Asperger Syndrome and Sensory Issues: Practical Solutions for Making Sense of the World

If you are a parent or a teachers working with a child on the spectrum who is or leans in the Asperger direction this book helps to understand where the child is coming from when crtain behaviors or reactions occur and it also gives strategeys to help the child deal with or corect the behavior. Easy to read.

This book brings to mind June Carter Cash's beautiful, fair-minded statement to husband Johnny Cash: "I'll meet you halfway." A more fair and loving statement has yet to be made. I did feel it was helpful in many respects. It is good to get the voice of a man who has intimate, personal knowledge of a/A and explaining some of the sensory issues that accompany this neurobiological condition. Since people on the a/A spectrum are expected to make concessions to the NT world just to get along socially, it is nice to have books like this that provide explanations of what people with autism contend with. The world is for everyone and not just for the NT population. Shore does a good job of encouraging NT and a/A to meet one another halfway. This is about cooperation.

This is an excellent book that looks at Asperger's, which is a neurobiological condition that affects sensory processing and integration. I like the way explanations are provided about a/A behavior and responses, e.g. sound sensitivity. Many sensible suggestions are made for helping the neurotypical (NT) population navigate on autism/Asperger's territory. That is a pleasant reversal as people on the a/A spectrum have always been expected to make all the concessions and meet all the demands the NT population has made. After all, the world is for EVERYBODY and that includes people on the a/A spectrum.

This book brings a much more detailed perspective on early adult life on the autistic spectrum than many others. The fact that it is looking at AS through a man's eyes is also worth noting. The author touchs on career choice issues that many with AS have agonised over. To disclose or not to disclose being the Big Question. I won't spoil your reading by recounting the author's experiences. The book describes 'relationships' in candid AS terms. There is a huge amount here for researchers and professionals to dwell on. However, the book is not a guidebook for managing relationships better (or even getting into them) and a crucial metacommentary on events in the book is largely absent. Overall I enjoyed this book. Most readers will find the latter half of the book dealing with college and adult life more revealing than the first half, in my opinion. The book presents AS in sharp tones on occasion. It is a 'warts and all' narrative, but I highly recommend reading it.

I got this book to not only help me, but to help my sons teachers understand some of the complexities of Aspergers. It is a great reference for teachers, professionals, and parents.