What do you think?
Rate this book
Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun!: How Families of Children With Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most Out of Community Activities
Many families with a child with autism or Asperger Syndrome feel that involvement in the community is not for them. This book sets out to change that, with a rich and varied menu of suggestions for how such families can take full part in community life and support the strengths and interests of their child at the same time. Informal learning experiences can be the key to self-discovery, communication, self-confidence, and even independence for many children on the autism spectrum. Only outside the four walls of school will your child truly discover their own passions, abilities, and social peers. 'Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun' is a guide to what's out there, how to find it, and how to make it work for your family. The book includes hints and tips for involving your family in the right community activities, from sport to science; information on museums, arts organizations and science institutions as venues for an enjoyable and enriching day out for the family; and, resources and ideas for helping your child build on their strengths, interests, and preferred learning styles to explore life in the community. Handouts about autism are included, as well as handouts suggesting ways in which organizations and institutions can successfully include young people with autism in their activities. This book will open the door to community inclusion, creative exploration, and social learning.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2010
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2017
As a "community leader", the appendix " a general guide to autism for community leaders" was helpful, as well as sample grant in appendix 2.
April 10, 2012
I admit it. I'm a coward. When it comes to taking my autistic son out in public, I often balk. Can he handle this new place? Will noises set him off? What if we spend a lot of money and have to flee early because of his behavior?[return][return]The good news is that Lisa Jo Rudy wrote a book for parents like me. In Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun! How Families with Autism and Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most out of Community Activities, she offers over 200-pages of advice on introducing developmentally-delayed children to broader experiences. Using gentle suggestions, Rudy outlines strategies for familiarizing an autistic child with sports, youth groups, museums, centers of faith, the arts, and clubs. Furthermore, every chapter ends with several pages to print out and offer to relevant community leaders so that they are aware of some of the quirks of autism, but that they should still challenge the child and be fair to everyone in the group.[return][return]I've read many books and articles on autism. Some have the tendency to be preachy, or suggest there's only one way to go about socialization. Not so here. Rudy encourages parents to challenge their child and try new things, but know when to read the signs and back down. If one sort of activity doesn't work now, try at a different, less busy time of day, or with a different instructor, or in a few years when the child is more mature. She often uses her own son, Tom, as an inspiring example along with other children of various ages.[return][return]When I finished this book, I felt empowered. I was ready to go through the long list of her suggested internet links to find out what was available locally. I realized that yes, I haven't been a total coward. I have tried new things with my son, some to success, others… not so much. The important thing is that I keep trying. Maybe we could try attending church again. Maybe I could investigate local clubs. With this resource, that process will remain a challenge, but now I have more information at hand to educate myself and any group leaders involved.[return][return]I highly recommend this to any parent of an autistic child.[return][return]*Note that I received a gratis copy from the publisher. If I had not, I would have bought this book within the coming months.
April 12, 2010
In this book, Lisa Jo Rudy answers two basic questions:
1.) Why should I "get out, explore, and have fun" with my autistic child?
2.) How do I do this?
By far the more important of these two questions (in my opinion) is the first, the "why". Too many parents of children diagnosed as autistic spend all of their "free" time trying to make their child "more normal" or "less autistic", and not enough time on letting their child be a kid.
Life is for living, and in the first couple of chapters Lisa reminds us that this is as true for our autistic children as it is for our non-autistic children. The first two chapters of the book should be required reading for all parents of children who receive a diagnosis of autism, that's how important her message is in answering the "why" question.
As the parent of an 18 year old autistic son who has gotten out there, explored, and had fun, I can say that Lisa has done an excellent job compiling not only lists of possible activities, but the good and potential bad of each as well as tips on how to make sure the experiences are valuable ones.
What I most appreciated in the "how" section is that she doesn't sugar coat anything. Far from being pessimistic about things, she is simply honest about what you are likely to experience. She also reminds us to be realistic in what we expect of our kids, and of those we interact with "out there". Autism is, after all, a spectrum, and the experiences parents will have when they "get out" will cover a wide spectrum as well. You will find that this can be hard work, but you will also see that it is worth every ounce of sweat you put into it.
If you are the parent of a young - or not so young - autistic child, you should get and read this book. And give a copy to your child's teacher, their IEP case worker, the IEP team.
Life is for living, even for an autistic child, and this book reminds us why this is true and how to make it happen.
1.) Why should I "get out, explore, and have fun" with my autistic child?
2.) How do I do this?
By far the more important of these two questions (in my opinion) is the first, the "why". Too many parents of children diagnosed as autistic spend all of their "free" time trying to make their child "more normal" or "less autistic", and not enough time on letting their child be a kid.
Life is for living, and in the first couple of chapters Lisa reminds us that this is as true for our autistic children as it is for our non-autistic children. The first two chapters of the book should be required reading for all parents of children who receive a diagnosis of autism, that's how important her message is in answering the "why" question.
As the parent of an 18 year old autistic son who has gotten out there, explored, and had fun, I can say that Lisa has done an excellent job compiling not only lists of possible activities, but the good and potential bad of each as well as tips on how to make sure the experiences are valuable ones.
What I most appreciated in the "how" section is that she doesn't sugar coat anything. Far from being pessimistic about things, she is simply honest about what you are likely to experience. She also reminds us to be realistic in what we expect of our kids, and of those we interact with "out there". Autism is, after all, a spectrum, and the experiences parents will have when they "get out" will cover a wide spectrum as well. You will find that this can be hard work, but you will also see that it is worth every ounce of sweat you put into it.
If you are the parent of a young - or not so young - autistic child, you should get and read this book. And give a copy to your child's teacher, their IEP case worker, the IEP team.
Life is for living, even for an autistic child, and this book reminds us why this is true and how to make it happen.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews