"For 20 years, my husband and I have done everything we can to help our daughter grow in her life. She is now 26. We have spent thousands of dollars, read hundreds of books, seen multiple counselors, had endless meetings and tried countless things throughout her life to help her to have a prosperous life.
With her high school graduation, we lost many of our resources and she lost most of her contact with others. We have tried to encourage her to develop relationships with those in our church and through volunteer work, but her interest is inconsistent. We remodeled a part of our home into a studio apartment for her, hoping to help her develop independent living skills and she was making progress.
Two years ago, however, she had a life threatening illness and all the progress toward independence seemed to vanish when she was so ill. She had to be dependent on us in the year she was sick. (It turned out she had Crohn’s Disease.) She’s been well for about a year now, but seemed to be stuck. She wasn’t taking care of herself or her environment. Her hygiene was poor, she laid around all day watching TV, she put on a lot of weight, and her living conditions were a mess. Her dad and I were becoming frustrated and hopeless. Nothing seemed to work to help our situation.
Then AE came into our lives.
I saw an ad for Aspergers Experts on Facebook and thought ~ yeah right! (sarcasm) I clicked on it anyway even though I was skeptical. After all our “experts” this was probably just more of the same. I was wrong.
From the beginning of the videos, I could feel my excitement growing. Here are people who are telling me how Kaitlin thinks, how to communicate, how to see below the surface of the situation. I could see her in you. You break things down so it’s perfectly clear. Plus, your videos are fun to watch ~ you guys have a great sense of humor.
I started watching your videos like they were life support ~ which they are. I tried things you suggested and they worked! Understanding that her anger comes from her rules has been life changing. It’s opened up conversations as she tries to identify her rules. I’m learning so much about her now and she’s learning a lot about herself. We’re making progress. I have hope again.
The best part about it is that she is excited also. She identifies with you. She’s even spent some of her own money for a camera for her computer so she can skype with you at some point. She has questions she’d like to ask. She is currently babysitting a boy with Aspergers and she’s also learning how to better help him.
You came into our lives unexpectedly and have made such a difference in a short time. I am so grateful for this blessing.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!" - Cheryl Allen
Great For Parents
Great For Teens & Young Adults
Great For Families
Great For Starting Out
Dive into a greater understanding of life on the spectrum with these stories & explanation videos.
"Have you ever wished you could just magically motivate your child? With a swish and flick of your Magic Wand of Parenting Awesomeness, you could instill in little Johnny or Susie the drive and heartfelt desire to get up and get stuff done -- more specifically, to get the stuff done you want and need them to do.
Yeah, don’t worry; I’ve had that fantasy too. You’re not alone.
Well, my friend, I’m afraid I’m fresh out of Magic Wands. However, what I do have in abundant supply are powerful motivation techniques grounded in psychology and personal experience that can help you streamline the process of helping Johnny or Susie get off the couch and engaged in something more productive.
Before we dive in, I want to clarify one thing up-front: This is a guide for how to motivate your child, not coerce or manipulate them. Trust me, there’s a difference. Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard, once said “When [they] perceive choice, [they] perceive motivation.”
In other words, your child cannot be truly motivated if you force them. So, when all’s said and done, no matter how many skills you have or how motivating you make something, your child may still decide not to do it. At that point, you either have to go back to the drawing board and try again or decide that’s just not a battle worth fighting.
When we’re talking about motivation we’re ultimately talking about influence, not control. If you’re not okay with that prospect, then I recommend you put down this book now and go have a snack or something. Actually, even if you’re going to keep reading, go have a snack anyway. Snacks are great.
Still here? Got your snack? Cool. Onward!
Please be aware this book is not meant to be read in one sitting and then set on a dusty shelf. Nor is it meant to be an overwhelming treatise outlining everything you’re not doing, but “should” be doing. Take some time with this book and treat it like a self-paced class, not a rote exercise. Read it, reread it, and then pick out one or two ideas you feel you can realistically work on. Then come back and implement one or two more. Make changes in your own time and within your current capacity. If there’s something in here that’s not applicable to your situation feel free to tweak it or throw it out entirely. While there are common threads that run through the tapestry of human experience, every individual situation is a little bit unique and yours is no exception. Use your best judgement.
The next thing you need to know, dear reader, is that all of these motivation techniques are equal-opportunity. This means that although I’m mostly going to be talking about parents and children with Asperger’s Syndrome (High-Functioning Autism), they can be just as easily applied to your own life, and in your interactions with your students, your friends, your coworkers/employees, your weird neighbor Bob, etc.
It’s also important to mention that motivation is a massive field of study, and it’s just not humanly possible to include everything there is to know about it in a single book. If such a book existed it would be so mind-bogglingly massive that no one would want to read it, so please keep in mind that this short guide is not designed to be comprehensive. You’re a busy parent (teacher, therapist, human, etc.) who probably doesn’t have time to read 5,000 pages. To spare you that trouble, I have cherry-picked some of my favorite and most effective motivational tools and condensed them into a form that, hopefully, will be quicker and easier to digest.
I really hope that you will give these tools a try. Maybe even a few tries. This book can only make a difference in your life if you use what it teaches, and you can only use these principles effectively if you have practiced them and know them so well that they readily come to you in the heat of the moment.
Where To Start & What To Focus On
If you struggle with knowing the next steps, finding the right answer and understanding your Asperger child's behaviors, this course is for you.
We'll take you by the hand and give you a comprehensive, step-by-step plan that shows you exactly how to navigate the wonderful and sometimes confusing world of raising someone with Asperger's.
Meltdowns & Overwhelm
Perspectives & Problem Solving
Building Relationships & Trust
Understanding Defense Mode
Deep Listening
Video Game Addictions
How To Say No
Common Mistakes