Download or read book The Edge of The Playground Two Stories One Journey A Mother and Daughter s Memoir of Autism From Childhood to Adulthood written by Mikhaela Ackerman and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-28 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She is enveloped in a storming sea of light and sound. Navigating a world where she can hear everything yet nothing, and where faces are no more than passing blurs of vivid color. She walks the edge of the playground. Mikhaela was never supposed to be able to tie her shoes, go to school, have language, drive a car, or secure a job. As an autistic person, medical professionals did not expect much for her future. Edge of the Playground is the inspiring yet honest real life story of a mother and daughter during the beginning of a drastic shift in how the medical community and society viewed autism. When Mikhaela was born in 1991, autism was only identified in one out of every 2,000 children, and even less among girls. Readers will experience both the voice of Mikhaela and the perspective of her mother Mary Lynn. It is the journey of breaking barriers, self-advocating, and finding strength within. Enter Mikhaela's world as she leaves the comforts and safety of the edge of the playground and finds that the ability to tie your shoes does not determine your success.
Download or read book I Will Die On This Hill written by Meghan Ashburn and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2023-01-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a significant divide between autistic advocates and parents of autistic children. Parents may feel attacked for their lack of understanding, and autistic adults who offer insight and guidance are also met with hostility and rejection. Meghan Ashburn, a mother of two autistic boys, and Jules Edwards, an autistic parent, were no strangers to this tension and had an adversarial relationship when they first met. Over time, the two resolved their differences and are now co-conspirators in the pursuit of disability justice. This book unites both perspectives, exploring the rift between these communities and encouraging them to work towards a common goal. It provides context to dividing issues, and the authors use their experience to illustrate where they've messed up, where they've got things right, and what they've learned along the way.
Download or read book The Edge of The Playground Two Stories One Journey A Mother and Daughter s Memoir of Autism From Childhood to Adulthood written by Mikhaela Ackerman and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-28 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She is enveloped in a storming sea of light and sound. Navigating a world where she can hear everything yet nothing, and where faces are no more than passing blurs of vivid color. She walks the edge of the playground. Mikhaela was never supposed to be able to tie her shoes, go to school, have language, drive a car, or secure a job. As an autistic person, medical professionals did not expect much for her future. Edge of the Playground is the inspiring yet honest real life story of a mother and daughter during the beginning of a drastic shift in how the medical community and society viewed autism. When Mikhaela was born in 1991, autism was only identified in one out of every 2,000 children, and even less among girls. Readers will experience both the voice of Mikhaela and the perspective of her mother Mary Lynn. It is the journey of breaking barriers, self-advocating, and finding strength within. Enter Mikhaela's world as she leaves the comforts and safety of the edge of the playground and finds that the ability to tie your shoes does not determine your success.
Download or read book Parent s Guide to Coping with Autism written by Sarah Ziegel and published by Robert Hale Ltd. This book was released on 2016-07-31 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an essential guide for parents and carers coping with children with autism. When Sarah Ziegel's twin boys were diagnosed with autism, aged almost three, she realized that there was very little practical information about what to do. When her next two children were also diagnosed with the condition, she was even more determined to put that lack of information right. This book is the result of Sarah's experiences of dealing with autism in the family. While covering personal aspects such as coping emotionally with a diagnosis, the book also tackles practical matters, such as education and the EHCP process, how to get help and support, and also considers the medical side of autism. Written by a former nurse, and full-time mother and carer, A Parent's Guide to Coping with Autism is a highly sensitive and professional guide and is the book you will want to reach for when faced with a diagnosis, or if you simply want to find out more about the condition.
Download or read book Two Brothers One Journey written by Angela Conrad and published by Memoirs Publishing. This book was released on 2016-07-29 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Angela Conrad's two young sons have both been diagnosed with autism, wrecking any chance she can have a normal family life. Every day Angela has a mountain to climb 24/7, just to get somewhere close to keeping her children safe and happy and keep her house from looking like a war zone. This is her story of how she has battled the effects of a life-changing condition and learned to handle the ignorance of some of her friends, relatives and neighbors. A moving, inspiring read for all those whose lives are touched by autism. "Your child has autism," said the doctor. Who would have thought those few words could be so painful? That little sentence is a kind of death sentence. It's a death sentence for the normal life they were supposed to live. It's a death sentence for your marriage, if you let it. It's a death sentence for your dreams and hopes. It's a death sentence for the life that could have been
Download or read book I Am in Here written by Elizabeth M. Bonker and published by Revell. This book was released on 2011-10 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thirteen-year-old autistic girl and her mother describe through poetry and prose her struggles with autism and her attempts to live life to the fullest despite her diagnosis.
