Finding Our Way: Practical Solutions for Creating a Supportive Home And Community for the Asperger Syndrome Family

by Kristi Sakai, AAPC Publishing (Editor)

Autism Society Award Winner! Finding Our Practical Solutions for Creating a Supportive Home and Community for the Asperger Syndrome Family is written by the mother of three children on the autism spectrum and targets the major issues families face in creating a comfortable environment for every family member. With a balance of heart-warming and side-splitting humor, the author presents countless practical tools for everything from developing positive relations with your child's teachers to organization to surviving a trip to the grocery store. It's the go-to parent resource!

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Parenting

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is as practial as it sounds. She describes her own kid and it is very helpful to understand. Common simple language with stories you will relate to..and surprisingly new and clever solutions to everyday issues with a kid on the ASD spectrum. Highly recommended. This is on my keeper shelf.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finding Our Way” by Kristi Sakai in an excellent book for parents about raising an Asperger’s child. She offers experiences from her own life and her three (yes three!) Asperger kids with a great sense of humor. Mrs. Sakai answers a lot of questions that parents who have Asperger’s ask themselves about Why did this happened? and Am I a bad parent?. She covers all areas of the family life such as:

Chapter 1: Who Are You? Tools for Navigating the Inner World of the Asperger Parent

Chapter 2: Don’t Leave Home Without It! The Asperger’s Parent Survival Kit: Tools for Effective Parenting

Chapter 3: One Pie, Too Many Slices! Tools for Meeting Everyone’s Needs

Chapter 4: Reaching Out: Tools for Building a Community of Support

Chapter 5: A Marriage of Inconvenience: Tools for Building a Relationship with the School

Chapter 6: Sanctuary: Tools for Creating a Comfortable Home Environment

I especially liked that Mrs. Sakai talks about the grief period when a parent gets the diagnosis. As she so elegantly states: “Mourning the loss of the dreams you had for your child doesn’t mean you will be frozen in grief. It means you are facing your fears and the significance of what has happened to you and your family before moving on to the next step.”

While reading the book I felt that Mrs. Sakai was holding my hand, but also making me chuckle and letting me know that everything will be okay. I think it is a must read for all people regardless of whether they have an Asperger child or not. It would definitely help those who don’t have a peek into the world of those who do and maybe be a little more patient and understanding.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving this book 3 stars because it IS well written and it DOES contain valuable information for PARENTS of those with ASD. I wish there would be more from the perspective of the children. It has a bit of a “woe is me” aspect that I found off putting. If you think being a parent of a person with ASD is hell, try BEING the person with ASD. I’m recently diagnosed and so many of the things in this book are reminiscent of my childhood but my parents and I had no idea what the cause of it all was and I lack completely the ability to describe my emotions so it was really quite traumatic. I’m a bit envious of this woman’s children actually… but happy for them too that they don’t have to grow up in the dark as I did. And it gave me a bit of a window into what my mother experienced, maybe an appreciation of her from a new perspective. We battled A LOT and we were never able to be close because of it. I bought this book in the hopes of giving it to my husband so he can help me heal. It was his idea. It is NOT helpful for that. I dog eared 2 pages for him to read: one on priming and the other on why I struggle with sleep (and more importantly transitions). So in summary: for parents highly recommend ; for those with ASD, not so much.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humour, compassion, and such a huge number of helpful tips that you're sure to find some new ideas here, even if you're like me and have a bookshelf full of books about ASD. I also have a new appreciation for my kids' willingness to eat broccoli and lettuce!