Just This Side of Normal: Glimpses Into Life with Autism

by Elizabeth K Gerlach

Overview

"When I grow up I want to be a screwdriver!" A small boy spins down the sidewalk as his mother follows him with her eyes and heart. Nicky has autism. Winner of the ASA Outstanding Literary Work of the Year Award, Just This Side of Normal is a powerful story of a parent's search for understanding in a world that sometimes makes no sense. This book was one of the first autobiographies written by a parent of a child with autism and it continues to inspire both parents and professionals in the autism community.
 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781932565034
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2004
Pages:	139
Product dimensions:	5.42(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Winner of the Outstanding Parent Achievement Award from the Autism Society of America, Elizabeth King Gerlach is the mother of two boys, one of whom has autism. She and her family reside in Oregon.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One – Nicky at 18 months through 4 years
Chapter Two – Nicky at 4 ½ through 6 years
Chapter Three – Nicky at 6 years
Chapter Four – Nicky at 7 years
Chapter Five – Nicky at 7 ½ through 8 years
Chapter Six – Nicky at 9 years
Chapter Seven – Nicky at 9 through 10 years
Chapter Eight – Nicky at 10 years
Chapter Nine – Nicky at 11 through 12 years
 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Elizabeth King Gerlach’s book tells it like it is. Her story has it all—happy, sad, serious, funny—and all at the same time. It’s must reading for parents and important reading for professionals.”
Stephen Edelson, PhD, Director of The Center for the Study of Autism

 

“I read, loved it, and wept all the way. Here you have a heart-wrenching account of autism and how a parent can lead her child through that dark tunnel and into a much sunnier world. It may still be spotted with clouds and thunderstorms, but it shows what can be done.”
Marguerite Kelly, Author of The Mother’s Almanac and syndicated columnist

 

“In this collection of vignettes about raising a child with autism, Elizabeth King Gerlach writes with tenderness, humor, grace, honesty, and a calm good sense. She is able to convey the confusions, distress, and yearnings of a parent deeply worried about her son, but also the moments of sheer joyfulness at watching this engagingly ‘different’ child grow and learn.”
Jane Taylor McDonnell, Author of News from the Border

Editorial Reviews

“I read, loved it, and wept all the way. Here you have a heart-wrenching account of autism and how a parent can lead her child through that dark tunnel and into a much sunnier world. It may still be spotted with clouds and thunderstorms, but it shows what can be done.”
Marguerite Kelly, Author of The Mother’s Almanac and syndicated columnist

 

“Elizabeth King Gerlach’s book tells it like it is. Her story has it all—happy, sad, serious, funny—and all at the same time. It’s must reading for parents and important reading for professionals.”
Stephen Edelson, PhD, Director of The Center for the Study of Autism

 

From the Publisher