A Different Sort of Normal

A Different Sort of Normal PDF Author: Abigail Balfe
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241508800
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
CHILDREN'S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS - SHORTLISTED BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS BEST BOOK WITH FACTS - LONGLISTED OBSERVER CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE MONTH Discover the award-winning true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic and undiagnosed – a must-read book about autism, neurodiversity and embracing who you are - for kids and adults alike. If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in - this book is for you. 'This book is what I needed as a kid! Empathetic, joyful and beautifully authentic.' - Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark 'I REALLY love it. It's the book I wish I'd had when I was a kid. Buy it for your kids, your parents, your grandparents. Mostly buy it for yourself' - Holly Smale, author of the Geek Girl Series ‘Honest, real and downright brilliant’ - Louise Gooding, author of Wonderfully Wired Brains Hi! My name is Abigail and I’m autistic. But when I was a child I didn’t know I was autistic. In fact - it wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I discovered my neurodivergence and my life finally started to make sense. This book follows my journey of self discovery from childhood through adulthood, as I attempt to navigate the confusing world around me - a world predominantly built for neurotypical brains. In this book you’ll find: VERY IMPORTANT FACTS about neurodiversity, neurodivergence, autistic traits, autism and gender, sensory sensitivities, social communication, emotions, friendships, bullying, sensory overload, meltdowns, family, school, special interests, masking, puberty AND MORE VERY PERSONAL STORIES involving toilets, cats, poo, swimming pools, my ridiculous family, my slightly unusual way of trying to make friends, falling up the French stairs wearing a skirt, getting locked in a cinema overnight and MORE embarrassing (and often hilarious) moments like these... PLUS TIPS for supporting the neurodivergent people in your life, advocating for your own needs as a neurodivergent person, and learning to embrace what makes you different. It’s for children. It’s for adults. It’s for neurodivergent people. It’s for neurotypical people. It’s for parents, carers, siblings, teachers, librarians, psychiatrists, doctors, nurses - and everyone else too. Basically - it’s for you. EXTRA IMPORTANT AND LITTLE KNOWN FACT: A Different Sort of Normal is also indirectly a story about growing up as an auDHD person - because nearly a year after this book was published I received my ADHD diagnosis! Discover why readers love A Different sort of Normal: ‘Funny, poignant and wise, with a rich seam of understanding and empathy . . . one of the best children's non-fiction books I've read in a long time’ The Bookseller ‘Probably the most accessible & engaging book I have ever read’ Dyslexic Reviews ‘Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic and allistic (non-autistic) readers of all ages’ BookTrust 'Funny, fascinating . . . a rewarding and highly entertaining read' Guardian ‘A hugely engaging, funny and informative account of being neurodivergent’ Observer ‘Empathic, informative, hilarious, endearing gem of a book’ - ****** Reader Review ‘My 9yr old has read this cover to cover so many times but I’d recommend it for a huge age range including adults too...This book was our favourite and most useful purchase post diagnosis. It is written with such care, kindness and good humour about many of the insights into autistic life that would never feature in the DSM.’ - ****** Reader Review ‘I’m so happy this book exists. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, warm and wise. Abigail Balfe is like the fun but ultimately responsible and trustworthy big sister all autistic kids need in their lives.’ ***** Reader Review ‘This helped me feel seen and heard as a late dx'd adult. My local autism services now recommend this book to newly diagnosed people as it is easy to digest with lots of personal anecdotes as well as facts about autism written in an easy to understand way.’ ****** Reader Review ‘Although I don’t have Autism, I do have ADHD. If you are familiar with ADHD, you may or may not know that a lot of ADHD symptoms overlap with autism. I instantly felt a connection with Abigail, her brain ticks like mine, and it’s fantastic! ... I wish little me who struggled growing up, had this book to read. I instantly felt like someone else understands me without having to say anything’ ****** Reader Review

