to have a very good direct writing style and the content may be slightly different to that you would find in ‘professional’ books, but that is its strength. It looks as if you are dealing with the range of issues that are omitted from many books but will be of great interest to parents.’ Prof Rita Jordan, Emeritus Professor in Autism Studies in the School of Education, University of Birmingham A summary of each chapter can be found at www.CharlotteAldredBooks.com - from Amzon