Reviews By Parents And Professionals
Reviewed by
Lara Blanchard
This is an adorable interactive book for children with Asperger’s
Syndrome. It was written to help children make decisions about a variety of
social situations. The book allows the reader to choose the ending to each
social situation. Parents and children could read this book together and have
fun deciding which ending to read. You could also use this book to discuss what
your child would do in each situation. This book would be wonderful reading
material for elementary school children to learn more about Asperger’s Syndrome.
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I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy of the above book to review by Karen Jones. Karen and I go back a long way being relatives by marriage. I am a freelance writer myself and have to admit that I knew very little about Aspergers syndrome before reading Dannie's Dilemmas but having read the book, I feel I have a greater understanding of the condition.
The book is written in a simple and humorous fashion. Dannie's take on everyday occurrences, such as getting ready for a shopping trip with her mother, are explained from the perspective of a child with Aspergers and also from her mother's viewpoint. Who hasn't felt frustrated with their child for taking too long to get ready? Yet for Dannie, a getting ready for a simple trip to the shops is fraught with confusion and frustration. Her mother uses everyday language which most of us would instantly understand, but to Dannie, a common saying such as 'don't run on the stairs', is nonsensical and bizarre. Of course she doesn't run on the stairs, she runs up or down the stairs!
I particularly liked the new shoe buying scenario and Dannie's comment that you need to get to know your new shoes, is just so true!
Dannie's Dilemmas is a remarkable book, the authors have used everyday situations to highlight the difficulties facing a parent with a child with
Aspergers. Dannie comes over as an intelligent, likeable girl whose view of the world around her is coloured by her condition, however what shines through is her mother's determination to have Dannie treated as a child, not as a child with a 'condition'. It occurred to me as I read the book that there are so many idioms and colloquial sayings in daily usage, which are totally meaningless. 'Pull your socks up' or 'I laughed my head off' come to mind, to a person with Asperger's, these would be at best rather silly, at worst tragic!
I enjoyed Dannie's Dilemmas and would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in Aspergers syndrome. The interactive idea works well and the different endings to the scenarios is a stroke of genius, for the purposes of reviewing the book I read both endings and found I could relate to both the child and her mother's decisions.
Well done Lennie and Karen and best of luck with the book, it is a credit to you both and of course to 'Dannie' without whom the book would never have been written!
©Linda Blomquist.
January 2010.
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What a wonderful insight, to how a young girl perseves the world with aspergers. How difficult it is to control her emotions with family and the Neuro typical world, without getting into trouble. Dannies stories, provide, explain, clarify how she has to deal with everything from the time she wakes up in the morning, to getting through the day and dealing with people who just dont understand her let alone get her.
Yes it can be frustrating for parents to have to keep reminding Asperger kids what they have to do, why they react in a certain way, but at the end of the day, Dannie's Mum was always there for her, and had her best intested at heart.
I truely enjoyed reading these stories, so much so that I happened to be in a toy shop today with both my kiddies (Paul 7 autism, Rachel 5 hearing difficulties) and I applied the situation that given 3 choices to pick a toy they want to swap. I had to tailor it a little differently but the idea worked.
Karen thank you so much for letting me be one of the members to pre-read the book. Well done to Dannie for having the
courage to do the stories, which exposed so much of herself, how she sees the world and how the world deals with her. To Dannies supports for providing a guidance to her. The book made me laugh, teary and gave me another insight to my own son and how he thinks and the way he may view the world around him.
Good luck with these stories, and heres to may more that may arrive in the near future. Well Done to all involved and for a job well done
I hope this helps.
Many thanks
Adrienne
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I was asked to review this book by Karen and although I have no personal experience with Aspergers I found the book very enlightening.
The difficulties Dannie faces everyday from getting up and making people understand her and trying to understand this weird world she lives in, she has done with remarkable courage and laughter partly due to having an understanding Mum who can laugh with her.
I'm sure Dannie's Mum gets just as frustrated as Dannie does sometimes but they get through it.
I really enjoyed reading this and I'm sure it will be helpful to many families who live with Aspergers to enable them to see a lighter side to this condition.
Well done to Dannie for letting her thoughts and feelings be written down and to her Mum for writing it in such a way that we can all understand and appreciate life with an Aspergers child. It made me laugh and cry, a wonderful book.
Good luck with everything you do and hope we have many more stories like these.
