Raising a Child on the Autism Spectrum – now an ebook!

Great news!  Our first book, Raising a Child on the Autism Spectrum: Insights from Parents to Parents is now an ebook!

As part of the process of transitioning the book from paper to a Kindle version, we were asked to actually check the contents for accuracy.  Visualize me, sprawled on a couch, under a fan, book in hand (yay!), computer on my lap (not yay), making sure all the contents transferred.  During this process, two important things happened:

1. I skimmed the book once more, and realized the book still rings true a couple years after publication. I’ve been able to keep track of some of those children, and it is great to remember where they were when the book was written, and smile at where they are now.  Human development is such a marvelous thing to behold!
   1. The stories that initially made me cry still do. Same with the goose bumps…that still happens.
   2. Some stories that didn’t make me cry initially now make me cry! Again, that human development thing is lovely.
   3. Some aspects of the book still frustrate me: access to treatment, getting providers to listen to parents, understanding that females and highly verbal folks can be on the spectrum…still issues to solve.
   4. This is still a sweet, touching book that should be given to any family when ASD is pronounced as a current diagnosis. “This is the book I needed when my child was diagnosed” remains a relevant comment.
   5. I remain in awe of the families who opted to share their stories with us! These families bared their souls, acknowledged moments of vulnerability and hurt, and showed us how to persevere.  Thanks, families, for sharing, writing, and keeping me updated!
2. I took a moment to remember what putting the book together was actually like: pacing my living room, talking and laughing with Mallory, learning new tech and editing skills, and trying to make it all happen. When we submitted the manuscript, Mallory was 2 months away from having a baby.
   1. Full circle: Mallory has a three year old, and is now 2 months away from having a baby.
   2. Mallory and I are not writing any books together at this moment, see the baby project above
   3. Dr. Hecker and I are writing a book together, and that should go to the publisher “soon.” Neither Dr. Hecker nor I are up for babies!  And our next book will be in paper and e-version simultaneously.  I’ll let you know when it is released.

Thanks for the support on the book front over the years!  Here’s to the launch of the next one!