Download or read book The Other Side of Autism written by Natalie Kulig and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2016-12-09 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natalie Kulig and her daughter Victoria share their story of life on the autism spectrum: the love, the laughter, the sorrow, the special relationship between a mother and daughter and how they navigated through the early years of autism into adulthood. Included in the book is a section on starting the gluten free/casein free diet.
Download or read book Neurotribes written by Steve Silberman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-08-23 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This New York Times–bestselling book upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently. What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years. Going back to the earliest days of autism research, Silberman offers a gripping narrative of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, the research pioneers who defined the scope of autism in profoundly different ways; he then goes on to explore the game-changing concept of neurodiversity. NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world.
Download or read book Welcome to My Life written by Laurie L Hellmann and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-22 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Candid, Vulnerable, Informative, Inspirational When Skyler was three years old, he was diagnosed with severe, non-verbal autism. When he was 17, his mom wrote a book about his amazing life. From page one, Welcome to My Life delivers on its promise to place you squarely in Skyler's life, surrounded by mom and dad, Laurie and Josh, and superstar sister, Kendall. Detailed sensory descriptions take you to doctors' appointments and trick-or-treating, to Qdoba and the kitchen table, to the bathroom for another "pull-ups" change, to family gatherings, to the Autism Center, and to conversations and internal dialogue so honest that you'll feel like you're part of the family too. Welcome to My Life shares the 14-year journey of a true warrior mom advocating for her non-verbal, severely autistic son from diagnosis through his teenage years. This brutally honest and heartwarming account details the daily struggles and often lack of social understanding that families face when raising a child who relies on parental assistance for every need. "A memoir like no other -- truthful and raw, hilarious and unexpected, heartbreaking and uplifting. Laurie L. Hellmann's Welcome to My Life is a love letter to her son Skyler and a welcome letter to the masses. It is dose of reassurance to us all, and a reminder that the world -- even when it's unpredictable and frightening -- is still shimmering with silver linings and powerful lessons." Because He Has No Words and Yet So Much to Say For mothers and fathers, sister and brothers, autism isn't a personal diagnosis ... it's a family diagnosis. Especially when your autistic loved one copes with significant development delays, suffers from serious chronic medical conditions, is an insomniac, and exhibits behaviors that disrupt the flow of day-to-day life. Autism turns households inside out, cracks hearts wide open and turns daily routines upside down. Take a journey with Laurie L. Hellmann and explore: -- How Skyler's autism diagnosis shook and then restored her faith -- The realities of navigating divorce, co-parenting and new love when your child has special needs -- The emotional and physical toll (on Skyler and his family) of countless medical and behavioral treatments -- The difference between hope, false hope, acceptance and gratitude in the face of disappointment, uncertainty and fear -- The effects of autism on sibling relationships -- How autism can challenge and strengthen a marriage -- Why laughter is good medicine for us all Experience the laughter and love, unspoken bonds and unflagging devotion of one very special family. And be changed forever by the knowledge that a mother's love knows no bounds, and that autism -- though it presents various challenges -- does not define who a person is nor does it devalue or diminish their contributions to this world.
Download or read book I Am Intelligent written by Dianne Goddard and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2012-06-05 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This riveting memoir of extreme loss and unimaginable gain recounts the story of a child who, although unable to expressherself, lives fully aware of her limiting circumstances. Robbed of speech and bodily control, and despite her loving parents’ best efforts to help her, Peyton Goddard suffered neglect and ongoing abuse by many who dismissed her as autistic and severely mentally retarded. No one could have imagined that she possessed a brilliant mind in her uncooperative body until her first opportunity to communicate electronically at age 22 when she typed “i am intlgent,” a breakthrough reminiscent of The Miracle Worker. Today Peyton is following through on her vow to be an advocate on behalf of other devalued people. Her inspirational life helps readers transcend stereotypes and join her in the radical notion that, as she says, “All people are vastly valuable. Treasure all because great is each.”
