Special Needs

Weekend Book Report!

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    I have been reading some good SN related books lately that I would like to share with you. I figured maybe some others would have some good reads to share as well. So here is the post to post them!

     

    ETA: Feel free to post any other books you enjoyed that are not SN related too... 

     

    ETA2: I have no idea where the number 1 came from, nor can I get rid of it! 

    WAY 2 Cool 4 School


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    Re: Weekend Book Report!

    • The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband

      Author: David Finch

      I really enjoyed this book and it was a fast read. Basically, it is about a late diagnosed man who decided to help his marriage which was suffering mainly because of some of his quirks. It was really interesting to me because he does a great job of describing how his mind works and why social situations are difficult for him. It is well written and well orgainized.

      4 stars (out of 5) 

       

      WAY 2 Cool 4 School


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    • This week I read:

      January First - Chronicling the journey of a family whose daughter deals with schizophrenia, and is violent, especially towards her younger brother due to hallucinations. Really opened my eyes as childhood onset schizophrenia is not well known. The dynamics of the family and how each parent handled things were interesting, I can not imagine being in their positions. The book did leave me feeling a bit uneasy though. 

      Brain on Fire - Tells the story of a young 20's something woman who deals with psychosis and seizures. Follows the journey of her medical team trying to determine exactly what was going on all while nearly losing her. She was ultimately diagnosed with NMDA encephalitis, a rare condition. During the psychosis, the young lady misses nearly a month of memories and relies on journals,interviews,hospital footage, and medical records to piece it all together. I really enjoyed this book and all of the scientific explanations of the disease.

    • Some I enjoyed, related to a variety of SN topics-

      Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, and Be Different, both by John Elder Robison (who has Asperger's).

      Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon.

      The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand his Extraordinary Son by Ian Brown.

      I also really liked the Journal of Best Practices, like the OP.

       

    • image-auntie-:

      I <3 John Elder Robison.

      I just finished Temple Grandin's new book-

       
      Meh. It was sort of a rehash of some of her previous works. I find her books interesting but take exception to her tendency to speak for people on spectrum as if they all experience autism as she does. She is probably the author who is most compelling to lay people which sometimes causes well meaning teachers to go off on the whole "visual learner" tangent because Dr. Grandin says it's how the mind of an autist works. Ugh. While DS does have a remarkable visual memory, he is actually more of an auditory learner for most subjects. I have wasted a lot of time trying to convince teachers of this because they're listening to a woman they've never met instead of the student in front of them. I'm also not wild that she applies the Aspergers dx to people in public life- living and dead- who may or may not be on spectrum.
       
      I started "We Have to Talk About Kevin" but couldn't get into it. I picked up "I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames" which looks promising-
       
       
      I also like "Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid" which is a cover to cover snarkfest.
       
       
      I've been reading "Consider the Fork" which is sort of a history of cooking and eating utensils which is a lot more interesting than you might suppose.
       

      I'd suggest trying We Need to Talk About Kevin again- I couldn't stop thinking about that book for days after I read it.

      I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames made me rather depressed, TBH.

      I might try Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid!

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