Review: Party Planning for Children and Teens on the Autism Spectrum

Host meltdown-free parties for autistic children

When I first glanced at the title of this book I was not excited. However, it surprised me enormously, and I was gripped from the outset.

Reynolds makes it clear that she is writing from a familial platform (she has a son with autism) and her honest and self-deprecating approach I found to be refreshing. She recognises that social events like parties can often expose an autistic child in a cruel and harmful way, and her aim is to mitigate any damage in this respect. Her desire also, is to create an informed way of thinking for the party organiser, again, to mitigate any damage for the autistic party guest.
 
Reynolds conveys information in a way that only an “autie mother” can. Her empathy for autie mothers and their children everywhere is clear, and is perceived as warm and tender. She doesn’t patronise, but instead she does what us autie mothers love best – she shares her best tips and practice. And by gosh, the advice is good – such as giving an autistic child in near- meltdown mode at a party “resistive sucking”, in other words, a lollipop or straw and drink to help focus energy and de-stress.  

Reynolds’ book has good flow and structure throughout. She begins by stating statistics and the “triad of impairments” (Wing & Gould, 1979), so to apprise the unknowledgeable reader, but textually, this section is brief and done in such a friendly way that those of us who do know this information inside-out do not have to stifle a yawn. Sensory processing and the difficulties connected thereto she describes well – one of the best pieces of writing on the subject I have ever read – and in a nutshell too, pointing out to the reader that something so simple as choice of food, music and clothing has the potential to “adversely affect their relationship with the social world”.

The fact that autism is a spectrum is pointed out very early on in the book, and explores the various different autism classifications, which gives the book a very welcoming feel – she doesn’t sideline or discount anyone. The autistic child who cannot speak is considered along with the high-functioning autistics: “Avoid games that rely on verbal skills, unless it is a chant that they do together, or you will disadvantage certain kids and increase the chances of boredom and discomfort, which could precede emotional outbursts or other negative behaviours.”

Reynolds is one of those authors who “gets it” concerning autism and while I wait with baited breath for anything else this author might write in the future, I would definitely recommend this book to parents and professionals alike.

To sum up, this title should be a bookshelf staple for the autie household.

Elaine Nicholson, chief executive officer, Action for Asperger’s

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