Download or read book All I Can Handle I m No Mother Teresa written by Kim Stagliano and published by Skyhorse Publishing Inc.. This book was released on 2011-10 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stagliano reveals how one woman raises three daughters with autism, loses one at Disney World, stays married, has sex, bakes gluten-free, goes broke, and keeps her sense of humor.
Download or read book I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust written by Valerie Gilpeer and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable memoir by a mother and her autistic daughter who’d long been unable to communicate—until a miraculous breakthrough revealed a young woman with a rich and creative interior life, a poet, who’d been trapped inside for more than two decades. “I have been buried under years of dust and now I have so much to say.” These were the first words twenty-five-year-old Emily Grodin ever wrote. Born with nonverbal autism, Emily’s only means of communicating for a quarter of a century had been only one-word responses or physical gestures. That Emily was intelligent had never been in question—from an early age she’d shown clear signs that she understood what was going on though she could not express herself. Her parents, Valerie and Tom, sought every therapy possible in the hope that Emily would one day be able to reveal herself. When this miraculous breakthrough occurred, Emily was finally able to give insight into the life, frustrations, and joys of a person with autism. She could tell her parents what her younger years had been like and reveal all the emotions and intelligence residing within her; she became their guide into the autistic experience. Told by Valerie, with insights and stories and poetry from Emily, I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust highlights key moments of Emily’s childhood that led to her communication awakening—and how her ability rapidly accelerated after she wrote that first sentence. As Valerie tells her family’s story, she shares the knowledge she’s gained from working as a legal advocate for families affected by autism and other neurological disorders. A story of unconditional love, faith in the face of difficulty, and the grace of perseverance and acceptance, I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust is an evocative and affecting mother-daughter memoir of learning to see each other for who they are.
Download or read book No Map to This Country written by Jennifer Noonan and published by Da Capo Lifelong Books. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autism is a rising epidemic that affects 1 in 68 children. When Jennifer Noonan's son was diagnosed in 2009, she refused to accept the conventional wisdom that autism was largely permanent, instead launching a relentless investigation into the very latest dietary, immunological, and metabolic research available. "I certainly had no reason to believe at that time that autism was treatable," she writes, "but somehow I decided, in my classically pigheaded way, that it would be." This spirited audacity gave her not only courage -- and ultimately success -- in the face of such a devastating diagnosis, but also a self-aware and darkly funny perspective on her own faults and struggles over the next six years. With equal parts defiance, tenacity, and wry humor, No Map to This Country details one family's journey through the modern autism epidemic, and the lengths to which a mother will go to heal her family. Neither a medical manual nor a heartwarming tale of growth, Noonan's groundbreaking yet profoundly relatable memoir seamlessly combines cutting-edge research with a gripping and unapologetic account of her family's fight for recovery.
Download or read book Intelligent Love written by Marga Vicedo and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2021-03-23 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the History of Science Society's 2022 Davis Prize How one mother challenged the medical establishment and misconceptions about autistic children and their parents In the early 1960s, Massachusetts writer and homemaker Clara Park and her husband took their 3-year-old daughter, Jessy, to a specialist after noticing that she avoided connection with others. Following the conventional wisdom of the time, the psychiatrist diagnosed Jessy with autism and blamed Clara for Jessy’s isolation. Experts claimed Clara was the prototypical “refrigerator mother,” a cold, intellectual parent who starved her children of the natural affection they needed to develop properly. Refusing to accept this, Clara decided to document her daughter’s behaviors and the family’s engagement with her. In 1967, she published her groundbreaking memoir challenging the refrigerator mother theory and carefully documenting Jessy’s development. Clara’s insights and advocacy encouraged other parents to seek education and support for their autistic children. Meanwhile, Jessy would work hard to expand her mother’s world, and ours. Drawing on previously unexamined archival sources and firsthand interviews, science historian Marga Vicedo illuminates the story of how Clara Park and other parents fought against medical and popular attitudes toward autism while presenting a rich account of major scientific developments in the history of autism in the US. Intelligent Love is a fierce defense of a mother’s right to love intelligently, the value of parents’ firsthand knowledge about their children, and an individual’s right to be valued by society.
