Laughing & Loving with Autism

Upon reading some of the anecdotes in this work, I laughed so hard it hurt. I love the way the young boy featured in this book had a very original way of viewing what was taking place in his world and his novel way of responding. Autism and its related condition, Asperger's Syndrome is a neurobiological condition that not only affects sensory processing and sensory integration, but communication as well. The a/A spectrum covers a wide sensori-behavioral base and this book does an excellent job of describing behavior that is closer to the autism end of that spectrum. People with autism as well as people with NT (neurotypical) brains alike will laugh at some of the stories in this book. People on the a/A spectrum tend to be highly charged on a sensory count. I smile when I think of how this work is a highly charged humor ion - traveling the a/A-NT circuit!

There are stories devoted to laughing, music, church, facilitated communication, home, out in the "real" world and school. An amusing illustration shows a boy standing up in church raising his hands like the priest. The boy thought he was cheering like his father did when watching football so he yelled out "touchdown" thinking this was a signal. This compilation of real life warm and humorous stories gives an inside look at the unique views those with autism hold. Reading through Laughing and Loving with Autism gives the perspective on seeing the world through the eyes of someone who is autistic, whether they are a child or adult, boy or girl. As a parent it is very easy to relate to these stories and see this happening in my future as well. The contributions were not altered in any way with the original content they submitted still intact. While there are many books on the subject of Autism this is one that I truly appreciated and would rather see on the coffee table than a textbook that is outdated. These stories are priceless no matter how old they are. Laughing and Loving with Autism is a book to be shared with teachers, therapists, family members and professionals to better understand the humorous side to the autistic person. This is the perfect book to read at the end of the evening to put it all in perspective.

It was refreshing to read true-to-life accounts of situations similar to what we have encountered with our 15 year old son who has autism. This is a book that you must read if you love someone who has autism. You will laugh and cry as you identify with the situations.