Jill
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review By Jeff Strong
Just read Dannie's Dilemmas. Boy! I had no idea what it is like to interact with an Asperger child! That could sure get tiring in a hurry!
I did like the "dialogue" style of writing. It really has to be that way to get the full experience of what the interaction is like. It also made me realize how dangerously close to Aspergers a lot of people are. I started to see myself in Dannies's shoes once in a while. I think I left the book wanting to know how best to live with Dannie. It did seem that when Dannie and Mum could talk and interact at the same level, things were much better. I also see how easy it is for conflict to escalate out of control.
All in all, I liked the story.
Jeff Strong"
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Review By Janet from facebook
I have just read through Dannie's Dilemma's
Firstly I like the poem at the beginning.
There are many text books out there giving the symptoms associated with the Triad of impairments but as far as I am aware not a lot of books that highlight the diffitulties encountered in true to life situations by children and adults on the ASD spectrum.
The production of this book is a good idea and a series of these would help plug the market, in my opinion. It is a novel idea to end the scenario with a choice of endings which will help develop imaginative skills, communication and theory of mind. The concept of the stories in itself could be classed as an aid to development.
The stories raise awareness of the difficulties encountered along the way and the need for others to adapt the way they phrase what they say in order to allow a better understanding.
It also highlights the ignorance that many people show towards disability, as in the shoe shop scenario, where the assistant
mistood lack of understanding and difficulty with choice and possibly sensory issues immaturiaty.
You obviously have a good relationship with your daughter which is good, she does well to communicate her thoughts so well to you.
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review By Kathryn
I read this book with my 10yr old son who has aspergers,I found it an interesting and unique insight into living with an AS child and also a relief to see that many of the problems we face are also experienced by others.Whilst reading some of 'Dannies' thoughts I asked my son if that was the way he felt during similar circumstances and his response was " well duh, doesn't everybody " which I took as a yes and it has made me more aware of his reactions whilst we are out.
The only slightly negative point I have is that although we discussed which solution he would have gone for and which I would haved liked him to take he wanted to know which 'Dannie' had chosen and which her mum would have preferred,not in the context of which was the right and which the wrong choice but because he wanted to know if our choices were the same as yours.On that note maybe it would be possible to add at the end which choice 'Dannie' made?
All in all though we enjoyed the book and look forward to reading another.
Kathryn
Lara Blanchard
This is an adorable interactive book for children with Asperger’s
Syndrome. It was written to help children make decisions about a variety of
social situations. The book allows the reader to choose the ending to each
social situation. Parents and children could read this book together and have
fun deciding which ending to read. You could also use this book to discuss what
your child would do in each situation. This book would be wonderful reading
material for elementary school children to learn more about Asperger’s Syndrome.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy of the above book to review by Karen Jones. Karen and I go back a long way being relatives by marriage. I am a freelance writer myself and have to admit that I knew very little about Aspergers syndrome before reading Dannie's Dilemmas but having read the book, I feel I have a greater understanding of the condition.
The book is written in a simple and humorous fashion. Dannie's take on everyday occurrences, such as getting ready for a shopping trip with her mother, are explained from the perspective of a child with Aspergers and also from her mother's viewpoint. Who hasn't felt frustrated with their child for taking too long to get ready? Yet for Dannie, a getting ready for a simple trip to the shops is fraught with confusion and frustration. Her mother uses everyday language which most of us would instantly understand, but to Dannie, a common saying such as 'don't run on the stairs', is nonsensical and bizarre. Of course she doesn't run on the stairs, she runs up or down the stairs!
I particularly liked the new shoe buying scenario and Dannie's comment that you need to get to know your new shoes, is just so true!
Dannie's Dilemmas is a remarkable book, the authors have used everyday situations to highlight the difficulties facing a parent with a child with
Aspergers. Dannie comes over as an intelligent, likeable girl whose view of the world around her is coloured by her condition, however what shines through is her mother's determination to have Dannie treated as a child, not as a child with a 'condition'. It occurred to me as I read the book that there are so many idioms and colloquial sayings in daily usage, which are totally meaningless. 'Pull your socks up' or 'I laughed my head off' come to mind, to a person with Asperger's, these would be at best rather silly, at worst tragic!
I enjoyed Dannie's Dilemmas and would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in Aspergers syndrome. The interactive idea works well and the different endings to the scenarios is a stroke of genius, for the purposes of reviewing the book I read both endings and found I could relate to both the child and her mother's decisions.
