Vol. 14, No. 1 • November 2009

Books on the Nightstand

Book Reviews by Becky Burmester

I love books. There is danger when I am in a book store and have my credit card! Regular readers of this column know that often the books I write about are ones that helped our family. My top pick for this month is The Elephant in the Playroom by Denise Brodey.

Right now we are struggling through the process of getting an official diagnosis for our nine-year-old son. What we know for sure is that he is somewhere on the continuum of the autism spectrum. We also now know that we did nothing (nor did his birth mother) to cause this condition and that our son will have a lot of hard work ahead of him as he learns social skills that to most of us are just automatic. He quite literally cannot read the message in my “If you do not stop that this instant. . .” look. Nor does he recognize the importance of “how” something is said.

The Elephant in the Playroom
The Elephant in the Playroom is a collection of essays written by parents and siblings of children with special needs. The book includes sections on self-care, schools, medication, “Going Public,” “Seeing the Forest Through the Trees,” “A View from Within the Whirlwind,” and others.

Editor Denise Brodey, herself a parent of a child with special needs, introduces each section. There follow several essays by parents of children with differing special needs relating to the topic. Each essay is headed by a brief description of the child. For example, one essay states that the author is the mother of a 17-year-old diagnosed with autism at age 4. All of the authors write from the heart. The book is almost like getting hugged and being told it will be OK. Not easy, but OK.

The Out-of-Sync Child
I have also been rereading The Out-of-Sync Child and The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, both by Carol Kranowitz. These books deal extensively with Sensory Processing Disorder and Sensory Integration Dysfunction. The author is the preschool teacher every child should have. The Out-of-Sync Child is a comprehensive description of all things related to the how, why, and what of sensory processing. However, it is not a textbook, but very readable. If your child has difficulties with certain things, you could easily pick through the book reading only the sections of interest to you. The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun is packed with safe play activities that help address sensory integration issues.

Many children with autism must deal with sensory integration issues. Carol Kranowitz is a calm, reassuring voice for the parent struggling with a child who won’t or can’t do many things that kids his or her age do. Kranowitz can’t make the problems go away, but she does suggest things parents can do to make things better, and offers clear advice about when to seek professional help. Readers will feel empowered by the ideas she presents for helping their children.

Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents
Currently I am reading Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Tony Attwood. Our son’s therapist recommended this book highly. Attwood writes about this condition in such a way that the reader begins to glimpse what life is like for persons with Asperger’s.

A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome & High-Functioning Autism
The therapist also recommended A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome & High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your child Thrive by Ozonoff, Dawson, and McPartland (2002). I confess I haven’t started the book yet, but as I scan the contents and leaf through the pages, this book looks like it will help us understand treatments for Asperger’s and help us learn to live and thrive with this challenging condition.

What books are on your nightstand? I love to hear your recommendations. Contact me at [email protected] or 919/870-9968.

Copyright � 2009 Jordan Institute for Families