Just in time for National Autism Month
One of the great advantages of being a book author is that you have control over your working hours which, for me, means that when my kids are on vacation, I’M on vacation. I’ll have decades of writing time to myself once the kids are out of the house, but free time with them is limited and I’m not going to miss out on it. Which is why I haven’t posted anything for over two weeks. (Fortunately Kim picked up the slack and then some.) My apologies. No regrets, though. It was our best vacation ever.
But now that I’m back home and they’re back in school, it’s time to get serious about work again. So: hello everybody!
(All together now:
“Hello, Claire!”
Thanks.)
When I left for vacation, it was March, which wasn’t remarkable, but I returned in April which is National Autism Month. As you all must know by now, when I’m not writing lighthearted women’s fiction, I’m co-authoring books about autism. The second collaboration between Dr. Lynn Koegel (of the Koegel Autism Center at UCSB) and me came out last month and, in honor of National Autism Month, I’m going to give a copy away.
The book is Growing Up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teens and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger’s (I think that’s the title, anyway: I have a habit of getting it slightly wrong, but, in my defense, the subtitle is pretty long). It’s sort of a sequel to the first book Dr. Koegel and I wrote, Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child’s Life (had to look that one up).
In both books, we offer advice to parents based on Dr. Koegel’s Pivotal Response Training approach to Applied Behavioral Analysis interventions for kids with autism. Which is all a fancy way of saying that years of scientific research have led Dr. Koegel and her husband Dr. Robert Koegel to finding the BEST behavioral approach to improving the symptoms of autism while enjoying and appreciating what’s wonderful and unique about our kids.
Overcoming Autism is largely aimed at parents of young children. Growing Up on the Spectrum is for parents of older kids–teenagers and young adults. There hasn’t been a lot of information out there for that age group so we felt we were charting new territory. As we put it in our book, the question for us parents of older kids on the spectrum switches from “How do we teach our kids to do this or that?” to “How do we teach our kids not to need us to teach them anymore?”
I’m very proud to say that my son, whom I wrote about extensively in the first book, contributed his own personal essays and illustrations to this new one.
So it’s a special book and one that’s very near and dear to my heart and one that I hope will offer support and guidance to a lot of parents embarking on this new stage of life.
If you’re interested in receiving a free copy of Growing Up on the Spectrum, please write a comment in response to this post, letting me know who the book will be for–yourself or a relative or a friend–and post your comment before next Friday, the 25th of April. I’ll use one of those random-picking-generator-application-thingies to pick a winner (as soon as Kim teaches me how to do that) and will mail a signed copy of the book out to him or her.
Please leave only one comment UNLESS you’re willing to tweet about the giveaway on twitter, in which case you can add a second comment letting us know you’ve done so. And if you are on twitter, follow me and Kim–I’m writemenow and she’s bookstoreK.
Good luck. I hope you win the book. Yes, I’m talking to YOU.
Happy April.
Tags: giveaway
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This would be for my sister and her son:) Thanks!
christinbanda@yahoo.com -
My daughter is dating someone whose brother has Autism, so I want to win this so I can educate myself.
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I will give this to a friend whose son is autistic.
Thanks for the giveaway!
kimspam66(at) yahoo(dot)com -
I would love to win this book!! My 5-year-old son has autism.
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I have several friends with autistic children so I think I would give it to my friend whose son is in my son’s class.
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This would be great for a friend’s grandson. Thanks!
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I am weighing in selfishly to say that I want to read both books, so, winner or not, I need to track these titles down to have them for my own…
My youngest son has autism. He’s nearly six now, but is bound to be a teenager someday! -
also–
(no need to publish this one)
I don’t tweet but did promote on facebook! What a great site you have. Thanks so much. -
This would be for me…my brother is 29 and Asperger’s. It wasn’t on the books as a diagnosis til he was 15. My son is 5, and is Autistic, probably Asperger’s. We are not sure yet. Oh, to have had this for my brother, growing up….now I am trying to do the best for my son, now that we know so much more!! Thank you so much!!
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Jenn, promoting on FB is as good as twitter, thanks for helping to get the word out!
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This book will be for my friend, Rachel and her son.
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For me and my beautiful son. he is 11 and has just hit the point where everything is changing; school,body, awareness of himself…a nightmare for a child with autism. have passed on your link to our wonderful support group the AAOF (autism association for overseas families) who are a lifeline for ex pats trying to negociate a way through the dutch special needs system here in the netherlands.
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Congratulations on a fabulous followup book which I hope gets a lot of readers. It’s a great idea to have the giveaway on the website. Glad you had a good vacation! Laura
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For my mother and my autistic sister molly. She’s 15 so this book would be perfect timing.
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This would be for my 17 year old son, who has Asperger Syndrome. I think that this would help him greatly with what he is going through at this time in his life!!
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Nephew with Asperger’s. I’d love to know more.
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Thank you for a great giveaway! I would love to win. I would give this to my dear friend. Thank you!
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net -
I have a daughter of 20 with Aspergers and I devour any advice I can find on the subject – just want her to get a life….
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Hi Claire!! Pick me!
Having Max & learning from him was one of the highlights in my teaching (Hear the bells, Father Serra?) Can’t wait to read your latest also, since my stepdaughter has Aspergers, too & we ALL can use the info!! XOXO
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