1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger's

by Veronica Zysk, Ellen Notbohm

Hailed by Temple Grandin as “Genuine, common sense advice that all parents and educators can quickly and easily use,” 1001 Great Ideas has been a treasured resource in the autism community since 2004. Ellen Notbohm (best-selling author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew) and Veronica Zysk (award-winning author and former editor of Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine) present 1,800 ideas try-it-now tips, eye-opening advice, and grassroots strategies for helping your child or student achieve success at home, in school, and in the community. This one-stop-shop of solutions, explanations, and strategies guides the reader to quickly find ideas that speak to the variety of developmental levels, learning styles, and abilities inherent in children with autism and Asperger’s.

Winner of Independent Book Publishers Awards Silver Medal and two other awards and translated into multiple languages worldwide.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Parenting, Education, Teaching, Aspergers, Reference

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read this book so that they can understand the struggles that parents and children face. It has great ideas for teaching children with these conditions but a lot of the tips apply to people who deal with a child who has ADD or ADHD or just doesn't have the desire to learn. It's a big book but it doesn't take as long to read it as you would think.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism (HFA) earlier this year. We knew there were things about him that were different, but we didn't realize how much we were going to have to change our parenting and expectations. Shortly after my son's diagnosis, my mom and I found this book almost by accident. We flipped to a random page and there was a recommendation for one of many issues my son struggles with. We took it as a sign, and I bought the book.

This book was an excellent reference, and while I'm glad I read it all in one go, I was often overwhelmed. I kept thinking I had to do ALL the activities and make ALL the changes ALL at once. I frequently had to remind myself that autism is a spectrum disorder and that my son is relatively high-fuctioning, so not all the suggestions were needed, nor would they all be good for him right now. I also had to remind myself that even for necessary changes, doing them as I could would likely be enough. The chapters on daily living and on teachers and learners (particularly within the school setting) were most helpful to me and had lots of ideas I can begin using now.

I was quite put off by parts of the chapter on behavior, which I should probably reread on a day that was going better than the one on which I read it. This quote in particular made me put the book down for several days: "Honor behavior as an attempt to communicate in the only way they know how at that moment. Believe, truly believe, if they could access their words or act upon your direction or exhibit the self-control you seek, they would." I dislike the attitude I sometimes encounter that all special needs kids (regardless of situation, disorder, or disease) are without guile, fault, or negative traits. Don't neurotypical kids sometimes do things just to drive their parents or teachers crazy, or just because they feel like it, not because their sensory input is out of whack? Why would my HFA kid be any different. But I do understand what the authors were saying, that not every inappropriate behavior is rebellion, that there is often an deeper underlying cause than what is immediately apparent. One of my greatest challenges with my son is figuring out that sometimes very fine line between "won't" and "can't."

All in all, I'm really glad I bought the book. I'll be referring to it often, especially as my son's therapy progresses and as he enters the public school system in years to come.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful reference book for parents of children on the autism spectrum, or for those who work with children on the spectrum.

The main chapters cover: Sensory Integration, Communication and Language, Behavior, Daily Living, Thinking Social Being Social, Teachers and Learners.

There is also 29 page Index at the back of the book, with entries for everything from Toileting and Toilets, Nonverbal Communication, Nonverbal Prompts, Accommodations, Anger, Anxiety, Behavior, Changes, Comprehension, Emotions, Motivation, Movement, Newness, Noise, Sensory Overload, Speech, Stress, Therapy, Time, Waiting, Walking, etc.

Also entries for things like Aggression, Agitation, Clapping Hands, Cringing, Crying, Cursing, De-escalation Techniques, Head Banging, Masturbation, Meltdown Response Plans, Refusal, Reinforcement, Scab Picking, etc.

[Gleidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Delivers exactly what promises, a thousand ideas and strategies to care for, teach and help children with autism. And it does a wonderful job at covering both the parental area as the academic one, so whether you are a lost parent looking for guidance or a desperate teacher in need of education on the subject, this book will be a life saver, and an extremely well documented point of reference to which you will find yourself coming back to more often than not.

