Monday, May 4, 2015

Aspertools: The Practical Guide for Understanding and Embracing Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Neurodiversity



Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 240
Release Date: 04-07-15

Bit on the Back:

If you ask Dr. Harold Reitman, labels are a lousy way to describe a unique human being, whether it's Asperger's, high functioning autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette's or even the so-called neurotypical brain itself. One size does not fit all. Everyone's brain is different. Helping others 'get it' when it comes to dealing with those with so-called learning disabilities is why Reitman has written this book. It's also why he wrote and produced "The Square Root of 2," a movie about a college student who encounters and fights her school's unjust system. The film was inspired by the real events faced by his daughter and contributing author, Rebecca, when she went to college; her seizure disorder and at the time undiagnosed Asperger syndrome posed unique challenges not faced by most students.


After reviewing the scientific community's research, conducted over the last nearly 40 years, Dr. Reitman believes that it's time to not just accept neurodiversity, but to embrace it, and this book will help people do just that. It is the first book to offer simple tools, action plans and resources to help understand and deal with anyone whose brain is a bit different. The astonishing rate of autism births alone (1 in 68) means that society will have to adapt to neurodiversity, just as it has had to adapt to other cultural and racial differences. Our educational system, our workplaces, and society at large will no longer be one size fits all-each individual will have the opportunity to maximize their potential-and we will be the better for it. "

My So-Called Review:
 
I have never before read a book directly related to Asperger’s Syndrome so I was extremely happy to be given the opportunity to read and review “Aspertools: The Practical Guide for Understanding and Embracing Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Neurodiversity” by Dr. Harold Reitman. Our 19 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD at the age of 5 and many times throughout the years doctors and teachers would tell us that he also displayed many Asperger tendencies and traits. Many tests were done yet the results always came back the same, inconclusive. We were never told definitively if he was positively diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or what all these tendencies meant. As a parent, this became increasing frustrating; how are you supposed to help your child without a proper diagnosis or the proper tools?


Dr. Harold Reitman has put so much into perspective for me and my husband with his book! I felt like he was speaking directly to me regarding our son and I only wish that I had this information and knew of these tools and resources when our son was young. It’s laid out in an easily read format about strategies that can be used to help individuals who are on the Autism Spectrum. Each chapter is then addresses a specific issue that typically affects an individual with Asperger’s and he then provides ways to address these issues in real life. This isn’t just for parents though, anyone who knows or even works with someone with Asperger’s or an Autism disorder would benefit greatly from reading this book. 


The rapidly increasing rate in which children are being born with Asperger’s Syndrome or any varying degree of Autism is just staggering. We need to stop lumping our children and adults who suffer from these learning disabilities into one category because; as Dr. Reitman explains so well in his book, everyone’s brain is different! We as a society must start educating ourselves and “Aspertools” is a great place to start!


Highly recommend to parents of children with Mental Health Disorders as well as teachers and educators, outside as well as inside the Special Education Departments.


Thank you to Dr. Harold Reitman, publishers HCI Books, and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review



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