Parents Bookshelf

Drawing of a bookParent’s Bookshelf

The Parent’s Bookshelf is a service to families who would like to share this information with other families in our family partnership. MAIER does not specifically endorse or advocate these offerings.  This issue’s offering is submitted by Cheryl Stalilonis, mother to 21-year-old son, Eric. These books are available through your favorite bookseller.

look me in the eye: my life with asperger’s
By John Elder Robison
Three Rivers Press (2008)

I feel compelled to offer an appreciative thank you to J. E. Robinson for allowing us such a descriptive and personal walk-alongside-look into his unique life experiences. I feel as though I read Dr. Seuss with him and his son, “Read it right, Dad!” from the chapter entitled “I Get a Bear Cub,” and walked along the railroad tracks with him. There is no hiding of feelings, mincing words, or camouflaging past adventures, struggles and triumphs.  It is a style of writing with great readability, intimacy and surprises around, if not each corner, around many corners!  Robinson shares a journey into greater and greater happiness within his diagnosis of Asperger’s. Personal and family stories are interspersed with chapters full of insight, such as “Logic vs. Small Talk”, and “My life as a Train”.

The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults
By Elizabeth A. Laugeson, PSY.D.
Jossey Bass (2013)

In the foreword written by John Elder Robison, he writes [in speaking about the PEERS Program presented in this book] “If you follow the guidelines, I guarantee you will see greater social success.” And that is exactly what this book is; a manual and a handbook for understanding the why and how of social interactions.

This book is for parents, and is dedicated to “all of the parents who work tirelessly to support their children.”  It is also decidedly for teens and young adults who want to work on improving their own social skills. The topics are well planned and presented in sequence, and readers are enlightened easily. The concepts of learning social skills through practice, and what is socially relevant today, are well-presented throughout this text and accompanying DVD. What is typically a complex subject becomes not so complex, and making new friends becomes well within reach!  I found this learning experience to be fun, and I highly recommend this book to all.