Embracing Asperger’s by Richard Bromfield, PhD – Book Review
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| Richard Bromfield’s new book is a primer for parents and professionals. Image: Amazon.com |
Richard Bromfield’s book, Embracing Asperger’s, offers a solid primer for parents and professionals who interact with children diagnosed with Asperger’s . In an effort to bring a greater understanding of the Asperger’s child, Bromfield incorporates his 30 years of family clinical experience into this book.
Children with Asperger’s may encounter delays in the development of skills such socialization, communication, and imagination. Though similar to autism, it is not the same – autism generally is a more severe type of pervasive development disorder (PDD).
Bromfield states, “My experience has taught me that parents and educators want information and insight, even when it challenges them. They want honesty and frankness, not sugar-coated pabulum that goes down easy but offers empty calories and false reassurance.”
He continues, “Parents and teachers alike know too well the feeling that they are not quite reaching the child, that they are not quite hearing and getting it, that they are not communicating just right or at all.”
Bromfield provides strategies and clear action items to connect with these children. Though at times the writing appears clinical, he balances it with personal examples from his private practice where he worked with children with Asperger’s. These real-life stories provide an additional layer of depth to understanding the condition.
To present a look into how the book is organized, chapters include:
- The Child’s Burden
- The Child’s View
- The Parent’s View
- The Teacher’s View
- Creating a Safe Place
- Treasuring Previous Goods
- Quieting Sensory Overload
- Quelling Anxiety
- Facilitating Communication
- Tending the Intellect
- Connecting to Feelings
- Promoting Friendship
- Giving and Nurturing Empathy
- Feeding Creativity
- Considering Girls
- Other Children’s Views
- Butterfly Love
- Connecting It All
Embracing Asperger’s is a quick but informative read at 176 pages. Published in June 2011 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, parents and professionals can find the book at Amazon.com and other major book retailers.
Non-fiction
ISBN-10: 1849058180
ISBN-13: 978-1849058186
About the Author: Richard Bromfield, PhD, is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A faculty member of Harvard medical School, he writes about children, psychotherapy, and family life in both professional and popular periodicals. He has a private practice in Boston, MA.
Also by the Author:
Doing Therapy with Children and Adolescents with Asperger’s Syndrome (Wiley)
Teens in Therapy: Making It Their Own (W.W. Norton)
Doing Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (Wiley)
Playing for Real: Exploring Child Therapy and the Inner Worlds of Children (Basil)
How to Unspoil Your Child Fast: A Speedy, Complete Guide to Contented Children and Happy Parents (Sourcebooks)
How to Write and Cite APA-Style-6th (Basil)
Disclosure: Author received a copy of the book solely for the purpose of this review. Author did not receive any other compensation. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
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Good book.
A2A
This would have been a great read when I was teaching. Many of the students that I taught either had Aspergers or a mild form of autism. This would have helped me connect with them better.