A Different Sort of Normal

A Different Sort of Normal PDF Author: Abigail Balfe
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241508800
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
CHILDREN'S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS - SHORTLISTED BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS BEST BOOK WITH FACTS - LONGLISTED OBSERVER CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE MONTH Discover the award-winning true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic and undiagnosed – a must-read book about autism, neurodiversity and embracing who you are - for kids and adults alike. If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in - this book is for you. 'This book is what I needed as a kid! Empathetic, joyful and beautifully authentic.' - Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark 'I REALLY love it. It's the book I wish I'd had when I was a kid. Buy it for your kids, your parents, your grandparents. Mostly buy it for yourself' - Holly Smale, author of the Geek Girl Series ‘Honest, real and downright brilliant’ - Louise Gooding, author of Wonderfully Wired Brains Hi! My name is Abigail and I’m autistic. But when I was a child I didn’t know I was autistic. In fact - it wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I discovered my neurodivergence and my life finally started to make sense. This book follows my journey of self discovery from childhood through adulthood, as I attempt to navigate the confusing world around me - a world predominantly built for neurotypical brains. In this book you’ll find: VERY IMPORTANT FACTS about neurodiversity, neurodivergence, autistic traits, autism and gender, sensory sensitivities, social communication, emotions, friendships, bullying, sensory overload, meltdowns, family, school, special interests, masking, puberty AND MORE VERY PERSONAL STORIES involving toilets, cats, poo, swimming pools, my ridiculous family, my slightly unusual way of trying to make friends, falling up the French stairs wearing a skirt, getting locked in a cinema overnight and MORE embarrassing (and often hilarious) moments like these... PLUS TIPS for supporting the neurodivergent people in your life, advocating for your own needs as a neurodivergent person, and learning to embrace what makes you different. It’s for children. It’s for adults. It’s for neurodivergent people. It’s for neurotypical people. It’s for parents, carers, siblings, teachers, librarians, psychiatrists, doctors, nurses - and everyone else too. Basically - it’s for you. EXTRA IMPORTANT AND LITTLE KNOWN FACT: A Different Sort of Normal is also indirectly a story about growing up as an auDHD person - because nearly a year after this book was published I received my ADHD diagnosis! Discover why readers love A Different sort of Normal: ‘Funny, poignant and wise, with a rich seam of understanding and empathy . . . one of the best children's non-fiction books I've read in a long time’ The Bookseller ‘Probably the most accessible & engaging book I have ever read’ Dyslexic Reviews ‘Insightful, accessible and easy to navigate, this is an essential book for autistic and allistic (non-autistic) readers of all ages’ BookTrust 'Funny, fascinating . . . a rewarding and highly entertaining read' Guardian ‘A hugely engaging, funny and informative account of being neurodivergent’ Observer ‘Empathic, informative, hilarious, endearing gem of a book’ - ****** Reader Review ‘My 9yr old has read this cover to cover so many times but I’d recommend it for a huge age range including adults too...This book was our favourite and most useful purchase post diagnosis. It is written with such care, kindness and good humour about many of the insights into autistic life that would never feature in the DSM.’ - ****** Reader Review ‘I’m so happy this book exists. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, warm and wise. Abigail Balfe is like the fun but ultimately responsible and trustworthy big sister all autistic kids need in their lives.’ ***** Reader Review ‘This helped me feel seen and heard as a late dx'd adult. My local autism services now recommend this book to newly diagnosed people as it is easy to digest with lots of personal anecdotes as well as facts about autism written in an easy to understand way.’ ****** Reader Review ‘Although I don’t have Autism, I do have ADHD. If you are familiar with ADHD, you may or may not know that a lot of ADHD symptoms overlap with autism. I instantly felt a connection with Abigail, her brain ticks like mine, and it’s fantastic! ... I wish little me who struggled growing up, had this book to read. I instantly felt like someone else understands me without having to say anything’ ****** Reader Review

A Different Kind of Normal

A Different Kind of Normal PDF Author: Abigail Balfe
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0593566467
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this joyfully illustrated memoir, Abigail Balfe recounts her journey growing up autistic and the challenges of navigating the “normal” world around her. This is a perfect book for both neurodivergent and neurotypical kids to learn more about neurodiversity. When Abigail was growing up, she was missing Very Important Information about herself. The information? That Abigail is autistic! In fact, Abigail didn’t know she was autistic until she was (kind of) an adult. This is Abigail’s story about what it was like growing up autistic in a confusing “normal” world. With entertaining anecdotes and funny accompanying illustrations, Abigail details her experiences and explains some Very Crucial Information about autism. And about neurodiversity too— a word that celebrates the importance of all brain types! Essential, funny, and completely unique, this book is for anyone who has ever felt different.

