The relationship between schools and parents of children with autism-spectrum disorders needn’t be adversarial. Many parents enter any meeting with teachers, administrators or school officials with “guns a’ blazing,” ready for a fight before there is a need for one. In this book, Jeffrey Cohen, author of The Asperger Parent: How to Raise A Child With Asperger Syndrome and Maintain Your Sense of Humor, offers advice on how to build a team to help your child through the trials and tribulations of school, something doubly difficult for children with spectrum disorders. Find out how to avoid conflicts, help receive services for your child, pave a path to academic success and get “the good bagels.” Teachers, administrators, professionals and many parents contribute ideas and offer advice on topics ranging from home schooling to transition plans to college. It’s never easy, but it doesn’t have to be unpleasant and combative. Holster those weapons, and try a more successful approach!
Praise
“Jeffrey Cohen has done it again! Another excellent book on the subject of autism spectrum disorders for parents and professionals. Guns A’ Blazing effectively tackles the sensitive subject of parent-school relationships. While acknowledging that parents of children on the autism spectrum are the experts about their child and the disorder, he also recognizes that most school districts have the child’s best interests at heart. Parent-school partnerships can and do work, and the key to success is to enter into the relationship with an open mind rather than ‘guns a’ blazing.’ This book is a must-read for all those who live with or work alongside children on the autism spectrum!”
—Lori Shery, president, co-founder, ASPEN, Inc.
“When it comes to planning a spectrum student’s IEP, Guns A’ Blazing contains the essentials for every successful parent-educator partnership. Written with equal amounts of common sense and experience, this book describes the pitfalls and keys to success of these partnerships with good humor and the valuable insight found only in a parent who’s been there. This book will not only get you or keep you going in the right direction as a parent working with a school district—it’s also a great read!”
—Dennis Debbaudt, author of Autism, Advocates and Law Enforcement Professionals: Recognizing and Reducing Risk Situations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders
“What a wonderful book! This book provides much insight into the ‘schooling’ process for a child with Asperger Syndrome (AS). It highlights the challenges parents and professionals face when trying to provide effective educational experiences for a student with AS, sharing what Cohen and his wife have learned about working efficiently with school personnel. While it is an excellent book for parents of children with AS, we plan to use it as a required readings book in our graduate course, Methods for Students with Asperger’s Syndrome.”
—Marj Bock, Associate Professor and Director, Global Rural Autism Asperger Information Network