Kids with autism often have difficulty appropriately expressing and understanding their emotions. This is definitely true of Danny. Whenever he is feeling a strong emotion, no matter if it's good or bad, it seems to impair his ability to communicate. This is an especially big problem when he's angry. So, when Future Horizons offered me the chance to review "Exploring Feelings: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Manage ANGER" by Tony Atwood I was excited.
This is a workbook and program to help kids with Asperger's, High Functioning Autism, or PDD-NOS learn to deal with their feelings, most specifically anger. Atwood collected a series of 6 sessions which can be used with groups or individuals. The sessions are very thorough, and each session builds on the previous one. Atwood helps kids understand what makes them angry, how their body responds to anger, and how to effectively and appropriately deal with the anger when it comes.
I'm really excited about this program because it seems super easy to adapt it to a family group activity so Danny doesn't feel like it's just more homework. There is also much attention paid to developing tools to deal with strong emotions, like anger.
I especially like the lesson where Atwood has kids think of a TV, book or film hero who has felt angry. He asks them questions like: Why did he/she feel angry? How did they cope with the feeling? What did they do or think that stopped the feeling from becoming too strong?
We haven't tried implementing these lessons yet, but my plan is to try them out this summer, when we have some more free time. If you're concerned about how your child deals with anger or other strong emotions, I would recommend checking out this book. The way the lessons are set up really get the kids thinking about their feelings and how to control them, and it's all done in an interesting way. I am so excited about this book!
As usual, if you are buying this book from Future Horizons (which I highly recommend), you can get 15% off and free shipping if you use the code PH. Remember, the 15% off applies on anything you purchase there, no matter how much you spend. It's a great deal!