Download or read book Silent Running written by Robyn K. Schneider and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Running is a way of life for the Schneider family, but for them, it's about much more than fitness and competition. Silent Running: Our Family's Journey to the Finish Line with Autism is the story of how running saved their lives. At 21 months old, identical twin brothers Alex and Jamie were diagnosed with autism. It was 1992, a time when autism was far from a household word, before online autism forums and advocacy groups even existed. Robyn and her husband Allan were heartsick, but determined to find a cure for their sons, and thus their journey into the world of autism began. But soon it was clear that both Alex and Jamie had severe autism and would most likely not be cured. In Silent Running, Robyn Schneider takes readers on an intimate journey from a double diagnosis of autism, through many years of heartache, to a place of joy. Silent Running is a story of unrelenting love, of parents who never stop chasing after the silver lining, intent on finding happiness for their sons. And find happiness they do—in running. In Schneider's moving memoir, readers see Alex and Jamie transformed through running, their lives enriched. And eventually they reach a place where running, rather than autism, defines them. Along the journey, both Robyn and Allan face their own personal challenges. Allan begins running to help manage his symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and Robyn, while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, laces up her own running shoes, determined to run her way to recovery—for her family and for herself. And she hasn't stopped. Despite their incredible daily challenges, Alex and Jamie have now run in almost 150 mainstream races, including nine marathons. And Robyn and Allan have been right there, either cheering for or running alongside their sons. In Silent Running, Robyn Schneider shares her family's remarkable story of triumph in the face of enormous hurdles, and the passion that has fueled their fight. It is an extraordinary and ins
Download or read book Making Peace with Autism written by Susan Senator and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2006-12-12 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Receiving a diagnosis of autism is a major crisis for parents and families, who often feel as if their world has come to an end. In this insightful narrative, a courageous and inspiring mother explains why a diagnosis of autism doesn't have to shatter a family's dreams of happiness. Senator offers the hard-won, in-the-trenches wisdom of someone who's been there and is still there today—and she demonstrates how families can find courage, contentment, and connection in the shadow of autism. In Making Peace with Autism, Susan Senator describes her own journey raising a child with a severe autism spectrum disorder, along with two other typically developing boys. Without offering a miracle treatment or cure, Senator offers valuable strategies for coping successfully with the daily struggles of life with an autistic child. Along the way she models the combination of stamina and courage, openness, and humor that has helped her family to survive—and even to thrive. Topics include: the agony of diagnosis, grieving and acceptance, finding the right school program, helping siblings with their struggles and concerns, having fun together, and keeping the marriage strong.
Download or read book Watching Sarah Rise written by Jennifer Celeste Briggs and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2025-01-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For readers who love inspiring true stories, a contemporary memoir from a mother who helped her nonverbal daughter with autism find her voice. Families who have supported a child with special needs will connect with this memoir about Sarah, a feisty girl with autism and a unique genetic blueprint. Her mom, Jenny, is equally feisty and determined, which leads her to make a commitment that dramatically changes her and Sarah’s lives—as well as those of many others. Sarah’s early years are filled with challenges, and Jenny and her husband, Carl, try various therapies in an effort to help her. At four years old, Sarah is still nonverbal, still doesn’t use the potty, and still struggles with eating. Jenny knows she must do more. She has heard of a method developed by the Autism Treatment Center of America called The Son-Rise Program, which, through loving, supportive interaction, aims to foster social connection in people with autism. It is a huge undertaking, requiring hours of one-on-one therapeutic playtime, which means Jenny needs to find and train volunteers to make it possible. Though Jenny isn’t sure she can do it, she decides to try. She calls her program Sarah-Rise. Accompany Jenny as Sarah’s language explodes, her eye contact intensifies, and she plays games, plays imaginatively, uses the potty, eats healthily, reads, and writes. Have your heart warmed and your socks knocked off by this momentous journey.
