Do you know someone with an autism spectrum disorder? Do you wish you better understood this perplexing disorder that has significantly increased over the past few years? The Snowflake Children of Autism is for anyone who wants to learn more about the phenomenon of autism. Has your child become one of the one-in-88 children in the United States diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder?

The co-author of "Asperger's and Girls" presents a no-nonsense guide to teaching children with Asperger's or autism the life skills they will need to function as an adult.

This book supplies stories, essays, lesson plans and specialized storytelling strategies to help teachers "level the playing field" for all learners and better serve children with special needs. More than 57 percent of the over 6 million American children with disabilities are in inclusive (i.e., general) classrooms; "self-contained" classrooms serve children whose disabilities are either more severe or disruptive. As much as 20 percent of the children in an inclusive classroom are identified as "disabled," with the highest percentage of these having learning disabilities. While most classrooms have at least one child with a disability, teachers often have little or no training in educating and caring for these children. The need for resources that support educators working with children with disabilities or social/emotional difficulties is clear. This book fills this critical need, supplying school and public librarians, classroom and special area teachers, and storytelling teaching artists with storytelling strategies for reaching and teaching children with special needs in inclusive classrooms, self-contained classrooms, and public and school libraries. These full-text stories, essays, and lesson plans from experienced storytelling teaching artists provide educators with a wide range of adaptable storytelling and teaching strategies for specific disabilities and enable storytellers to discover news ways to perform their storytelling magic. The book also offers compelling real-life anecdotes that demonstrate the impact of these strategies in inclusive and self-contained classrooms; presents an introduction to the skills of storytelling, why they are useful, and how to use them; and includes suggested modifications for a wide range of disabilities as well as detailed resource lists.

"Ellen offers advice on concrete issues such as math homework, video games, and tricky behaviour, and also tackles the more abstract concepts of parenting: trusting parental instincts, when to take risks, how to hang on, and when to let go." -- Back cover.

Life with a child with autism can be challenging, exhausting, and - ultimately - very rewarding. For parents, even daily activities like getting dressed or grocery shopping can become daunting exercises. Children with autism require special strategies, and parents must learn how to think with their child instead of against him. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice, reassurances, and real-life scenarios to help families get through each day. You'll discover how to: Communicate effectively with their child Find a school that meets their child's needs Handle meltdowns in public or private Learn about assistive devices Find intervention and support groups Full of useful information, expert advice, and positive techniques, this guide is the valuable tool you and your family need to make the most of every day - one interaction at a time!

The media, scientific researchers, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual all refer to "autism" as if it were a single disorder or a single disorder over a spectrum. However, autism is unlike any single disorder in a variety of ways. No single brain deficit is found to cause it, no single drug is found to affect it, and no single cause or cure has been found despite tremendous research efforts to find same. Rethinking Autism reviews the scientific research on causes, symptomology, course, and treatment done to date...and draws the potentially shocking conclusion that "autism" does not exist as a single disorder. The conglomeration of symptoms exists, but like fever, those symptoms aren't a disease in themselves, but rather a result of some other cause(s). Only by ceasing to think of autism as a single disorder can we ever advance research to more accurately parse why these symptoms occur and what the different and varied causes may be. - Autism is a massive worldwide problem with increasing prevalence rates, now thought to be as high as 1 in 38 children (Korea) and 1 in 100 children (CDC- US) - Autism is the 3rd most common developmental disability; 400,000 people in the United States alone have autism - Autism affects the entire brain, including communication, social behavior, and reasoning and is lifelong - There is no known cause and no cure - Funding for autism research quadrupled from 1995 to 2000 up to $45 million, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee has recommended $1 billion funding from 2010-2015

The bestselling author of Grain Brain uncovers the powerful role of gut bacteria in determining your brain's destiny. Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise-from children diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before. But a medical revolution is underway that can solve this problem: Astonishing new research is revealing that the health of your brain is, to an extraordinary degree, dictated by the state of your microbiome - the vast population of organisms that live in your body and outnumber your own cells ten to one. What's taking place in your intestines today is determining your risk for any number of brain-related conditions. In Brain Maker, Dr. Perlmutter explains the potent interplay between intestinal microbes and the brain, describing how the microbiome develops from birth and evolves based on lifestyle choices, how it can become "sick," and how nurturing gut health through a few easy strategies can alter your brain's destiny for the better. With simple dietary recommendations and a highly practical program of six steps to improving gut ecology, Brain Maker opens the door to unprecedented brain health potential.