Helping Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions through Everyday Transitions

Facing any type of change can cause confusion and anxiety for individuals with autism spectrum conditions. This book looks at the small transitions in everyday life that can be a big deal for a child with autism and offers simple and effective strategies to make change less of a daily challenge.

Explaining why seemingly minor changes to routine can be emotionally distressing for children with autism, this book teaches parents practical solutions for coping with common transitions including switching from a weekday to weekend schedule, the changing of the seasons, and sleeping in a different bed when on holiday. With insights from the authors' personal experiences and helpful scripts, signs and sketches to use along the way, this book shows that with planning and preparation parents can reduce the stress surrounding change for their child and the whole family.

This book is the perfect tool to help children with autism deal with change in a calmer and more confident manner and will be essential reading for parents and any professionals working alongside them.

“I think this book would be a useful resource for parents and carers. It is easy to read and the point are illustrated well with the use of case studies. It offers some very practical suggestions and gives examples throughout.”

I think many parents will find inspiration in this book and, for professionals, any insight as to children's and families' experiences can only be beneficial. -- British Journal of Occupational Therapy
A hallmark of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is difficulty with change. Parents John Smith and Jane Donlan join with 16-year-old son Bob Smith (co-authors, Create a Reward Plan for Your Child with Asperger Syndrome) to address the difficulties that they encountered together with Bob's resistance to change. Whether the change is large or small, Smith and Donlan have developed a strategy using a combination of scripts, signs, and sketches to help Bob, and others with ASD, navigate successfully.... The sample scripts, signs, and sketches, as well as Bob's input, make this a particularly meaningful and useful book. A great addition to any ASD collection; highly recommended. -- Library Journal Reviews
This book vies for your attention literally from the minute you see the bold, colourful cover - and it doesn't disappoint... The chapters are short with good size paragraphs that are easy to read... hones and thought provoking. The strategies and techniques suggested throughout the book are extremely useful and manageable... the book is written in such a way that it would give you the confidence to try adapting the techniques to suit the needs of your child... The book is effortless to read as it is written in plain, everyday language... This book would be a perfect reference for parents or carers who need a guide to useful strategies and techniques that could be used or adapted to work for their child. It would also be excellent for anyone who is looking for a plain-speaking, comprehensive book on the subject of "everyday transition". I would definitely recommend it! -- Nasen Special
This is a positive self-help book written in an easily accessible style. -- Cerebra Newsbeat
-- Solent NHS Trust, "Shine for Members"
Brilliant in its usefulness and accessibility to all readers, this book successfully addresses a huge issue. Life is all about change, and change is one of the biggest challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. It is time that an entire book deals with this important issue. Authors Smith, Donlan, and Smith accurately describe how transitions affect individuals with autism spectrum disorders. They provide real life situations and solutions that work. Additionally, the authors provide valuable, practice proven tools, such as scripts and signs that may be used for a variety of transition situations. Helping Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions through Everyday Transitions is one of those books that may be considered a "must have". -- Dion E. Betts, Ed.D., author of Everyday Activities to Help Your Young Child with Autism Live Life to the Full and Superintendent of Schools, Boyertown Area School District, USA
This easy-to-read book shows a brave honesty and depth of understanding that can be borne only from individual experience. It is so useful to hear Bob's point of view and the book provides helpful practical ideas for every occasion that can be easily put into practice and more importantly might spark the turning point with a difficult issue. This book shows great understanding of the fact that the size of the change is not equal to the enormity of the challenge! It reaches to the sometimes bewildering experience and crucial issues that I hear parents of children with autism spectrum conditions talking about on a daily basis. The authors understand behaviour as a means of communication and represent the impact that the minutiae of everyday life can have on a young person with autism and their families. -- Chantal Blake, Clinical Psychologist, Werneth Primary Care Centre, Oldham, UK
A jargon-free book that is easy to read. It recognises day-to-day dilemmas faced by families who have a child with autism. I was able to relate to the real-life experiences illustrated through the case studies, make sense of the practical advice and consider how it could apply to my own situation. -- Debbie Gainsborough, parent of a child on the autism spectrum, Lancashire, UK
John Smith, along with his wife Jane Donlan and their teenage son with AS, Bob (the darling boy pictured on the cover of the book) have come up with a roadmap to help their son navigate the everyday things that can throw one off, such as getting ready for Christmas or planning a vacation to Florida... This book should have been around yesterday, so that I wouldn't have been so anxious and overstimulated at Christmas! -- Autism Society of Michigan Newsletter

John Smith is a mental health social worker and Bob's father. Jane Donlan is Bob's mother and has been responsible for Bob's home education. Bob Smith is a teenager who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age eight. John, Jane and Bob live in the north west of England, UK. They regularly give talks, presentations and workshops to share their practical strategies for parenting children with autism. Their first book Create a Reward Plan for Your Child with Asperger Syndrome is also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Facing any type of change can cause confusion and anxiety for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. This book looks at the small transitions in everyday life that can be a big deal for a child with autism and offers simple and effective strategies to make change less of a daily challenge.Explaining why seemingly minor changes to routine can be emotionally distressing for children with autism, this book teaches parents practical solutions for coping with common transitions including switching from a weekday to weekend schedule, the changing of the seasons, and sleeping in a different bed when on holiday. With insights from the authors personal experiences and helpful scripts, signs and sketches to use along the way, this book shows that with a bit of thought and preparation parents can reduce the stress surrounding change for their child and the whole family.This book is the perfect tool to help children with autism deal with change in a calmer and more confident manner and will be essential reading for parents and any professionals working alongside them.

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