The two biggest take-home messagesfrom this book are the importance of parents and teachers working together as ateam and understanding that your autistic child thinks differently. TenThings Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew will help parents andteachers learn more effective methods for teaching children on the spectrum. ~Temple Grandin, PhD, author of TheWay I See It and Thinking in Pictures It is a delight to find a book thatcreates a crack in the shell of autism, leading us to a better understanding ofstudents with ASD. Ellen Notbohm offers us a glimpse of the inner thoughts of achild with this disorder, something that is often missed when teaching thisstudent. A wonderful addition to any educator''s library! ~Sheila Wagner, M.Ed., Author ofthe Inclusive Programming for Elementary, Middle School and High SchoolStudents with Autism book series A breath of fresh air! EllenNotbohm leaves behind reliance on tired, rigid systems of interventions andinstead delves into vital transactional approaches that are so sorely needed. The most important part of any IEPis not the diagnostic category but the individual''s student profile.
This bookmakes that often-neglected section come alive. For it is only by seeing theunique beauty in each child that change can happen. There is no place forcookie cutter formulae or reliance on specific treatment modalities. Autisticstudents learn differently and must be taught differently. Again, the bookshows us how. Further, when insisting that only thechild should "change" in order to learn, we omit an essential ingredient. Thatis the role of the teacher in being able to change, innovate and accommodate ina transactional fashion. Hooray for circular learning! Once we truly see each student withfresh eyes, understanding that their behaviors always have communicativeintent, that kids do well if they can, that trust curiosity and respect arekey, then we can break old, tired molds and instead allow the child''s innateindividuality to shine forth and succeed.
An essential book for any parent,educator, and developmental pediatrician! ~Raun D. Melmed, MD, FAAP, directorof the Melmed Center and co-founder and medical director of the SouthwestAutism Research and Resource Center, Phoenix AZ, PhD, LCSW and author of Autism:Early Intervention, Autism and the Extended Family , Autism ParentHandbook: Beginning with the End Goal in Mind , and the ST4 MindfulnessBook for Kids series In a sequel to her groundbreakingbest-seller Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew , EllenNotbohm brings the same intelligence, humanity, and compassionate clarity toeducators that her earlier volume brought to parents. There are gems on everypage, an impeccable blend of wisdom and heart. Ten Things Your Student with Autism WishesYou Knew is an important book for adults who want to do right by thechildren entrusted to their care. In fact, Notbohm''s framework of mutuality,attention, curiosity, and wholeness is something that will benefit all childrenwho are struggling to be known and understood--to connect, feel that theymatter, and find where they belong. A brilliant volume that''s sure tobe another perennial best-seller, Notbohm''s thoughtful and actionable must-havehandbook is sure to expand the number of parents, teachers, and counselors whocount on her work to guide them. ~Barbara Probst, PhD, LCSW andauthor of When Labels Don''t Fit It''s always a joy and an educationto read Ellen Notbohm''s books, and her second edition of Ten Things YourStudent with Autism Wishes You Knew is no exception. I love the book''sunderlying and over-arching themes of optimism, respect for differences, andbelief in our students.
We are reminded and encouraged to be curious abouttheir unique learning styles, to foster their own curiosity as an importantlearning tool, and to learn from our students, so we can teach them in the waysthey learn best. Most importantly, she shines a light on the joy that is anintegral part of knowing and teaching these students. Ellen includes personalexperiences, insights from teachers and other professionals, and authenticlived-experience viewpoint from autistic author Jennifer McIlwee Myers. Thequestions and prompts for discussion, self-reflection, or self-expression wouldbe perfect for a teachers'' book club, school autism training, or personalindependent study. Although written with students on the autism spectrum inmind and heart, each of these Ten Things would be important for all students.There is just so much to love in this book! ~Wendela Whitcomb Marsh, MA, BCBA,RSD, Author of Recognizing Autism in Girls and Women , IndependentLiving with Autism: Your Roadmap to Success , and Autism Parent Handbook with Raun Melmed, MD, FAAP If you only read one book aboutautism, let this be the one. And prepare for emotional impact. Once again,drawing on firsthand experience and literature, Notbohm shares her gift ofshining light, optimism, and profound wisdom in a conversational style that isboth scholarly and uplifting.
Notbohm never minces words about an obvious,vital truth--in order to help students reach their full potential, we must firstunderstand the world as they experience it. With humor and heart, Notbohmoffers clear insights and immediate strategies to help educators, parents, andother helpers to do just that. First, and foremost, Notbohm understands thepower of the child''s perspective by showing us how to improve the way welisten, how to better demonstrate respect, and develop trust to believe what weare being told. An absorbing, enormously instructive book that I couldn''t putdown. ~Debra Whiting Alexander, PhD,LMFT, post-trauma treatment specialist, Former Associate Professor ofPsychology and School Counseling, Bushnell University, and former AdjunctProfessor of Psychology at Oregon State University. Author of ChildrenChanged by Trauma and A River for Gemma Ten Things Your Student withAutism Wishes You Knew combines wisdom from a student with autism, hisfamily, and his educators throughout the continuum of their school years frompre-school to higher education, delivered through analogies, metaphors, andhard facts. It is written with humor and easy-to-remember phrases so the readercan learn to hear the voices of our autistic students and respond in ways thatare meaningful to them. The book starts with clear succinct points that lay outa guide map, then clarifies the essential information to help teachers offertheir best work for their students'' growth.
Through numerous and invaluableexamples, Ten Things provides insight that can be used to generalize anunderstanding of the VERY different way the brain of a person with autism iswired. The Ten Things laid out in this book arecritical to teaching students with ASD. But you''ll find much that benefits allchildren as well. Recalling my own 40-year career as a teacher, a learningspecialist, and a district supervisor of special education teachers, I highlyrecommend Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew for youreducational resource library. ~Eileen Harrison Sanchez, MEd,LDTC, NCED-R, PreK-12 Special Education Supervisor (retired), Princeton PublicSchools, New Jersey, and author of Freedom Lessons Ten Things Your Student withAutism Wishes You Knew is an essential guidebook for anyone who loves,works with, and advocates for children. One of the biggest challenges for studentswith different learning needs is when those who are supposed to be supportingthem do not understand how their minds and bodies interact with others andtheir world. Understanding how the individual on the autism spectrum connectswith the world and being willing to accommodate a way of interacting thatdiffers from your own is vital to building the foundation for positiverelationships, instruction, advocacy, and equity. This book is an in-depthprimer to understanding the most prominent common threads that run through theautism community.
Ellen Notbohm''s advocacy isinformed by experience, research, empathy and a passion for making the lives ofspectrum individuals and those who interact with them more fulfilling. This book provides clear and specificguidance that is doable, logical, meaningful and relevant. It should berequired reading for all child centered professionals. ~Kassie Evans Halpin, M.Ed, SpecialEducator, Service Learning Coordinator, Advocate for Educational Diversity,Equity, Inclusion, and Individualized Support.