Growing Up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teens and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger's Hardcover - 2009

Media reviews

"Verdictand educators help teens with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) successfully navigate high school, college, and beyond. Highly recommended for public libraries."
-Library Journal

Background: In their second collaboration (after Overcoming Autism), Koegel (cofounder & clinical supervisor, Koegel Autism Research & Training Ctr., Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) and LaZebnik, parent of a child with autism, offer chapters addressing friendship, dating, school, employment, and hygiene. Koegel presents strategies to assist teens in mastering skills; LaZebnik's son and other young adults on the spectrum offer their unique insights. The introduction provides a course on various terms, interventions, and techniques.
-Lisa M. Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., KS

Autism is now the most commonly diagnosed developmental disability, with one in 150 children falling somewhere with the "spectrum." Koegel, a psychologist and LaZebnik, the mother of an autistic son, follow up Overcoming Autism with an expert-cum-parent perspective plus the contribution (and pencil drawings) of LaZebnik's 15-year-old son, Andrew. The first of six sections reviews terms, techniques and interventions essential to understanding and managing life with autism. The following sections focus on making and keeping friendships; dating, sex and romance; successful school experience; life beyond high school and college; improving daily life. Each chapter features real-life narratives from the LaZebniks and Koegel; lists of practices and prompts; FAQs; anecdotes about kids and issues like distinguishing between private and public behavior or how parents can supervise from a distance; a "making it work for your kid" section; and sample dialogues for teaching and communication. Some of the suggestions, for example, for dealing with bullies, carrying on a meaningful conversation and developing good manners, are so good they ought to be taught to every middle and high schooler, autistic or not. This book shows parents how their autistic kids can function and thrive with dignity, self-respect and autonomy, something many parents never believed possible.
-Publisher's Weekly