Some Kind of Normal

Some Kind of Normal PDF Author: Juliana Stone
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402291515
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261

Get Book Here

Book Description
WHAT IS NORMAL? For Trevor, normal was fast guitar licks, catching game-winning passes, and partying all night. Until a car accident leaves him with no band, no teammates, and no chance of graduating. It's kinda hard to ace your finals when you've been in a coma. The last thing he needs is stuck-up Everly Jenkins as his new tutor—those beautiful blue eyes catching every last flaw. For Everly, normal was a perfect family around the dinner table, playing piano at Sunday service, and sunning by the pool. Until she discovers her whole life is a lie. Now the perfect pastor's daughter is hiding a life-changing secret, one that is slowly tearing her family apart. And spending the summer with notorious flirt Trevor Lewis means her darkest secret could be exposed. This achingly beautiful story about two damaged teens struggling through pain and loss to redefine who they are—to their family, to themselves, and to each other—is sure to melt your heart. Praise for Boys Like You: "The classic miscommunications, the emotional pushing and pulling, the "will she?" and "won't he?" of the destined-to-be-in-love. Readers of Miranda Kenneally, Jenny Han, and Susane Colasanti will enjoy Stone." —VOYA "The story handles challenging subjects like sex, drunk driving, and faith after tragedy in a sensitive and age-appropriate way ...just what readers need." —School Library Journal

Normal People

Normal People PDF Author: Sally Rooney
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 1984822195
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Get Book Here

Book Description
NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED HULU ORIGINAL SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • “A stunning novel about the transformative power of relationships” (People) from the author of Conversations with Friends, “a master of the literary page-turner” (J. Courtney Sullivan). “[A] novel that demands to be read compulsively, in one sitting.”—The Washington Post ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: People, Slate, The New York Public Library, Harvard Crimson Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins. A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other. Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t. WINNER: The British Book Award, The Costa Book Award, The An Post Irish Novel of the Year, Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, The Paris Review, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country

Back to Normal

Back to Normal PDF Author: Enrico Gnaulati, PhD
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807073350
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
A veteran clinical psychologist exposes why doctors, teachers, and parents incorrectly diagnose healthy American children with serious psychiatric conditions. In recent years there has been an alarming rise in the number of American children and youth assigned a mental health diagnosis. Current data from the Centers for Disease Control reveal a 41 percent increase in rates of ADHD diagnoses over the past decade and a forty-fold spike in bipolar disorder diagnoses. Similarly, diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, once considered, has increased by 78 percent since 2002. Dr. Enrico Gnaulati, a clinical psychologist specializing in childhood and adolescent therapy and assessment, has witnessed firsthand the push to diagnose these disorders in youngsters. Drawing both on his own clinical experience and on cutting-edge research, with Back to Normal he has written the definitive account of why our kids are being dramatically overdiagnosed—and how parents and professionals can distinguish between true psychiatric disorders and normal childhood reactions to stressful life situations. Gnaulati begins with the complex web of factors that have led to our current crisis. These include questionable education and training practices that cloud mental health professionals’ ability to distinguish normal from abnormal behavior in children, monetary incentives favoring prescriptions, check-list diagnosing, and high-stakes testing in schools. We’ve also developed an increasingly casual attitude about labeling kids and putting them on psychiatric drugs. So how do we differentiate between a child with, say, Asperger’s syndrome and a child who is simply introverted, brainy, and single-minded? As Gnaulati notes, many of the symptoms associated with these disorders are similar to everyday childhood behaviors. In the second half of the book Gnaulati tells detailed stories of wrongly diagnosed kids, providing parents and others with information about the developmental, temperamental, and environmentally driven symptoms that to a casual or untrained eye can mimic a psychiatric disorder. These stories also reveal how nonmedical interventions, whether in the therapist’s office or through changes made at home, can help children. Back to Normal reminds us of the normalcy of children’s seemingly abnormal behavior. It will give parents of struggling children hope, perspective, and direction. And it will make everyone who deals with children question the changes in our society that have contributed to the astonishing increase in childhood psychiatric diagnoses.

The Art of Being Normal

The Art of Being Normal PDF Author: Lisa Williamson
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374302391
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Get Book Here

Book Description
An inspiring and timely debut novel from Lisa Williamson, The Art of Being Normal is about two transgender friends who figure out how to navigate teen life with help from each other. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long , and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl. As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.

