Series:

The Thing

3 primary works

Book 1

Cover of The Thing - A Young Boy's Journey with Asperger Syndrome
The Thing is a simple story poetically told by a loving mother of a 7 year old boy with High Functioning Aspergers. Written to fill the hole she had found in this very niche market, her book doesn't teach you how to change your child. It doesn't teach the child the nature of their condition and how to survive or mask it. It isn't about fixing anything at all...merely supporting your child to accept it and in some way embrace it as an amazing and indelible part of who they are.

With parent/carer notes and suggestions for classroom activities, this book is not simply for children on the Autistic spectrum. It is a sensitive and accessible route to opening discussion with children across mainstream and specialist settings about the nature of diversity and acceptance.

Book 2

Cover of My Brother has a Thing...and I want one!
Written for the 6yr old sibling of her eldest son, this is the story of the missing character, the silent partner, the unsung hero of Rachel's other book - "The Thing - A Young Boy's Journey with Asperger Syndrome"

It tells of the little jealousies, frustrations and perceptions of a little boy...and the gentle shifting of his understanding of his brother.

With parent/carer notes, this book is not simply for brothers and sisters of children on the Autistic Spectrum. It applies to any sibling trying to understand from the side-lines of disorder and offers a sensitive and accessible route to opening discussion with children across both mainstream and specialist settings about the nature of diversity and acceptance.

Book 3

Cover of Its a PanDA thing - A visit to my world of Pathological Demand Avoidance

A follow on in the journey through Autism and Aspergers - this, the third book in Rachel's series - enters a new diagnostic space as she learns about and begins to understand Pathological Demand Avoidance - a new flavour of ASD still disputed, debated and under researched.

With a foreword from Harry Thompson (The PDA Paradox) and recommendations and backing from the PDA Society, this is a wonderful resource aimed at building open dialogues between parent/carer and child about the nature of their condition - but it is also a wonderful way to open discusion in classrooms and with peer groups who may be struggling to understand PDA in others.