Preface.; A Note on Terminology.; 1. Getting the diagnosis or 'I'm an Asparagus but I'm not green'.; 2. Deciding on assessment or 'They must be weird too'.; 3. Going through an assessment or 'Gloriously gabbling on'.; 4. Some details about diagnostic criteria or 'Why Harry Potter would tie a pair of knickers to Hedwig's leg'.; 5. Social communication or 'So how was your day?'.; 6. Social imagination or' a perfectly good squirrel'.; 7. Sensory preferences and other stuff or 'brace yourself for the bullet points'.; 8. Repetitive behaviours or 'repetitive behaviours...repetitive behaviours...repetitive behaviours'.; 9. AS in the family or 'being Pollyanna'.; 10. Sharing the news or 'being an ally for Asperger's'.; 11. Strategies that help or 'you have stepped unknowingly in a massive pile of poo'.; 12. Asperger's Syndrome or 'I'm the last of my kind'.; 13. The Present and the Future or 'not barking like a dog'.; Index.
Description
Written by a mother reflecting on her daughter, Eva's, diagnosis of ASD, it is a narrative interspersed with psychological information and anecdotal insights by both Eva and her mother Cathie, a speech & language therapist.It is a short and relatively easy read but does impart important messages especially from Eva's point of view. It aims to explain the nuances of engaging successfully in school and home life from a non-neurotypical point of view... I enjoyed this book immensely and will be recommending it to parents of children with a recent 'Diagnosis Asparagus' and would suggest that teachers with an interest in understanding school from a non-neurotypical point of view would benefit from reading it.