Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Conscious Parenting 9
The Benefits of Conscious Parenting 10
Giving Your Child Full Attention 13
Understanding Behavior 14
Conscious Parenting Tips 16
Chapter 2 Defining Asperger's Syndrome 19
Background and History 20
On the Autism Spectrum 21
Goodbye to Asperger's? 21
Asperger's Defined 24
Characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome and ASD 26
Prevalence and Misdiagnosis 30
Chapter 3 Seeking Diagnosis 33
Is a Diagnosis Necessary? 34
Making the Decision 35
Local Resources for Diagnosis 37
Intervention 40
Disclosure and Self-Understanding 42
Important Points to Consider 47
Chapter 4 Discipline 49
Your Approach to Discipline 50
Setting Rules 51
Communicating Expectations 52
Seeing Your Child's Point of View 54
Knowing When to Discipline 55
Meltdowns 57
Important Points to Consider 59
Chapter 5 Communication 61
How Would You Feel? 62
Communicating Visually 64
Extra Processing Time 65
Eye Contact 67
Creating Trust 68
Helping Your Child Crack the "Social Code" 69
Subtleties of Language 70
Texting-A Good Thing? 71
Additional Social Strategies 72
Important Points to Consider 75
Chapter 6 Mental Health 77
Prevention, Not Intervention 78
Depression 79
Bipolar Disorder 83
Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 87
Approaches for Mental Health Care 89
Fostering Mental Health Self-Advocacy 92
Important Points to Consider 94
Chapter 7 Passions 95
Identifying and Valuing Personal Passions 96
Passions and Relationship Building 98
Passions As Bridges to Learning 102
Passions As Bridges to Employment 103
When Is a Passion a Problem? 104
Important Points to Consider 106
Chapter 8 Family Dynamics 107
Parents with Asperger's 108
Recognizing Asperger's in Yourself or Your Spouse 110
Sibling Relationships 111
Extended Family 114
Your Community 116
Important Points to Consider 118
Chapter 9 Fostering Relationships 119
Your Child's Interactions 120
The Dance of Reciprocal Flow 120
Conversational "Bag of Tricks" 123
Opportunities for Bonding 126
Finding Allies 128
Is It Okay to Be Alone? 129
Important Points to Consider 131
Chapter 10 Educational Programming 133
Your Child's School Experience 134
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 134
Developing a Plan 136
Creating the Individualized Education Program 138
Resolving Disagreements 141
Alternative Education Programs 144
Important Points to Consider 147
Chapter 11 School-Related Issues 149
The School Day 150
How Your Child Learns 150
Environmental Issues 153
Homework 155
Bullying 157
Unstructured School Environments 159
Important Points to Consider 160
Chapter 12 Significant Transitions and Change 163
Attending a New School 164
Transition to New Home 169
Transition to College 171
Handling Divorce 175
Loss of Loved Ones 178
Important Points to Consider 179
Chapter 13 Sexuality 181
The Birds and the Bees 182
Masturbation 184
Infatuation 186
Dating 188
Same-Sex Attraction 190
Important Points to Consider 192
Chapter 14 Strategies of Lifelong Value 195
Personal Schedules 196
The Touchstone 198
The Social Out 200
Acting and Music 202
Written Narratives 203
Spirituality 205
Important Points to Consider 206
Chapter 15 Transitioning to Adulthood 209
Planning for the Future 210
The Person-Centered Planning Process 211
Independent Living 214
Learning New Responsibilities 214
Don't Get Taken Advantage Of 216
Understanding Justice 218
Misunderstandings 219
Calling the Police 221
Important Points to Consider 222
Chapter 16 The Rewards of Being an Asperger's Parent 225
What Have You Learned? 226
Asperger's and the World 228
The Neurodiversity Movement 229
The Future 230
Appendix A Further Reading 231
Appendix B Website Resources 233
Index 235