Asperger's Rules!: How to Make Sense of School and Friends

by Blythe Grossberg PsyD

Overview

A large part of school isn’t just taking tests, reading, and writing—it’s knowing the rules for behavior in the classroom and learning how to communicate with teachers and classmates. This book makes school easier for kids with Asperger’s by explaining the confusing—and often unwritten—rules of the classroom.

Asperger’s Rules is filled with examples, quizzes, and exercises to help you:

• Understand your feelings and emotions;
• Ask teachers for help;
• Have good classroom behavior;
• Navigate lunch, recess, gym, and other situations in school;
• Interact with other kids;
• Deal with bullies and mean kids; and
• Maintain healthy habits

Asperger’s Rules helps you learn the rules, so you will be better able to show your true talents at school. Blythe Grossberg, PsyD, is a learning specialist in New York City who works to help children and adults to become more effective at school and at work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433835407
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	12/03/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Blythe Grossberg, PsyD, is a learning specialist in New York City who works to help children with Asperger's syndrome and learning issues become more effective at school. She is the author of Asperger's Rules! How to Make Sense of School and Friends and Asperger's Teens. 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction

• How This Book Works
• Recognizing Your Talents
• Making SMART Goals
• Looking at Your Goals

Chapter 2. Your Feelings and Emotions

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Understand What You Feel?
• Understanding What You Feel
• Listening to Your Body
• Understanding How Other People Feel
• Ranking Your Problems
• Decoding Your Fears
• Dealing with Change
• Getting Upset in Class
• Knowing When You Need a Break
• Getting Extra Help
• Goal Setting: Feelings Rules

Chapter 3. Teachers and Asking for Help

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Ask for Help?
• Telling Your Teacher about Asperger’s
• Explaining How You Work in School
• Finding Information for Your Teacher
• Thanking Your Teacher
• Asking For Help with Schoolwork
• How to Email Your Teacher
• Asking Your Parents for Help
• Goal Setting: Teacher Rules and Helping Rules

Chapter 4. The Unwritten Rules of the Classroom

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Understand the Unwritten Rules of the Classroom?
• Checking Your Body Language
• Communicating with Your Teacher
• Participating in Class Discussions
• Goal Setting: Classroom Rules

Chapter 5. Other Situations at School

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Handle Recess, Lunch, and Other Situations at School?
• Navigating Recess, Gym, and Lunch
• Dealing with Special Occasions at School
• Finding Other Ways to Make Friends with Kids and Adults at School
• Goal Setting: Rules for Other Situations in School

Chapter 6. Friends, Classmates and the Other Kids

• Test Yourself: How Do You Interact with the Other Kids at School?
• Making Friends
• Having Conversations
• Dealing with Annoying Situations
• Saying “No”
• Apologizing to Kids
• Joining An Activity
• Arranging a Get Together
• Knowing the Rules for Hanging Out with Other Kids
• Being a Good Friend
• Goal Setting: Friends and Classmates Rules

Chapter 7. Bullies and Mean Kids

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Handle Bullies?
• Dealing with Bullies
• Understanding Less Obvious Bullies and Mean Kids
• Staying Safe Online
• Goal Setting: Bullies, Mean Kids and Cyber-Safety Rules

Chapter 8. Healthy Habits

• Test Yourself: How Well Do You Treat Your Body?
• Getting Enough Sleep
• Eating Well
• Having Good Hygiene
• Getting Dressed
• Goal Setting: Healthy Habit Rules

Extra Resources -- Websites, Books, and Games that Can Help You
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Grossberg provides an upbeat and supportive guide for readers with Asperger’s, covering feelings and emotions, teachers, asking for help, and dealing with bullies. Quizzes let readers reflect on their own approaches to situations like interacting with kids at school, and Grossberg also includes tips on how to interpret social situations (“Sometimes, conversations are really about nothing. Kids just like to say silly things or kid around”). Flowcharts illustrate how various conversations might progress, and other sections focus on dressing properly and eating healthful meals. The invaluable advice should help readers navigate new challenges. Ages 9–13. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Grossberg provides an upbeat and supportive guide for readers with Asperger’s, covering feelings and emotions, teachers, asking for help, and dealing with bullies...The invaluable advice should help readers navigate new challenges." —Publishers Weekly

"This manual-workbook offers insights to readers with mild spectrum disorders on the general 'unwritten rules' for dealing with teachers and classmates in school. With a mix of common scenarios, dialogue trees, bulleted lists, multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank self-tests, and brief analytical comments, Grossberg covers setting goals, demonstrating appropriate responses to behavioral or emotional triggers, using communication strategies, recognizing body language and other signals, coping with bullying, making friends, and (in a perfunctory, tacked-on final chapter) establishing personal hygiene and healthy life habits. Capped by a select set of annotated print and online resources, these guidelines and procedures will be helpful to their target audience."—Booklist

"While this book is written specifically for youngsters on the Asperger's spectrum, it will be helpful for any children who struggle with making and keeping friends, dealing with bullies, or understanding unwritten rules in the classroom. Some young people may prefer to read this on their own, while others could certainly benefit from sharing the volume in a group and/or with an adult helper."—School Library Journal

"This book is an excellent tool to help children learn how to identify their feelings, role-play how they can react in a variety of situations and problem-solve for handling school situations in a more positive way."—Portland Book Review

From the Publisher

Gr 7 Up—As a clinical psychologist who works with middle- and high-school students diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, Grossberg has the background and expertise to give advice on how to negotiate the world of the neurotypcial. The advice is straightforward, easy to understand, and solid. Each chapter includes a short test to help readers understand the importance of the material. The short quiz at the start of each chapter clues readers in to how they should relate to the upcoming information. The book includes sample dialogues and opportunities for readers to practice what they are learning. While this book is written specifically for youngsters on the Asperger's spectrum, it will be helpful for any children who struggle with making and keeping friends, dealing with bullies, or understanding unwritten rules in the classroom. Some young people may prefer to read this on their own, while others could certainly benefit from sharing the volume in a group and/or with an adult helper.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

School Library Journal