Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum: Unexpected Lessons We Have Learned

Maureen F. Morrell and Ann Palmer are raising two very different children: Justin, a whirlwind of activity and mood swings, who is supervised in a residential farm community, and Eric, quiet and passive, who lives independently at college. The authors give an account of the striking similarities as well as the stark differences in their experiences of parenting children at opposite extremes of the autism spectrum.

The two mothers speak openly about their children's diagnosis and early childhood through to adolescence, young adulthood and the day they leave home. They give a moving account of the challenges they faced and the surprising consolations they found along their sons' very different paths in life. Through their friendship and two decades of shared experiences of parenting an ASD child, each has gained a clear understanding of her own strengths and limitations, as well as those of her child.

Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum offers a personal perspective and practical guidance for parents at the start of their journey with autism, especially those whose children are newly diagnosed. It also provides useful insights for professionals working with individuals across the autism spectrum and their families. The book was elected the 2007 Autism Society of America's Outstanding Literary Work of the Year.

Maureen Morrell is married with three sons; Justin, the oldest at 28, has autism and lives and works in a residential farm community. Maureen has a background in nursing and public health, and has been active in advocacy for individuals with ASD and their families for over 20 years. She has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) and in 1998 received ASNC's Parent of the Year Award. She is the co-author of the 2007 Autism Society of America's Outstanding Literary Work of the Year: Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum: Unexpected Lessons We Have Learned.,

Ann Palmer has spent the last 20 years working in the field of autism as the Parent Support Coordinator for Division TEACCH and the Director of Advocacy and Chapter Support for the Autism Society of North Carolina. At TEACCH she developed a parent mentor program supporting over 800 families. At the ASNC she established support groups around the state and coordinated 50 groups of family members of individuals with ASD. She is currently a Family Faculty member at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Ann is the parent of an adult son with autism. She lives in Cary, North Carolina.