Well done Lennie and Karen and best of luck with the book, it is a credit to you both and of course to 'Dannie' without whom the book would never have been written!
©Linda Blomquist.
January 2010.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a wonderful insight, to how a young girl perseves the world with aspergers. How difficult it is to control her emotions with family and the Neuro typical world, without getting into trouble. Dannies stories, provide, explain, clarify how she has to deal with everything from the time she wakes up in the morning, to getting through the day and dealing with people who just dont understand her let alone get her.
Yes it can be frustrating for parents to have to keep reminding Asperger kids what they have to do, why they react in a certain way, but at the end of the day, Dannie's Mum was always there for her, and had her best intested at heart.
I truely enjoyed reading these stories, so much so that I happened to be in a toy shop today with both my kiddies (Paul 7 autism, Rachel 5 hearing difficulties) and I applied the situation that given 3 choices to pick a toy they want to swap. I had to tailor it a little differently but the idea worked.
Karen thank you so much for letting me be one of the members to pre-read the book. Well done to Dannie for having the
courage to do the stories, which exposed so much of herself, how she sees the world and how the world deals with her. To Dannies supports for providing a guidance to her. The book made me laugh, teary and gave me another insight to my own son and how he thinks and the way he may view the world around him.
Good luck with these stories, and heres to may more that may arrive in the near future. Well Done to all involved and for a job well done
I hope this helps.
Many thanks
Adrienne
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was asked to review this book by Karen and although I have no personal experience with Aspergers I found the book very enlightening.
The difficulties Dannie faces everyday from getting up and making people understand her and trying to understand this weird world she lives in, she has done with remarkable courage and laughter partly due to having an understanding Mum who can laugh with her.
I'm sure Dannie's Mum gets just as frustrated as Dannie does sometimes but they get through it.
I really enjoyed reading this and I'm sure it will be helpful to many families who live with Aspergers to enable them to see a lighter side to this condition.
Well done to Dannie for letting her thoughts and feelings be written down and to her Mum for writing it in such a way that we can all understand and appreciate life with an Aspergers child. It made me laugh and cry, a wonderful book.
Good luck with everything you do and hope we have many more stories like these.
Jill
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
review By Jeff Strong
Just read Dannie's Dilemmas. Boy! I had no idea what it is like to interact with an Asperger child! That could sure get tiring in a hurry!
I did like the "dialogue" style of writing. It really has to be that way to get the full experience of what the interaction is like. It also made me realize how dangerously close to Aspergers a lot of people are. I started to see myself in Dannies's shoes once in a while. I think I left the book wanting to know how best to live with Dannie. It did seem that when Dannie and Mum could talk and interact at the same level, things were much better. I also see how easy it is for conflict to escalate out of control.
All in all, I liked the story.
Jeff Strong"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review By Janet from facebook
I have just read through Dannie's Dilemma's
Firstly I like the poem at the beginning.
There are many text books out there giving the symptoms associated with the Triad of impairments but as far as I am aware not a lot of books that highlight the diffitulties encountered in true to life situations by children and adults on the ASD spectrum.
The production of this book is a good idea and a series of these would help plug the market, in my opinion. It is a novel idea to end the scenario with a choice of endings which will help develop imaginative skills, communication and theory of mind. The concept of the stories in itself could be classed as an aid to development.
The stories raise awareness of the difficulties encountered along the way and the need for others to adapt the way they phrase what they say in order to allow a better understanding.
It also highlights the ignorance that many people show towards disability, as in the shoe shop scenario, where the assistant
mistood lack of understanding and difficulty with choice and possibly sensory issues immaturiaty.
You obviously have a good relationship with your daughter which is good, she does well to communicate her thoughts so well to you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
review By Kathryn
I read this book with my 10yr old son who has aspergers,I found it an interesting and unique insight into living with an AS child and also a relief to see that many of the problems we face are also experienced by others.Whilst reading some of 'Dannies' thoughts I asked my son if that was the way he felt during similar circumstances and his response was " well duh, doesn't everybody " which I took as a yes and it has made me more aware of his reactions whilst we are out.
The only slightly negative point I have is that although we discussed which solution he would have gone for and which I would haved liked him to take he wanted to know which 'Dannie' had chosen and which her mum would have preferred,not in the context of which was the right and which the wrong choice but because he wanted to know if our choices were the same as yours.On that note maybe it would be possible to add at the end which choice 'Dannie' made?
All in all though we enjoyed the book and look forward to reading another.
Kathryn