Post by healthy11 on Jul 2, 2015 20:48:31 GMT -5
I've not read it, but the following was recommended by a very knowledgeable special ed advocate I know:
Talk to Me is a book about conversation strategies for parents of children on the autism spectrum or with speech and language impairments. Heather Jones, the author, is the mother of Jamie who has Asperger’s syndrome and the book was a result of her frustration at not being able to have a conversation with Jamie when he was a growing child. One day traveling in the car with her son and not having a very good day herself, she let her frustration get the best of her and demanded that Jamie talk to her. And quite by accident Heather discovered a way to teach Jamie how to participate in conversation. In this book she shares their story so that other parents can benefit from what she learned and the discoveries she made while successfully teaching Jamie to talk with others. A common characteristic of individuals with Asperger’s is difficulty with expressive language, or being able to say what they want to say. And a common characteristic of parents of children with expressive language difficulties is their frustration with how to reach and connect with their children. Heather described her feelings about Jamie: “I was with my dearest boy and I just couldn’t talk to him. His answers, if they came at all, were monosyllabic. He just wasn’t interested in talking. He was often in trouble, mainly for throwing temper tantrums, but he was a caring boy. I knew he had a lovely soul, but I couldn’t reach it.” Their journey began when Jamie was 4 years old and Heather took him to a special school for oppositional kids because the special education teacher at the primary school wasn’t able to cope with him. At age 7 he was suspended from school and at age 10 he was enrolled in a school for kids with speech and language impairments. Jamie’s pediatrician recommended Ritalin, but his mother knew it wouldn’t help since he was mostly calm at home. None of his therapies or school programs succeeded until Heather stumbled upon a way to teach Jamie how to make conversation and use language to express himself. Talk to Me is written in two parts; the first tells the story of how Heather worked with Jamie to learn to participate in conversation, the second part describes how Jamie developed social skills, life skills and independence as a result of being able to hold a conversation. Heather’s strategies are practical, easy to understand and effective. She shares what she learned by using those strategies and each chapter is followed by a summary list of tips for parents. She also shares her contact information and her willingness to communicate with other parents and to offer support for their own journeys. It is enjoyable to read about Jamie’s growth and development and Heather’s frank assessment of parenting challenges. She describes reaching the point of realizing that her child needed to become an independent operator in life and observes that many parents of kids with autism automatically put off that day and continue to operate as if their children are incapable. Heather stresses that they are not incapable – they just need more training to do tasks. Her own realizations and experiences have made her want to share her story and help other parents. She ends the book with a description of Jamie as an adult, successfully employed and a competent communicator and provides the transcript of an interview with Jamie about his memories of learning to make conversation.
Talk to Me is a book about conversation strategies for parents of children on the autism spectrum or with speech and language impairments. Heather Jones, the author, is the mother of Jamie who has Asperger’s syndrome and the book was a result of her frustration at not being able to have a conversation with Jamie when he was a growing child. One day traveling in the car with her son and not having a very good day herself, she let her frustration get the best of her and demanded that Jamie talk to her. And quite by accident Heather discovered a way to teach Jamie how to participate in conversation. In this book she shares their story so that other parents can benefit from what she learned and the discoveries she made while successfully teaching Jamie to talk with others. A common characteristic of individuals with Asperger’s is difficulty with expressive language, or being able to say what they want to say. And a common characteristic of parents of children with expressive language difficulties is their frustration with how to reach and connect with their children. Heather described her feelings about Jamie: “I was with my dearest boy and I just couldn’t talk to him. His answers, if they came at all, were monosyllabic. He just wasn’t interested in talking. He was often in trouble, mainly for throwing temper tantrums, but he was a caring boy. I knew he had a lovely soul, but I couldn’t reach it.” Their journey began when Jamie was 4 years old and Heather took him to a special school for oppositional kids because the special education teacher at the primary school wasn’t able to cope with him. At age 7 he was suspended from school and at age 10 he was enrolled in a school for kids with speech and language impairments. Jamie’s pediatrician recommended Ritalin, but his mother knew it wouldn’t help since he was mostly calm at home. None of his therapies or school programs succeeded until Heather stumbled upon a way to teach Jamie how to make conversation and use language to express himself. Talk to Me is written in two parts; the first tells the story of how Heather worked with Jamie to learn to participate in conversation, the second part describes how Jamie developed social skills, life skills and independence as a result of being able to hold a conversation. Heather’s strategies are practical, easy to understand and effective. She shares what she learned by using those strategies and each chapter is followed by a summary list of tips for parents. She also shares her contact information and her willingness to communicate with other parents and to offer support for their own journeys. It is enjoyable to read about Jamie’s growth and development and Heather’s frank assessment of parenting challenges. She describes reaching the point of realizing that her child needed to become an independent operator in life and observes that many parents of kids with autism automatically put off that day and continue to operate as if their children are incapable. Heather stresses that they are not incapable – they just need more training to do tasks. Her own realizations and experiences have made her want to share her story and help other parents. She ends the book with a description of Jamie as an adult, successfully employed and a competent communicator and provides the transcript of an interview with Jamie about his memories of learning to make conversation.
