I reviewed Eileen's wonderful book recently, and I highly recommend it for parents of girls on the spectrum. --Kim
Greetings Fellow
Special Moms and Dads!
I am the very
lucky mom of two amazing girls. Lizzie
is my sweet fifteen year-old who loves Broadway shows and creative writing, and
who has Asperger’s. Caroline, my
energetic, smiling thirteen year-old, loves playing her purple trumpet in band,
the color pink, and kicking people’s butts at MarioKart, and she has autism.
When my girls were
first diagnosed ten years ago (on the same day!), I searched for a book to
provide me with information and strategies to help my girls. All I found were grim tomes telling me all the
things my girls would likely never do, or books prescribing strange and scary
interventions. I promised myself if I
found a way to help my girls and maintain my sanity (mostly), I would write a
book for other parents of girls that encourages as much as it informs.
My book, Parenting
Girls on the Autism Spectrum: Overcoming the Challenges and Celebrating the
Gifts, was published this past March by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. The book was inspired by my girls, and I do
share some stories about their success and my mistakes. However, it is not a memoir, but a thoroughly
researched, resource book to help parents navigate school, family issues,
milestones, friendships, and the emotional issues that can accompany being a
special parent. The book is full of information,
comfort, and humor. You will not find
biomedical protocols in my book, just practical advice and strategies for real
families.
My girls have come
so much farther than their original diagnoses predicted. What I learned is that autism is just a part,
and not a bad part, of who they are.
Like all people, my daughters are wonderfully complex human beings, with
their own unique challenges, talents, and hopes. I realize now that a diagnosis is just
information, not a prophecy of a certain future.
I am asking if you
would check out my book, and if you like what you see, tell your readers about
it. There is so little written about
girls and autism, and so little about autism in general that is optimistic and
encouraging. Our children are so
wonderful, and autism, though challenging, in no way diminishes their worth or
the amazing gifts and grace they have to offer to the world.
Thank you to all
of you for the constant inspiration you provide.
Eileen Riley-Hall,
Lizzie’s and Caroline’s mom.
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