Normal Sucks

Normal Sucks PDF Author: Jonathan Mooney
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250190177
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Get Book Here

Book Description
Confessional and often hilarious, in Normal Sucks a neuro-diverse writer, advocate, and father meditates on his life, offering the radical message that we should stop trying to fix people and start empowering them to succeed Jonathan Mooney blends anecdote, expertise, and memoir to present a new mode of thinking about how we live and learn—individually, uniquely, and with advantages and upshots to every type of brain and body. As a neuro-diverse kid diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD who didn't learn to read until he was twelve, the realization that that he wasn’t the problem—the system and the concept of normal were—saved Mooney’s life and fundamentally changed his outlook. Here he explores the toll that being not normal takes on kids and adults when they’re trapped in environments that label them, shame them, and tell them, even in subtle ways, that they are the problem. But, he argues, if we can reorient the ways in which we think about diversity, abilities, and disabilities, we can start a revolution. A highly sought after public speaker, Mooney has been inspiring audiences with his story and his message for nearly two decades. Now he’s ready to share what he’s learned from parents, educators, researchers, and kids in a book that is as much a survival guide as it is a call to action. Whip-smart, insightful, and utterly inspiring—and movingly framed as a letter to his own young sons, as they work to find their ways in the world—this book will upend what we call normal and empower us all.

The Other Side of Normal

The Other Side of Normal PDF Author: Jordan Smoller
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062101331
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Get Book Here

Book Description
Psychiatry has ignored the normal. The focus on defining abnormal behavior has obscured what turns out to be a more fundamental question—how does the biology of the brain give rise to the mind, which in turn gives rise to everything we care about: thoughts, feelings, desires, and relationships? In The Other Side of Normal, Harvard psychiatrist Jordan Smoller shows us that understanding what the mind was designed to do in the first place demystifies mental illness and builds a new foundation for defining psychiatric disorders—from autism to depression. Smoller argues there are no bright lines between normal and abnormal. Psychiatric disorders are variations of the same brain systems that evolved to help us solve the challenges of everyday life. How do we become who we are? Smoller explains where our personalities come from, and how the temperaments we had as infants actually stay with us into adulthood. Why do we choose to date, love, and marry the people we do? Why do some of us form healthy relationships while others form unstable ones? Our relationships are shaped by the biology that drives two imperatives: maternal-child bonding and child-parent attachment. Along the way, Smoller tackles an even greater question—what do we mean by "normal"?—as he explores the puzzles behind the epidemics of multiple personalities and koro, the shocking phobia that one's penis is shrinking. He also looks at the controversial history of psychiatric classification and the explosive debates over how much early experiences influence our minds and to what degree genetics affect our temperaments, personalities, and emotional lives. Throughout this examination, Smoller explores the hidden sides of such questions as: How are trust and love rooted in biology? How much does sexual attraction stem from biology rather than culture? And what can the scientific study of normal behavior tell us about what it means to be human? Based on the author's groundbreaking research and personal experiences treating psychological disorders, The Other Side of Normal changes the way we think about the human condition.

A Nearly Normal Family

A Nearly Normal Family PDF Author: M. T. Edvardsson
Publisher: Celadon Books
ISBN: 1250204429
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 361

Get Book Here

Book Description
Now a Netflix Limited Series "...A compulsively readable tour de force." —The Wall Street Journal New York Times Book Review recommends M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family and lauds it as a “page-turner” that forces the reader to confront “the compromises we make with ourselves to be the people we believe our beloveds expect.” (NYTimes Book Review Summer Reading Issue) M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one another. Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him? Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

Different--A Great Thing to Be!

Different--A Great Thing to Be! PDF Author: Heather Avis
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 0593232666
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 20

Get Book Here

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This joyful rhyming book encourages children to value the “different” in all people, leading the way to a kinder world in which the differences in all of us are celebrated and embraced. Macy is a girl who’s a lot like you and me, but she's also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, Macy finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person. Children are naturally aware of the differences they encounter at school, in their neighborhood, and in other everyday relationships. They just need to be given tools to understand and appreciate what makes us “different,” permission to ask questions about it, and eyes to see and celebrate it in themselves as well as in those around them.