The previous review has been ready to go for a few weeks but here is a brand new one:
Firstly, the proof copy I read wasn't particularly well formatted (chapter titles mingling with the starts of sentences was slightly confusing at times). What I did like about Snowflake was that I got a real sense of place about the town and its inhabitants who are not entirely there by choice, and the fact that when the inevitable happens at the end (no, I won't say what but it isn't totally a surprise), we are only given a hint of What Happened as Sedgwick refers to it. Some parts of it did seem a tiny bit random- Socrates the Goat for example whilst interesting enough in his own right doesn't really add much to the plot as it develops
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it overall, and I think I will re-read it when its published to see if my interpretation of the end is, as I think it is now, a lot more subtle than I initially thought an hour ago, when I finished ( in which case, I'd probably round up to 4 stars rather than 3). but as it stands , this is not one of Marcus Sedgwick's best, and definitely falls short of the wonderful Monsters We Deserve , for example.
Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to review this
Friday, August 23, 2019
Autism and Girls World-Renowned Experts Join Those with Autism Syndrome to Resolve Issues That Girls and Women Face Every Day! New Updated and Revised Edition by Tony Attwood; Temple Grandin; Catherine Faherty; Jennifer McIlwee Myers; Ruth Snyder; Sheila Wagner; Mary Wrobel; Lisa Iland; Teresa Bolick: A review
This review is of a book which was offered free and unsolicitated by the Publisher via Netgalley and is not unduly influenced in any way by them.
Disclaimer: I am a parent of a teenage daughter with Autism but in addition to other issues which may also affect her development
As a parent of an autistic girl myself, this title was an automatic draw for me as I’m aware from the screening process and personal experience that autism and related syndromes amongst girls are seen as increasingly prevalent but almost criminally unrecognised amongst educators, the medical fraternity and society which views autism as a primarily “male-only” phenomenon. So, on this basis I was hoping for a good overview of the issues affecting girls with Autism, and some good advice for helping them cope with life. Overall, I do not feel this book has met those expectations.
The initial chapter by Tony Attwood and Michelle Garnett was excellent giving a brief run-through of the fact that girls use specific techniques to camouflage autism in order to cope with social and interpersonal norms, and how they adapt to these throughout the various stages of their childhood through to adulthood. The outing of Hermione Granger as a potential autistic person was an interesting surprise and one I would personally not have thought of! The chapter doesn’t necessarily tell me anything new but summarised things nicely.
Catherine Faherty’s chapter points out the scary reality that many autistic girls and women are particularly vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse but lack the tools to be able to communicate this. Whilst I think this does need to be pointed out I feel the placement of the chapter itself sdo early in a book which may be used by parents of newly diagnosed autistic girls is unfortunate and could lead to unnecessary worry by many parents. Placing it later in the book when the needs and characteristics of autistic girls are clearer may have helped ease some unnecessary concerns. The fact that Faherty then goes on to outline a specific communication tool ( communication forms) in great detail with example questions, may also reinforce those worries, and is also much better suited to a publication aimed at educators and practitioners rather than one for public consumption.
Sheila Wagner writes her chapter from the POV of an educator and it is aimed quite specifically at the situation in American schools as opposed to the UK. Not being an expert in the field, I assume that the lessons learnt are transferrable to our system and her suggestions are clear and concise. I did particularly like the suggested descriptive statements designed to help autistic students to define the various stages of relationships from strangers through to life partners with one proviso- it does skip from best friends to life partners without detailing what you could define as a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, or even casual sexual relationships. It is one of the stronger chapters in the book, however so this is a comparatively small oversight in the overall book.
Lisa Iland is a practitioner with experience in developing individualised programmes aimed at supporting autistic people to navigate the world of relationships, employment and social inclusion by reducing barriers. Much of her work has come from direct communication with autistic people of both sexes including her own brother. She sets out her stall early in her chapter that her aim is to provide advice and information aimed at professional’s, parents and young people with autism and she succeeds with a very general approach- making it clear that social relationships are complicated for everyone including so-called neurotypical people. She concentrates on advice rather than hard advocacy or specific suggested solutions, and this makes the advice much more universal than Flaherty’s chapter did. She also outlines a relationship hierarchy that typical teens experience, which is simpler and much more tailored towards young people themselves than Sheila Wagner's earlier version. What follows is a relatively detailed look at various aspects of relationships in general and friendships. Some reviewers felt that this chapter tries to teach autistic girls to confirm with high school norms and expected behaviours rather than treat them as individuals. I personally didn’t feel this was necessarily the case but in the interest of fairness point this out so that you can treat with caution as appropriate.
Next up, Mary Wrobel deals with the issues surrounding puberty and autism. It's very detailed and comprehensive – perhaps a little bit too forceful in tone rather than encouraging – telling parents that autistic girls must be instructed to tell trusted adults when they are being physically bullied, which (as Flaherty’s chapter says) is something that is completely alien to many and extremely difficult to do if that person doesn’t understand where the problem is. Overall the chapter felt too heavy-handed and badgering in tone for me so works against the goal of helping to deal with the issues surrounding puberty. Rather off-putting to say the least.
By this point it is unfortunately very clear to me that the book does not work as a cohesive whole and really lacks any common viewpoint- You have writers suggesting that autistic girls need to essentially mimic neurotypical girls in order to function in society but other writers suggesting that they can have meaningful relationships only if they embrace their individuality and go against the norm. It also doesn't seem to be clear on who the audience is for this book- is it practitioners in schools and education, parents or autistic girls themselves? It also is badly organised and that could have detrimental affects on people who have just been diagnosed with the condition.
