New Book in Progress:
"You Are So Smart!": The Parents’ Guide to Teaching Kids with Asperger Syndrome the 100 (or So) Essential Real-World Skills No One Else Can
The new book is based on several premises:
 | That challenges kids with AS face when it comes to skills that seem so "basic" -- dressing, hygiene, independence in organizing oneself, and completing the tasks of the day -- set the stage for frustration, low self-esteem, and anxiety. |
| When kids with AS are "behind" in these skills, they risk being viewed by peers and others as less able than they really are. |
| That because most kids with AS attend public schools and lack access to teachers trained to teach these skills, the burden of teaching falls to parents . . . |
| Who may have tried and too often failed to convey the basic skills most of us cannot even remember actively learning. |
| So-called "higher" social skills are built on a foundation of more basic daily living and play skills. |
| Yes, I said "play skills." |
| Many kids with Asperger Syndrome would enjoy greater social, educational, and professional opportunities and be more comfortable in new settings with a stronger repertoire of self-help skills. |
| Parents can learn to be effective teachers. |
This promises to be a big project, and your input and feedback are greatly valued. As with The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome, this book is written primarily for parents but will be useful to teachers and other professionals as well. To that end, I am inviting you to participate in a series of surveys you can link to from the "Surveys/Future Books" page. These are straightforward SurveyMonkey surveys. Thank you in advance for taking the time.
If you have a story to tell about your own experiences teaching these skills (positive, negative, or somewhere in between), please feel free to contact me at this email address: patty@pattyrbashe.com.If you would like to receive email updates when new surveys are posted, email me about that, too.
Thank you!