LUCKY by Marissa Stapley, read by Soneela Nankani - audiobook extract

Are you keen to help your autistic child in the situations that cause them stress, worry or anxiety? The advice, insight and strategies in this audiobook are essential for any parent who wants their autistic child to be well, flourish and thrive. One of the biggest challenges for the parent of any autistic child is how best to support and guide them through the situations in life that might cause them greater stress, anxiety and worry than if they were neurotypical. Dr Luke Beardon has put together an optimistic, upbeat and understandable guide that will be essential listening for any parent to an autistic child, whether they are of preschool age or teenagers. Emphasising that autism is not behaviour, but at the same time acknowledging that there are risks of increased anxiety specific to autism, this practical audiobook gives insight into the nature of the anxiety experienced by autistic people, as well as covering every likely situation in which your child might feel anxious or worried. It will help you to prepare your child for school, to monitor their anxiety around school and also to be informed about the educational choices available to your child. It will give you support to help make breaktimes less stressful for them and how to help them navigate things like eating at school and out of the house. Educationally, this audiobook will take you and your child right up to the point of taking exams and leaving school; socially and emotionally it will cover all the challenges including bullying, friendships, relationships, puberty and sex education. It will give suggestions for alternatives in the scenarios that might cause anxiety or confusion in your child; it will also give a full understanding of your child's sensory responses and such behaviours as masking or echopraxia. As the parent of an autistic child, you may find their path to adulthood different to the one you had expected to take, but as this audiobook makes clear, autism should be celebrated and affirmed. Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Children helps you to do just that, with practical strategies that will help happiness, not anxiety, remain the over-riding emotion that colours your child's memories of their early years.