Tag: book
Clara Park, autism mother and groundbreaking author, dies
Berkshire Eagle
Clara Park, an important voice in the history of autism awareness and understanding, has died in Massachusetts at 86. In 1968, Park’s first autism narrative, “The Siege,” challenged the conventional wisdom of the day — that autism was caused by mothers’ treatment of their children. “The Siege” told the story of raising her autistic daughter and earned Park international acclaim. Two later books continued the story. Park was also a senior lecturer at Williams College, where President Adam Falk remembered her in a post on a college blog. (Here’s a Boston Globe story on Jessica Park, Clara Park’s autistic daughter, an artist and Williams mailroom employee.)
WILLIAMSTOWN — One-hundred and thirty-four families with autistic children in the Berkshires work with Community Resources for People with Autism, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that one in 110 children have the disorder nationwide.
But before there were support centers or even readily available statistics about autism, there was Clara Park’s 1968 book “The Siege,” a canonical narrative about raising an autistic child. The work helped pave the way for the compassionate understanding of the disorder that advocates are still forging today.
Park died in Williamstown on Saturday and will be buried at the Williams College Cemetery this morning. She was 86.
In 1968, Park published “The Siege” about raising her young autistic daughter, Jessica Park. She then released a second edition in 1982 that updated the story of Jessica, who was by then a young woman who had achieved a reputation as an artist, a friend to many, and a longtime employee in the Williams College mailroom. “The Siege” was translated into numerous languages. In 2001, Clara penned “Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter’s Life with Autism,” which contained a foreword written by Oliver Sacks, the noted physician and best-selling author.
via Author raised awareness of autism – Berkshire Eagle Online.
Posted on July 9, 2010 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: Autism, book, children with Autism, Massachusetts
‘How to Be a Sister’: Autism and hard-won love
Oregon Live
When Margaret Garvin was 3 years old, she was diagnosed with severe autism. Her sister Eileen was about to be born.
“Throughout the course of my life, I’ve only been certain of two things: I am the youngest of five children, and I am my sister Margaret’s older sister,” Eileen Garvin writes in “How to Be a Sister: A Love Story With a Twist of Autism.” “Even though she was born three years earlier than I, I was the caretaker, the dependable one, and, as far as I can see, always will be. Instead of growing up in the protective shadow of my big sister, I often found myself dodging things she was throwing at me or chasing that shadow through a crowd of people as my big sister took off on some crazy escapade.”
via ‘How to Be a Sister’: Autism and hard-won love | OregonLive.com.
Posted on July 6, 2010 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: Autism, book, children with Autism, family caregiving, siblings
CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen writes about caregiving, early-onset Alzheimer’s
YouTube
Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen shares his journey into life as a caregiver to his wife, Jan, diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease at 55 in Jan’s Story: Love lost to the long goodbye of Alzheimer’s.
via YouTube – Jan’s Story: Love lost to the long goodbye of Alzheimer’s..
Posted on June 1, 2010 | 1 Comment | Category: Alzheimer's | Tags: Alzheimer's, book, Caregiving, caregiving stress, early onset Alzheimer's
Book Review | Lost: Trio linked in search for Alzheimer’s wanderer
The Columbus Dispatch
We haven’t seen many — or any — suspense novels where the plot revolves around the search for a person with Alzheimer’s disease who has wandered. But The Columbus Dispatch says author Alice Lichtenstein has done her research and that makes “Lost” worth reading.
Condensed to a sentence, Lost sounds like a suspense novel: Christopher, a 72-year-old former architect afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, wanders off into the snowy woods somewhere in the Northeast, and his wife and a team of rescuers try to find him.
via Book Review | Lost: Trio linked in redemptive search | The Columbus Dispatch.
Posted on March 26, 2010 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Search and Rescue | Tags: Alzheimer's, book, review, Wandering
An excerpt from The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide by Susan Senator
Susan Senator, the author of “Making Peace With Autism” has a new book coming out — “The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide.” Here is an excerpt (there’s more on her insightful blog, susansenator.com.)
No matter the age of your kids, there are ways to have fun—ways that both parents and kids can enjoy. Maybe this is obvious, but it’s important to be reminded of it and keep it in mind during trying times. Too often we let ourselves get dragged under by caregiving obligations, and we forget about simple happiness. Your fun may mean choosing an ordinary,no-fail activity, such as a trip to the playground, where you might bring along a crossword puzzle for yourself—unless,that is, playgrounds are particularly difficult places for your autistic child. For instance, my friend Sheila’s son used to take every opportunity to scale the high fences that surrounded our park. Having a few moments to yourself might give you the energy to then enjoy the next moment, when your child needs your attention again.
Ed from Ohio says, “Sometimes we take our son to the park and he uses all the equipment. Sometimes, he will justwalk around the tennis courts thirty times. It’s not all fun—but it’s not all bad, either.” This may not sound like much of a rave, but the thing is, parenting any kid is like that: not all fun, and not all bad.
via Susan Senator: Susan’s Blog: Excerpt Three from AMSG Autism Mom’s Survival Guide.
