The Little Book of Autism FAQs: How to Talk with Your Child about their Diagnosis and Other Conversations

Davida Hartman

Sept 2019 · Jessica Kingsley Publishers

About this eBook

Empowering and practical, this guide is the perfect companion for parents who are finding it difficult to tell their children about their autism diagnosis. It provides a realistic yet uplifting approach to autism, treating it not as a disability but as a difference.

Not telling children about their autism diagnosis can have a significant negative impact on their mental health; by equipping parents with a language of positivity around autism, the book will make a difference to many children on the spectrum. It advises on how and when to talk to autistic children with both high and low care needs, and provides guidance on supporting children's relationships with peers at school, as well as how to broach the conversation with the child's siblings.

Concise and easy to read, The Little Book of Autism FAQs answers parents' questions with accessible language, preparing them to approach this difficult conversation in a constructive manner.

About the author

Davida Hartman is the Director and Senior Educational Psychologist at The Children's Clinic, Dublin, providing child psychology and multi-disciplinary services to children 0-18. She is a lecturer and trainer in the area of autism and consults to a number of different groups and agencies. She has been working with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum for twenty-one in the capacity of a psychologist and a teacher. Davida received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, her MA in Educational Psychology from University College Dublin, and she is a Registered Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). Her website can be visited at www.thechildrensclinic.ie.