Educational Reads for SLPs

The other day Chip was cleaning the shower and I heard a loud BANG and "OH SH*T!" Chip ran out of the bathroom and I was like "WHAT?" He lead me into the bathroom and showed me where the tiles had fallen revealing disgusting wet dry wall. SICK. So, we called the apartment complex maintenance and had someone come out and look at it. The entire shower needed to be re-tiled. This means that I have to hide the dog that we are keeping in the apartment illegally and be gone for 7 hours. My bank account is almost non existent a this point so I had to think of things to do. I was going to go see a movie by myself, but that seemed to depressing, so I went to a new library that I hadn't been to before. They didn't have the two books that I am looking for, so I started thinking about what I could do to get ready to my new job. I know that I will have many young children with Autism so I looked up some books that I have been meaning to read for a year or so now, and some new books. The first one I picked up was called Activity Schedules for Children with Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior 2nd Edition by Lynn E. McClannahan. It was a really short book and I finished it in one sitting. It had a lot of great information about how to provide structure for children with Autism during free play time or during any time where the child needs to be doing anything: school, free play, running errands, etc. The book talks about how many autistic children needs maximum prompting--but they cannot require maximum prompting to do everything forever. This is a program about how to use picture schedule books to decrease prompting over time so the child increases their independence and social interactions during activities of daily living. I think I will definitely try an "activity schedule."

The second book is The Autism Encyclopedia by John T. Neisworth and Pamela S. Wolfe. This book is exactly what the title suggests. It's an encyclopedia about all of the words that come alongside autism such as: floortime, ABA, AAC, early intervention, SLP, OT, gluten, service coordinator, Social Stories, theory of mind, and token economy. I would like to own this book as a desk-side resource. 

Next, I picked up Jenny McCarthy's Louder Than Words. I haven wanted to read this book for a long time because I am just curious about what she has written. I think many parents of children with autism have read this book and I want to be familiar with it. Now, she typically really annoys me and I don't know why exactly. I think it's because all of the interviews I have seen make me feel like she assumes she knows everything about autism; what causes it, what "cures" it, and how wrong every doctor in the world is except those that agree with her. She is a parent and is living through what it is like to have a child with the diagnosis, and I do not so I have to give her that. She knows more about it on a personal basis. I do have 2 cousins with autism, but of course, they are not my children and I don't see them every day because they live in Kansas. Bottom line, I am going to read the book to make my own opinion and also so I can comment on it if anyone asks me about it. 

Lastly, I picked up Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson. It's a memoir about, obviously, a man growing up with the diagnosis. I saw this was recommended by Christine, so I want to read it.

Now, I am sitting in Panera Bread. I have a about an hour before I have to pick up Dralla from the groomers.

-Jacq