Realizing the College Dream with Autism or Asperger Syndrome. Ann Palmer

      Jessica Kingsley Publishers

      London and Philadelphia

      First published in 2006

      by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

      73 Collier Street

      London N1 9BE, UK

      and

      400 Market Street, Suite 400

      Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

       www.jkp.com

      Copyright © Ann Palmer 2006

      The right of Ann Palmer to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

      Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

      Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

      Palmer, Ann, 1955

      Realizing the college dream with autism or Asperger syndrome : a parent’s guide to student success / Ann Palmer. -- 1st American pbk. ed.

      p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-84310-801-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-84310-801-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      1. Asperger’s syndrome. 2. Autism. 3. Parents of autistic children.

      I. Title.

      RC553.A88.P356 2006

      616.85’882--dc22

      2005023410

      British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

      A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      ISBN 978 1 84310 801 6

      eISBN 978 1 84642 250 8

      I dedicate this book to my family. To my wonderful husband Bobby, thank you for your love, patience, and support. I couldn’t have done this without you. To my daughter Sarah and my son Philip, thank you for making me so proud to be your mom. Last but not least to Eric, thank you for everything you have taught me and for all the wonderful people and experiences you have brought to my life. You inspire me every day. Thank you for giving me permission to share your story to inspire others. I love you all.

      Acknowledgments

      There are many people in Eric’s life who have helped him over the years. Without their dedication and hard work and their belief in him, Eric would not be where he is today. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to Joanna Dalldorf and Lee Marcus for gently giving us the diagnosis and supporting us over the years; to Pat Fennell and Kay Flinn for listening, teaching, and touching our lives in so many ways; to Kim Banks, Artie Cline, Frances Patterson and Anne Murphy, advocates extraordinaire for Eric in school; to Dail Ballard and Linda King-Thomas, therapists who with patience and respect encouraged Eric to try new things; and to Laurie Quartermain and Sabina Vermeulen for helping Eric discover his own voice to advocate for himself.

      I also want to thank the friends and colleagues who supported me through the process of writing this book. Thank you to Nancy Huber for helping me get my foot in the door; to Maureen Morrell for encouraging me to do this; to my fellow parents and friends Linda