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enormous number of practical ideas for you to use with your autistic child. I was so amazed by their simplicity and efficiency, and I found the part related to the child's sensory experiences the most attracting.

[Elizabeth Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I worked with young children with ASDs. I recommended it to many parents because it was easy to understand and had practical techniques for anyone who educates, lives with, or works with ASD.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book! I plan to purchase a copy soon to keep on hand. Everyone with a child on the autism spectrum in their life should have this book handy!

[Mimi Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Activities that can be done with the children. Also part of my collection. Great resource.

[Mariam Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب مفيد وعملي، يحوي الكثير من الأفكار المفيدة والعملية التي يمكن تطبيقها في المنزل أو في المدرسة.

[Jill Henson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great suggestions for activities and “brain breaks” for kids (and adults haha) I know many of these will be helpful in the home but I think educators would be if it from this book also!

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher I have used this resource for years as children arrive with unique needs- it’s very useful not only to teachers but to families as well. I’ve shared with parents who have reported positive attitudes toward the suggestions as well.
It is a long book, more for the money I think. It’s complete.
I especially liked the quick ideas

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. I like Ellen Notbohm's smaller book (2005) much more so than this one that she compiled with Veronica Zysk. I found this a bit overwhelming and unrealistic at times, when thinking about the suggestions provided.

[Ambrosia Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Info I already knew and available everywhere. Extremely generic info

[Julie Rylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was in need of a more theoretical book... or at least a bit of both and the theory is lacking.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas for families / teachers to try. But not as many that I could personally use - however still a great resource as a place to start.

[electricyakuza]

DNF

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for families dealing with Autism.

[Haley Jean Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It had a TON of valuable information in it that was not only extremely helpful but it was written in a way that was easy to understand. It gave so much practical tips and insight.
Definitely going to buy this book!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good comprehensive collection of ideas well-suited to teachers, teachers' aides, and parents new to an autism diagnosis.

Seasoned parents skimming through will find some useful tips too. Pages 76-78 contain a list of recommended wordless picture books.

There was one red flag for me on page 63 - "Don't let [the child] get away with substituting random thoughts for comprehensible conversation, at any age". At a very young age, babbling randomly is the way most children learn to talk, and they certainly shouldn't be stopped from doing that. Perhaps it could be worded "Don't let a child who is speaking in full sentences get away with substituting random thoughts..." Best to sensitively reinterpret what the child said to make it more relevant to the context, even so.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the first five chapters were excellent and offered some very practical, immediately useable ideas for parents and teachers. Chapter 6 was problematic in that some of the advice given to parents would lend itself to team difficulties and four hour long IEP meetings. Also, the information was extremely disorganized in that last chapter. Overall, however, I would recommend this to anyone teaching or raising a child with autism, especially if they are new to autism.

[R.K. Goff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it has 1001 good ideas for helping your child with ASD. And while you're reading them, you pick up tons of information about what their minds and lives are like.

The ideas or for everyone, but I think the information is so basic it's mostly for newbies.

[Jennie Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is generally easy to glance through -- I was able to quickly determine which ideas would likely help me with my Aspergian son. Even though there were only two ideas that applied to me, it was helpful all the same.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of it didn't pertain to my son, because he's not in school yet, but it had a lot of wonderful ideas - it's mostly good parenting skills - ideas for activities for your child - and tips for getting the most out of the educational process.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't claim that I've read every word, but I have liked what I did read. I would like to purchase this book as a reference, which is essentially what this book is. Lots of ideas, tips and explanations that really are useful.

[Allison Fetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas, presented in a very accessible way. I got several ideas for my son but wish I had found this book when he was younger as many of the ideas do pertain to preschoolers. I will be taking some of the ideas to my son's teacher, as well. Definitely worth the read.

[Salamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for parents but there are no real examples of lesson planning for teachers who work with autistic students. I was looking for that. Good book though. I found a couple of ideas to use in the classroom.

[Stacy White · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT RESOURCE!!

[Melissa Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The communication and language section was helpful
Also, the teachers and learners section

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh.... had some good ideas and advice but nothing earth shattering. probably would be very helpful to a parent or teacher just beginning to research autism.