The Autism Mom's Survival Guide (for Dads, too!): Creating a Balanced and Happy Life While Raising a Child with Autism

by Susan Senator

Given the daily challenges of raising a child with autism, it’s easy for parents to lose themselves and for their overall quality of life to plummet. Susan Senator interweaves the voices of autism parents, researchers, and professionals to offer guidance and encouragement on how to find happiness and fulfillment in the midst of the struggles of raising an autistic child. Topics how to handle feelings of despair and hopelessness; finding fun, even during turbulent times; caring for your marriage; and finding a balance between accepting your child as he or she is and seeking new treatments.

To learn  more about the author, visit her website at susansenator.com.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Parenting, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Rebecca Short, LMFT · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mom "gets it." She's had twenty years of experience raising her boy. Her personal knowledge combined with her collected interviews with other autism moms give a realistic, supportive, and sometimes humorous outline for how to cope when your child is on the autism spectrum. I could especially relate to this author because she is candid about her own depression both pre-autism and post-autism. She is candid about the guilt we autism moms invariably carry - though unfounded. The no frills acknowledgement of how life can be as an autism mom is supportive in and of itself but she goes beyond that by offering realistic suggestions for how to actually cope and even go beyond to living peacefully (eventually) with autism in your child. Any book that can point me in the direction of other books or web sites that I've not found yet on my own is a valuable book in my opinion because I have covered an awful lot of territory in my efforts to understand and cope over the last eight years. I highly recommend this book to other autism moms and dads, to extended family members and friends, and anyone in the general public who wants to understand what life is like with a child on the autism spectrum.

[Jbgmom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Senator is one of my favorite writers. When my sons were first diagnosed, I plowed through the usual stack of "how I helped my autistic son turn out relatively normal" books, which were no help at all. I read an earlier book of Susan's, Making Peace with Autism, and it was like finding a long-lost relative. She does not promise a cure, she helps you have a good life with the child (or children) you have, at whatever level they function. So when the Survival Guide came out, I bought it immediately.

This book is practical and encouraging, and includes interviews with the parents of kids on all parts of the spectrum. I appreciated the chapter on self-care because although I know I need to nurture myself, it's so easy to let that slide.

If you enjoy this book, I also recommend following Susan Senator's blog: http://www.susansenator.com

[Melissa Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book on getting a different perspective, spending time with my kids, saving time for myself, improving my love life, getting help from others, and what to do when my kid left the home...

It was OK.
I wanted to read more on surviving autism with IEP's, therapists, siblings, etc.

[Bettyjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most helpful books I've read thus far. She's sweet, relatable, and thankfully able to show perspective from herself and other Autism parents.

Susan, thank you for writing such a wonderful book. This gives me so much hope and still feels relevant after at least 12 years since publication!

[Tracey P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed and a little comforted to find so much that I could relate to in the experiences of others. I did get a little jealous of the talk of schools and therapies that are far out of my reach but the book helped put some of my feelings, and the feelings of others, into perspective.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit home on many levels. It has given me tons of insight and hope for the road ahead with my beautiful autistic son.

[Stark]

Useful info on how autism parents feel

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I am amazed. This is the first book I have read about the autism spectrum (not including autobiographical works by autistics) that doesn't fanatically promote an agenda. Also, it's the first book about parenting and autism that actually made me feel supported and better. Yay! I will enthusiastically recommend this to anyone looking for good books on ASD.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!

[Linda Carney-goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable resource.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts are on my blog
http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/201...

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great so far. Thoughtful, celebratory, still makes room for grief.