From my perspective, it's a real shame that this title is so disappointing considering how little-known it is that girls with autism are a lot more common than has initially been thought due to their ability to mask the condition effectively, and there is relatively little in the way of information and guidance open to parents of girls with autism designed to help them get to grips with the effects that can result from late diagnosis. I appreciate the aim of the book to be a general guide but the execution lets it down a lot.
Disclaimer: I am a parent of a teenage daughter with Autism but in addition to other issues which may also affect her development
As a parent of an autistic girl myself, this title was an automatic draw for me as I’m aware from the screening process and personal experience that autism and related syndromes amongst girls are seen as increasingly prevalent but almost criminally unrecognised amongst educators, the medical fraternity and society which views autism as a primarily “male-only” phenomenon. So, on this basis I was hoping for a good overview of the issues affecting girls with Autism, and some good advice for helping them cope with life. Overall, I do not feel this book has met those expectations.
The initial chapter by Tony Attwood and Michelle Garnett was excellent giving a brief run-through of the fact that girls use specific techniques to camouflage autism in order to cope with social and interpersonal norms, and how they adapt to these throughout the various stages of their childhood through to adulthood. The outing of Hermione Granger as a potential autistic person was an interesting surprise and one I would personally not have thought of! The chapter doesn’t necessarily tell me anything new but summarised things nicely.
Catherine Faherty’s chapter points out the scary reality that many autistic girls and women are particularly vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse but lack the tools to be able to communicate this. Whilst I think this does need to be pointed out I feel the placement of the chapter itself sdo early in a book which may be used by parents of newly diagnosed autistic girls is unfortunate and could lead to unnecessary worry by many parents. Placing it later in the book when the needs and characteristics of autistic girls are clearer may have helped ease some unnecessary concerns. The fact that Faherty then goes on to outline a specific communication tool ( communication forms) in great detail with example questions, may also reinforce those worries, and is also much better suited to a publication aimed at educators and practitioners rather than one for public consumption.
Sheila Wagner writes her chapter from the POV of an educator and it is aimed quite specifically at the situation in American schools as opposed to the UK. Not being an expert in the field, I assume that the lessons learnt are transferrable to our system and her suggestions are clear and concise. I did particularly like the suggested descriptive statements designed to help autistic students to define the various stages of relationships from strangers through to life partners with one proviso- it does skip from best friends to life partners without detailing what you could define as a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, or even casual sexual relationships. It is one of the stronger chapters in the book, however so this is a comparatively small oversight in the overall book.
Lisa Iland is a practitioner with experience in developing individualised programmes aimed at supporting autistic people to navigate the world of relationships, employment and social inclusion by reducing barriers. Much of her work has come from direct communication with autistic people of both sexes including her own brother. She sets out her stall early in her chapter that her aim is to provide advice and information aimed at professional’s, parents and young people with autism and she succeeds with a very general approach- making it clear that social relationships are complicated for everyone including so-called neurotypical people. She concentrates on advice rather than hard advocacy or specific suggested solutions, and this makes the advice much more universal than Flaherty’s chapter did. She also outlines a relationship hierarchy that typical teens experience, which is simpler and much more tailored towards young people themselves than Sheila Wagner's earlier version. What follows is a relatively detailed look at various aspects of relationships in general and friendships. Some reviewers felt that this chapter tries to teach autistic girls to confirm with high school norms and expected behaviours rather than treat them as individuals. I personally didn’t feel this was necessarily the case but in the interest of fairness point this out so that you can treat with caution as appropriate.
Next up, Mary Wrobel deals with the issues surrounding puberty and autism. It's very detailed and comprehensive – perhaps a little bit too forceful in tone rather than encouraging – telling parents that autistic girls must be instructed to tell trusted adults when they are being physically bullied, which (as Flaherty’s chapter says) is something that is completely alien to many and extremely difficult to do if that person doesn’t understand where the problem is. Overall the chapter felt too heavy-handed and badgering in tone for me so works against the goal of helping to deal with the issues surrounding puberty. Rather off-putting to say the least.
By this point it is unfortunately very clear to me that the book does not work as a cohesive whole and really lacks any common viewpoint- You have writers suggesting that autistic girls need to essentially mimic neurotypical girls in order to function in society but other writers suggesting that they can have meaningful relationships only if they embrace their individuality and go against the norm. It also doesn't seem to be clear on who the audience is for this book- is it practitioners in schools and education, parents or autistic girls themselves? It also is badly organised and that could have detrimental affects on people who have just been diagnosed with the condition.
From my perspective, it's a real shame that this title is so disappointing considering how little-known it is that girls with autism are a lot more common than has initially been thought due to their ability to mask the condition effectively, and there is relatively little in the way of information and guidance open to parents of girls with autism designed to help them get to grips with the effects that can result from late diagnosis. I appreciate the aim of the book to be a general guide but the execution lets it down a lot.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Welcome to Headfirst Futures
Hi everyone, this is the first blog post on my personal blog. My name is Graham, I live in North Devon with my wife, 2 great kids, 3 weird dogs and a cat who hates everyone except for me.
Headfirst Futures will, in time, feature a mix of rambling posts about life in general, books, comics, music and some writing of various sorts. I hope to be at least interesting and you'll stay with me whilst I find my feet and get this blog going. Rome wasn't built in a day and the same goes for new blogs!
Headfirst Futures will, in time, feature a mix of rambling posts about life in general, books, comics, music and some writing of various sorts. I hope to be at least interesting and you'll stay with me whilst I find my feet and get this blog going. Rome wasn't built in a day and the same goes for new blogs!
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