Delightful first introduction to the subject of Asperger’s syndrome by pairing it with something as familiar and reassuring as cats. The pictures are accompanied by easy-to-read text that explains an aspect or trait associated with Asperger’s syndrome. ( )

Here's a delightful book explaining the traits of Asperger's Syndrome, with short, simple text over illustrative and cute pics of kittens and cats. It's obviously aimed at children but it wouldn't be a bad first place to start learning as an adult and it only takes a few minutes to read cover to cover. The idea probably came from the quote "Cats are autistic dogs," which is quite apt...

Quibbles:
1. The convention is "Asperger's Syndrome," not "Asperger Syndrome."
2. A small number of the traits mentioned do not apply to all but the phrasing suggests they do.
3. The gendered language, "His..." throughout is frustrating because Aspergirls exist and this could give the impression that they don't. It's avoidable just by rephrasing to refer to plural Aspies. ( )

Summary: All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS.
Delightful color photographs of cats bring to life familiar characteristics such as sensitive hearing, scampering at the first sign of being stroked and particular eating habits.
Touching, humorous and insightful, this book evokes the difficulties and joys of raising a child who is different and leaves the reader with a sense of the dignity, individuality and potential of people with AS.
This engaging book is an ideal, gentle introduction to the world of AS.

Critique of the Book:
I found this book to be interesting, engaging and a good resource to teach students about people with disabilities. I would use it to show them that disabilities don't look a certain way, that they can be different in many ways, but that doesn't make them weird. It would help to educate kids about disabilities and hopefully help them become sensitive to them and respectful of them.

When reading the book I would ask kids if they like ( )

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome – Kathy Hoopman
4 stars
Our speech pathologist left this book on a table in the staff room in honor of Speech and Hearing Month. It is a picture book full of adorable photographs of cats and kittens. The text uses the behavior of cats to explain some of the distinctive behaviors of children with Asperger Syndrome. My favorite one is a picture of a cat dangling its paws under a faucet of running water. The caption,
“See if you do it this way you don’t get hair balls,” is meant to illustrate the Asperger child’s tendency to think outside the box. The book delivers a strong message of support and acceptance of individual differences. I think it would be a great book for parents and siblings of an Asperger effected child. My only reservation is that it might be seen to trivialize a significant disability.

( )

A clever way of making Asperger's syndrome understandable and accessible for children by comparing it to the familiar behavior of cats. Even I got a better perspective on what it is about! ( )