A vivid exploration of working with autistic children using empowering techniques from a range of creative therapies. Each chapter in this heartening book is the story of a child with autism and how therapy was pivotal in confronting his or her individual dilemma. Covering many of the behaviours characteristic to autism, such as uncontrolled anger and obsessive tendencies, the therapies used range from drawing and dancing to meditation and martial arts, depending on the needs and interests of each child. The key message is that investing in the relationship between the therapist and the child - so that they grow, play and develop together - is transformative.

Almost all troubled children thrive in storytelling. However experience has shown that children with Aspergers' or autistic tendencies neither enjoy nor benefit from storytelling, they need a different approach; also children in crisis are better helped in one to one counselling. The Adventure Tales Resource is a practical guide to providing a weekly therapeutic storytelling group for troubled children aged 7-12 years, through one school term. The Guide provides a succinct, step by step method of setting up, organizing and running a storytelling group. It facilitates the production of the finished story for the group. It offers ways of how to be therapeutically with the group. It includes practical administration support with photocopiable proforma such as letters to parents, evaluation sheets. This practical resource will help to: develop inter and intra relationships; enhance emotional literacy; resolve emotional issues; improve ability to think round own problems; improve tolerance of difference; increase trust in others; stimulate the imagination; increase self esteem; increase the ability to express views clearly and calmly; increase confidence in literacy skills, especially reading.

Your Road Map to Rediscovering Joy, Fun, and Togetherness Having a child with an autism spectrum disorder may mean that you have to change your life. It can seem as though there are so many things you just can't do. But there are adventures—large and small—that kids with autism love, and they are waiting for your whole family! Just think outside of the ordinary, look for reachable sensory experiences, come prepared, and keep an open mind, and everyone in your family can go along for a great ride. This book is packed with exciting ideas for families living with autism, with everything you need to know to make them a reality. Including: Unconventional backyard fun: zip lines, trampolines, tree stumps, and even exercise bikes! Easy ways to adapt public places such as bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, and swimming pools into stress-free outings Surprising activities that can lead to lifelong interests Dreaming big: there's a world of amusement parks, water slides, camping, and other family getaways that are truly within reach Special activities for grandparents and extended family members How to team up with other parents to maximize the fun With tips and advice from dozens of creative families who have found fun with autism and want you to do the same!

It is no easy task to find a teaching technique that can truly change the course of a child with special needs. Thirty years ago, when Janet Tubbs began working with children who had low self-esteem and behavioral problems, she developed a successful program using art, music, and movement. Believing that unconventional children required unconventional therapies, she then took her program one step further—she applied it to children with autism, ADD/ADHD, and Asperger’s Syndrome. Her innovative methods and strategies not only worked, but they actually defied the experts. In this new book, Janet Tubbs has put together a powerful teaching tool to help parents, therapists, and teachers work with their children. Creative Therapy for Children with Autism, ADD, and Asperger's ​​is divided into two parts. Part One provides an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders and introduces and explains Janet’s novel approach to teaching. Her goal is to balance the child’s body, mind, and spirit through proven techniques. Part Two provides a wide variety of exercises, activities, and games that are both fun and effective. Each is designed to reduce hyperactivity, increase and prolong focus, decrease anger, develop fine motor skills, or improve social and verbal skills. All are part of a program created to help these children relate to their environment without fear, anxiety, or discomfort. A child may appear stubborn and difficult, but that doesn’t mean that the child isn’t intelligent, curious, or creative. With the right treatment, such a child can be reached, taught, and set on the road to improvement. The lessons provided in this book may be just what you and your child have been waiting for.

Creative Response Activities for Children on the Spectrum is a clear, comprehensive and intuitive guide that offers a wide selection of hands-on interventions to be used in any therapeutic or educational setting with children who are ‘on the spectrum’. From drawing and writing poetry to skiing and skateboarding, this book describes these and many other creative activities geared towards children with autistic features, attention deficits, hyperactivity, paediatric bipolar disorder and other related conditions. This new resource provides an innovative blend of theory and illustrative case examples designed to help therapists and educators assess children’s needs, formulate therapeutic and aesthetic interventions, and analyze creative outcomes.

The Children of Raquette Lake: One Summer That Helped Change the Course of Treatment for Autism is an inspiring account of author Mira Rothenberg's experience with eleven autistic and schizophrenic children during the summer of 1958. In order to avoid the regression that often occurred during the summer months, Rothenberg, a trained psychologist, and her colleagues Zev Spanier and Tev Goldsman, decided to bring their young patients to a camp in Raquette Lake, located in the Adirondack region of Northern New York. As Rothenberg explains, this was a time when severely disturbed children were considered untreatable and often sent to live out their lives in institutions where their needs were neglected and ignored. Many of Rothenberg's patients exhibited signs of abuse and emotional trauma. On the island, Rothenberg, Spanier, and Goldsman discovered that by applying what was then an unconventional treatment of loving care and tolerance, their young patients improved and were able to heal many of the emotional and physical issues associated with their conditions. Written like a narrative journal that follows the children's progress from week to week, The Children of Raquette Lake is interwoven with personal histories and fascinating case stories that demonstrate the healing power of the human heart. The book also provides a valuable list of resources for therapists and parents of autistic children.

Frances Tustin's classic text Autistic States in Children (1981) put forward convincing clinical evidence that some forms of childhood autism are psychogenic and respond to methods of treatment very different from the behavioural techniques often adopted without success. Her pioneering work with such children has gained ground since the book was first published and she herself has revised her understanding of the aetiology of psychogenic autism. This revised edition of the book incorporates her new thinking based on recent infant observational studies and her own clinical experience.