Abstract

Parents and teachers of children with Asperger's know only too well the feeling that they are not quite reaching the child, not quite hearing or getting it, not communicating just right, or at all. Offering rich insights into what Asperger's is like for the child himself or herself, this compassionate book will empower parents and teachers, enabling them to nurture the child's strengths and work towards a happy and promising future.

The book is packed with strategies, insights, and points to remember in order to address common areas of difficulty, including creating a safe space, quieting sensory overload, quelling anxiety, connecting to feelings, promoting friendship, and feeding creativity. A chapter devoted to girls with Asperger's describes how to see and connect with the child more deeply in order to better meet her needs, and the author also considers the ways in which other children might view and treat the child with Asperger's, with tried and tested advice on how a positive difference can be made, and what really works.

This original and perceptive book offers rich insights into what Asperger's means in the real world, for real children, and is essential reading for parents, teachers, and other professionals.

In each of these concise seventeen chapters, Bromfield gives real-life examples of children he has treated and discusses such topics as facilitating communication, feeding creativity, promoting friendship, and quelling anxiety; he devotes a special chapter to girls with Asperger's. In informative, concise, bullet-point format, Bromfield offers practical advice....Bromfield delves into the minds of children with Asperger's enlightening the reader as to how to nurture, honour, and understand them. He proposes an approach borne of patience, and writes in a straightforward manner....Perhaps the most important lesson to be garnered from the book is Bromfield's view that all children with Asperger's need to be loved and honoured to the same extent as neurotypical children. And that they are not so unusual, after all.
Fore Word Reviews

There are so many useful bullet points here; one-liners that once grasped could make all the difference in a child's life:

* Don't take t personally

* Assume anxiety exists

* Model acceptance

* Do not turn away from depression

... Bromfield's hands-on experience shines throughout this book; his insight is sure to prove invaluable to many readers.

Whitterer on Autism
Bromfield is a great advocate for the child and bases his beliefs on his own observations and experiences as much as he does from his professional training... He gives a series of bullet points to guide parents through getting to know their child and how to start afresh when things have become toxic. He offers encouragement, realism and confidence... This book is ideal for all parents and educators... I found it a gentle, sweet and kind book.
ASTeens
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 is in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr Bromfield has worked with children with Asperger's for over 25 years. Throughout these years he has learned a lot, and now he is passing some of this information onto parents and teachers. He guides parents and teachers to a better understanding and acceptance of what it means to have Asperger's, so that they in turn can nurture a child with Asperger's into becoming a whole and happy person. Dr Bromfield addresses many items that do not typically get discussed in books on Asperger's... This is indeed a different kind of read on Asperger's and well worth it. Rather than always moving full steam ahead trying to find a solution to everything, we sometimes need to sit and smell the roses... Embracing Asperger's will help you to better understand your child with Asperger's. Learn how to accept him and learn how to support him. Although this book is for you, it is your child who will be receiving the biggest gift.
S-O-S Research
Feel you are not quite reaching your child, not quite getting it or hearing it, not communicating just right or at all? This book is packed with strategies, insights and points to remember.
OAASIS Newsletter.

This is a great book for explaining that children with Asperger syndrome are as individual as any other child and that they have so much to offer if given the chance. Sensitively written, Richard Bromfield has great insight about helping a child with AS to access the world around them and gives value le strategies for parents and professionals. It was nice to see a chapter about girls too as more awareness of girls having AS develops.

Overall, this is a very informative and easy to read book which will e useful for parents, education staff and professionals working with children with AS.

OAASIS
Embracing Asperger's reads easily. It is a guidebook that is accessible to a popular audience and that would be a useful source for professionals and students.
Teacher's College Record
Richard Bromfield's book, Embracing Asperger's, offers a solid primer for parents and professionals who interact with children diagnosed with Asperger's... 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... Embracing Asperger's is a quick but informative read at 176 pages.
Examiner.com