Autism Sibling Issues Hit NPR

Yesterday on NPR's All Things Considered, I heard this powerful story by a girl who has a younger brother on the autism spectrum. She is the oldest of 4 siblings, and she has long been in charge of them when both of their parents have to work, which means a lot of taking care of her brother with autism. In addition, she serves as a translator for her parents for almost all public events, such as school meetings and doctor's appointments, because they do not speak English, and she serves as an ear for their worries about their son's future. She talks about how these burdens effect her, and how she is learning to cope better. I urge everyone with an interest in sibling issues and/or bilingual family issues to listen.

Sibling issues are truly a big topic, and several new resources have come out recently. One, Brotherly Feelings, we've talked about here before, which offers honest views of the emotions experienced from a sibling's point of view.

Another fantastic resource that we just added to the store is the new DVD, Understanding Brothers and Sisters on the Autism Spectrum. This is from the always wonderful and highly recommended Coulter Video series, and offers 4 different explanatory programs for siblings. Program one features puppets and explains autism to siblings who are ages 4 to 7. Program two includes interviews with siblings and additional narration, and is appropriate for siblings ages 7-12. Program three includes sibling interviews as well as narration, and is aimed at siblings age 12 through adulthood. Program four includes interviews with parents of children on the autism spectrum, and is designed specifically for parent viewing.

To see our entire list of sibling-related resources, check out our Sibling Issues page.

TalkAbility

We are very excited to announce that we have finally received our copies of the new Fern Sussman book, TalkAbility: People Skills for Verbal Children on the Autism Spectrum. This book is a fantastic follow up to her exceptionally popular More Than Words: Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children.

TalkAbility focuses primarily on promoting social communication skills in children with ASD who already have verbal skills. Its writing is aimed specifically at parents, though certainly practitioners will find it useful as well, and it contains many concrete examples and practical strategies. Chapters 1-9 focus on parent-child interactions, showing parents in detail how to support and increase their child's communicative efforts and social understanding. Chapters 10-13 focus on peer interactions, with advice on how to prepare the child for a play date, and also how to facilitate a play date most effectively.

One of the things I personally enjoyed about this book was actually a rather minor detail: the accompanying illustrations are extremely multicultural. Though it would have been quite easy for the illustrations to have shown the same family throughout the book, but instead they depict many different families, of many different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. It also shows both moms and dads interacting with their children. A subtle touch, but one that makes the book feel like it really is aimed at everyone.

Needless to say, this book is highly recommended for its ease of use, clear explanations, and practical strategies, as well as its lovely illustrations.

The Bookstore Goes to the ASA in AZ

The Bookstore is going on the road again! This Wednesday through Saturday (7/11-7/14) we will be in Scottsdale, AZ, at the Autism Society of America's 38th National Conference. We will be set up in booths #406/408, pretty much right in the middle, looking at that map, so please stop by and see us!

This will be an exciting year for us at ASA, because two of our favorite authors, ASNC's own Ann Palmer and Maureen Morrell, have won ASA's 2007 Literary Work of the Year award! See our announcement and special discount offer here. Ann and Maureen will be signing their book after the award ceremony on Friday, but if you miss that, they'll be signing again at our booth during the Saturday morning break, 9:30-10am.

Because Darla and I will be in Arizona, Hope will be (wo)manning the physical store, so please be aware that the hours later this week, W-F, will be abbreviated, 9am-1pm.

We hope to see some of you in AZ!

ASNC Bookstore's Top Ten Bestsellers List for June

June 2007 Top 10 Bestsellers

1. Tasks Galore
   
   
2. Tasks Galore: Making Groups Meaningful
   
   
3. ABA Program Companion
   
   
4. Tasks Galore for the Real World
   
   
5. Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism
   
   
6. Five Is Against the Law: Social Boundaries: Straight Up!
   
   
7. Brotherly Feelings: Me, My Emotions, and My Brother with Asperger's Syndrome
   
   
8. Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond
   
   
9. How To Teach Social Skills and Plan For Peer Social Interactions
   
   
10. KidTalk: Conversation Cards
    

Please visit our website to read detailed descriptions of these and other popular titles. We are also adding new books weekly, so check out our New Items category to see our latest offerings.