Hi, I posted almost the same post further down in response to Joan’s question about a new book on NLD, but also figured I’d move the reference forward in case it’s helpful to someone who might not dig back through old messages!
I have read “Bridging the Gap” by Rondalyn Varney Whitney. It was interesting, and in many ways validating. Not unexpectedly, being an OT herself, she heavily weights her interventions for NLD in the direction of OT.
While I am glad I bought it, I have to say for my personal situation it was the least useful of the 3 NLD books that came out this spring. (in large part because it _is_ geared toward interventions for kids younger than mine)
I _loved_ “Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome: A Parent’s Guide” by Kathryn Stewart. She’s the headmaster of Orion School in California. (the first NLD/AS focused high school in the country) It is just packed with good ideas for NLD kids in their pre-teen, teen and young adult years.
I’m part way through Pam Tanguay’s new book, “Nonverbal Learning Disabilities at School”. The book is similar to Whitney’s book in one way, in that the emphasis is clearly slanted in the direction of Pam’s own experiences with her own child. But I think she does a better job of presenting other possible behavior patterns, and alternate interventions than Whitney does. And again, it includes a lot of interventions for older kids as well as the elementary school age group. It has a more empathetic, “parent” feel to it than Stewart’s book, probably what you’d expect considering one book is written from the perspective of an educator and one from the perspective of a parent. I find both perspectives useful.
From a publishing standpoint, I think all three of the writers have a clear, easy to follow writing style. But all three books seem to have been pushed through the editing process too quickly. All could have benefitted from a little more polish at the editor/publisher level. The Whitney book, in particular is on coarse, pulpy paper and doesn’t look like it’s going to stand up as a reference source over time.
Karen
Re: NLD Books new this spring
I haven’t read it yet (plowing through all the NLD stuff!) but I’ve heard good things about it from a couple of NLD adults. While it’s not from a strictly NLD slant, another book that I just read, (though it isn’t brand new) gave me a lot of insights. That is Temple Grandin’s book, “Thinking in Pictures”.
Until reading that, I was pretty firmly in the camp of believing that NLD was something “completely different” from autistic spectrum disorders. While she never specifically mentions NLD, and there are still obvoiusly major differences, particularly in terms of the visual/spatial and motor deficits NLD’ers have, I was able to see better how all of these various developmental disorders could be considered as shades of the same type of problem.
Karen
Re: NLD Books new this spring
I read Terri Bellis’ book and really liked it. I knew a lot of the information, having been reading anything I can get my hands on CAPD for two years now, but she made it very accessible.
Now one of things I found most interesting, and wasn’t familiar with, were her studies showing that men begin to have auditory integration problems as they age—as early as their 40s. This physiological finding may account for “male deafness” to their wives. Fit my husband!!!
Beth
Re: NLD Books new this spring & Temple Grandin
Yes, I seized on that middle-aged male APD as explaining my own husband too! He’s a great guy, compassionate and caring, but just often seems to be in a fog. It HAS gotten wose as he’s hit middle-age.
Karen, I’ve read all of Grandin’s books. I read “Thinking in Pictures” right after taking the training course for Visualizing & Verbalizing. It was a great book to read at that time. Very helpful to me because, at the time, I was working with two Asperger’s kids.
Thanks, Karen. I agree with your comments about Whitney’s book. (I also thought the book was rushed to print too soon). I will look for the other two this week.Stewart’s book sounds especially interesting.
I’m now reading “When the Brain Can’t Hear” by Teri James Bellis. It’s about auditory processing disorder. I’ve just begun it so I can’t comment yet. It’s another newly published book.