Posted on February 18, 2010 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: activities, Autism, book, children with Autism, family caregiving
Book Review – Saving Ben: A Father’s Story of Autism by Dan E. Burns | The Cuckleburr Times
The Cuckleburr Times
Dan Burns’ memoir- “Saving Ben: A Father’s Story of Autism” has struck a chord in the autism community. It is no surprise that the book has reached Amazon Sales Rank as #1 Special Needs category in September 2009-the story touches readers on many levels. Obviously it is sad that Ben was diagnosed at three years of age with a profound developmental disability, so profound that doctors recommended institutionalization. However, it is uplifting to read of the monumental parental intervention dubbed- “The Ben Project” that transformed Ben from a nonverbal child who put all objects into his mouth and ears, smeared feces, screamed from sensory overload and fled at every opportunity into a young man who could crack a joke, knew his left shoe from right, brushed his teeth and held down a job at Walmart as his aide supervised. Proud papa Burns has even posted a YouTube video showing Ben bowl a strike.
via Book Review – Saving Ben: A Father’s Story of Autism by Dan E. Burns | The Cuckleburr Times.
Posted on February 12, 2010 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: book, children with Autism, review
Alzheimer’s memoirs tell families’ stories
Cape Cod Times
At 52, David Brewer was athletic and outgoing, a retired member of the Coast Guard who loved the water and worked as assistant harbor master for the three-bay area of Osterville, Centerville and Cotuit.
Then came Alzheimer’s.
Help for caregivers
November is National Family Caregivers Month, and there are a variety of sources and events you can use.
Author events:
* Support group: Author Sonja Brewer is coordinating a support group for Young Onset/Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (people diagnosed before age 65) caregivers through Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod & the Islands. The group meets from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month in the first-floor conference room at Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands, 311 Service Road, East Sandwich. For information, call 508-775-5656.
* Book signing: Brewer will sign copies of “Surviving Normal” from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Orleans Council on Aging, 150 Rock Harbor Road.
* Blog: John Thorndike is posting comments and thoughts on his blog, http://www.thelastofhismind.com.
Other events:
* Web conference: “The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential Pitfalls,” 7 p.m. Nov. 19, hosted by Suzanne Mintz, president and CEO of the nonprofit National Family Caregivers Association, and Home Instead Senior Care co-founder and CEO Paul Hogan. Register at www.caregiverstress.com.
* New books: Gloria G. Barsamian, a retired social worker and medical health specialist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, has just published “Sustenance and Hope for Caregivers of Elderly Parents” (Praeger, 125 pages, $27.96). Dr. Owen Surman of Newton has published “The Wrong Side of an Illness,” his account of caring for his wife during her battle with cancer. Learn more about the book at www.owenstanleysurmanmd.com.
* Conference: 12th annual Alzheimer’s Awareness Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Christ the King Parish Center, Route 151, Mashpee. Tuition: $95 for 6.3 CEUs. Information: 508-775-5656.
* Information: Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod & the Islands, alzcapecod.org, 508-775-5656, e-mail info@alzcapecod.org. National Family Caregivers Association: familycaregiver.org or 800-896-3650.
Joe Thorndike was managing editor of Life magazine after World War II, helping to steer the magazine at the height of its popularity. Founder of American Heritage and Horizon magazines and author of three books — editor of many more — he enjoyed a life full of literary pursuits and his home on Cape Cod.
Then Thorndike stopped reading, stopped writing and eventually stopped holding detailed conversations. Alzheimer’s had arrived.
Thorndike was 92.
Now the experiences of both men and their families have been chronicled in two new memoirs, written by their primary caregivers.
via Alzheimer’s memoirs tell families’ stories | CapeCodOnline.com.
Posted on November 6, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia | Tags: book, family caregiving
Man writes book on ‘Dads and Autism’
Hunterdon (N.J.) Review
CALIFON – Borough resident Emerson B. Donnell III will offer a workshop and sign his new book “Dads and Autism, How To Stay in the Game,” this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Califon Bookstore, 72 Main St.
Donnell’s first workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Clinton Book Shop, 33 Main St., Clinton.
A second workshop will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Califon Bookstore, 72 Main St., Califon.
It is open to anyone – parents, professionals, teachers, therapists, or anyone with an interest in a new view of the treatment of autism and in ways to help the families of autistic children.
Book-signings are a new event for 45-year old Donnell but so are many things in his life these days. Ever since his only son, Emerson IV, was diagnosed with autism two years ago, this father’s life has changed radically.
“When we learned that our baby boy was autistic, my wife Jen and I were thrown into another dimension,” says Donnell. “I needed something to help me figure out what to do, so I searched everywhere for information and especially for books.”
Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: book, children with Autism, family caregiving
Book review: ‘Cowboy and Wills’ by Monica Holloway
Washington Post
“Cowboy and Wills” is a charming memoir about a couple who come to their wits’ end when they learn that their 3-year-old son, Wills, has “autistic spectrum disorder.” Wills is extremely high-functioning; he not only talks a blue streak but picks up on jokes and uses family slang. His main symptoms seem to be an aversion to certain textures he hates bubble bath, a fear of other kids and crowds, a hatred of loud sounds and a tendency to break down in sobbing fits when any of these things occur.
via Book review: Carolyn See on ‘Cowboy and Wills’ by Monica Holloway – washingtonpost.com.
Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: book, children with Autism, review
Fine Motor Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents And Professionals
Enlightened Care Giving - Life as a Caregiver
The popular book, Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome is now available in an expanded new edition. Written by an occupational therapist who has worked extensively with children with Down syndrome, and is also the mother a teenager with Down syndrome, this book explains the best practices and procedures for helping children master daily living skills for home, school, and an independent future.
Posted on October 20, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Caregiving, Down Syndrome | Tags: book, family caregiving, review