Sex. Slang. Slumber parties. The preoccupations of adolescents with Asperger syndrome are no different than those of other teens, but they can be much more confusing. The lack of social skills and ability to grasp conversational nuances that characterize AS make adolescence the most difficult life stage. Asperger Syndrome is characterized by a reliance on clear guidelines, and in adolescence the social guidelines become murky and confusing. In Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence, child psychologist Teresa Bolick presents strategies for helping the ten-to-eighteen-year-old achieve happiness and success by maximizing the benefits of AS and minimizing the drawbacks.

Reflecting the views of parents, professionals and those with AS themselves, this book tackles issues that are pertinent to all teenagers, such as sexuality, depression and friendship, as well as topics like disclosure and therapeutic alternatives that are more specific to those with AS. This book is an essential survival guide to adolescence.

The authors give an overview of those characteristics of AS that make adolescence particularly challenging and difficult. Central to the book is a detailed discussion of strategies and supports necessary to ensure a successful school experience for students with AS at the middle and secondary levels.

How do adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) cope with sexual feelings and behaviour, and how do people with AS deal with intimacy and communication in sexual relationships? This guide provides practical advice on such issues as puberty, couples' therapy, and maintaining sexual boundaries.

-The book integrates the latest evidence-based research from leading scholars with personal practical advice from a mother whose adolescent has Asperger Syndrome and from a young man who has Asperger Syndrome. -Written by professionals, one of whom is also a parent of a child with Asperger's. -Lifespan approach from early childhood to adulthood -Contains both research content as well as practical, first-hand advice with chapters written by parents, as well as a first-hand account of growing up with Aspergers.

How do teenagers with Asperger Syndrome view themselves and their own lives? This book is based on extensive interviews with adolescents diagnosed with AS. It includes six life stories, written in collaboration with the teenagers themselves. These present an authentic and fascinating look at the lives of the teenagers and how AS has shaped their growing identities. The stories provide the basis for a discussion of common themes and issues facing teenagers with AS. Asperger Syndrome, Adolescence, and Identity also questions the medicalized deficit approach to Asperger Syndrome and discusses the social repercussions of labeling teenagers as having AS.

Providing professional perspectives alongside personal experiences and suggestions from mothers, daughters and educators, this is a comprehensive text for parents, teachers and professionals working with families and their daughters with ASDs.