Autism Books as Holiday Gifts for Relatives

Books make such a great gift for birthdays and holidays. The holiday season is a good time to promote autism awareness by finding suitable books to help family members and relatives learn about autism at their own pace.

Ideally if your child is nonverbal you would want to encourage learning by perusing the books from parents and professionals on communication issues and the many options that have been explored.

Along the same lines it makes sense to get the father a book that has been written by another father that has already walked down this path. There are also books by professionals discussing their clients and therapists covering their areas of expertise.

Running with Walker by Robert Hughes tells of the Hughes family living in Chicago, which consists of Robert, his wife Ellen and their two sons, Walker and Davy. The prologue begins with a Christmas party in 1997. The picture shows Walker jumping in midair, a similar pose my son Matthew was caught doing at summer camp.

I liked how the reader is drawn right into the holiday season as Robert reminisces about holiday parties. Their experience spotlights how a family tries to give one son the holiday season as the other child melts down due to the sensory overload. Parents can gain insight from Robert's descriptive words and easily relate to the trauma of the holiday season.

" Though we knew Walker wanted to be there and was thrilled to see his family, he was too sad or frustrated, too angry or strangely panicked to handle it."

This would make a good gift for a father, brother or grandfather. A Father's Memoir is another good pick for a gift for the male relative. They can read the book over the holiday vacation ready to start the new year armed with new knowledge.

The Case of the Prank that Stank is a Wright & Wong mystery, the first book in this series about B. Orville Wright. He is in middle school along with his best friend Agatha, who keeps the bullies away from Orville, who also happens to have Asperger's syndrome.

This is a chapter book geared to tweens and older. It would be ideal for the sibling of a child on the spectrum, as well as relatives in the same age bracket. I would also recommend this to babysitters, respite workers, teachers and assistants. It makes a perfect stocking stuffer.

What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew offers insights from advocates for the disabled and families through essays written on the topics they wished their own parents had read or been told while growing up.

This book is suitable for the Mothers and Grandmothers of the child on the spectrum or any other disability. Each essay ends with a short biography of the author and their family achievements.

It would also be suitable for newly diagnosed families and their relatives to learn and understand the issues they are about to face and prepare for them.

Autism Through A Sister's Eyes is a book that would be beneficial to female siblings and classmates of a child with autism or asperger syndrome. Emily is two years younger than her brother Daniel. She writes about her feelings, making friends, understanding and learning about high functioning autism and asperger's syndrome.

This book is also good for teachers, assistants and babysitters. It is a quick read that includes a glossary and discussion questions for parents and children. Those on the spectrum who are higher functioning would benefit from reading this book to see how a younger sibling grasps autism. I really enjoyed reading through this book.

My Friend with Autism is a book that could be given to a sibling, younger relative or classmates.

The teacher and assistants can benefit from perusing the book as there are several pages of notes for adults explaining the details of the books contents. Each page shows examples of a child with autism having issues with their senses, playing and communicating.

There is also a list of behavior that might be construed to be autism and ten quick strategies for helping an autistic child. A recommended reading list is at the last page.

The book could be utilized in the classroom setting such as a preschool, a library reading, and social skills groups. It would be useful for babysitters and assistants in the classroom, as well as the general education setting and school office personnel.

1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers alike.

This is written by Veronica Zysk, Managing Editor of Autism Aspergers Digest Magazine along with Ellen Notbohm, parent, author and columnist. There are seven chapters, glossary and index that cover sensory integration strategies, daily living skills, social skills, educational strategies and special education law.

This book is recommended for all those who work and live with someone on the autism spectrum. Read it over the holiday and start implementing the strategies.

Educational Autism Tips for Families 71 page resourceful ebook for families entering the school system with a recent autism diagnosis. Find out what issues take place over the course of a school day and meet these challenges head on.