Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome

An invaluable resource for therapists, this lucidly written book provides research-based strategies for addressing the core problems of Asperger syndrome (AS) and helping clients manage frequently encountered comorbidities, such as anxiety disorders and depression. Detailed case examples illustrate the complexities of AS and the challenges it presents in daily life, relationships, and the workplace. The author presents a cogent rationale for cognitive-behavioral intervention and offers clear guidelines for conducting assessments and designing and implementing individualized treatment plans. Throughout, the emphasis is on helping people with AS decrease distress while preserving and building on their unique strengths. Special features include a case formulation worksheet and other helpful reproducibles.

This title is part of the Guides to Individualized Evidence-Based Treatment Series, edited by Jacqueline B. Persons.  It has been translated into both Japanese and Italian.

Purchase second edition of this book or ebook - Guilford Press

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mid and Later Life

Bringing together a wealth of professional and academic research, alongside personal insights into aging and autism, this edited source book focuses on the challenges faced by individuals who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and are middle aged or older.  To this multidisciplinary collection of chapters about research, clinical work and program design, Dr. Gaus contributed a chapter guiding practitioners on doing psychotherapy with older adults with ASD.

Purchase book or ebook - Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Featured

Debunking 6 Myths About Asperger Syndrome

Source: Psychcentral.com
By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
The discovery of Asperger Syndrome (AS) dates back to 1944. Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger described the syndrome when he was treating four boys with similar symptoms. But his writings remained relatively unknown until 1981. At that time, English doctor Lorna Wing published case studies with children who displayed the same signs...

Mind Reading: How to Live Well on the Autistic Spectrum

Source: TIME.com
By Maia Szalavitz | Friday, April 29, 2011 |
What happens when children with Asperger's grow up?
Valerie Gaus, a clinical psychologist in private practice on Long Island, has worked with adolescents and adults with autism for more than 15 years. Her new book, Living Well on the Spectrum, offers practical advice on coping with the high-functioning form of autism known as Asperger syndrome; affected people typically show passionate intellectual obsessions, oversensitivity to sensory experiences like bright lights and loud noises, and poor social skills...

Coping With Autism Beyond Childhood

Source: The Huffington Post
By Maia Szalavitz
What happens when children with Asperger's grow up?
Valerie Gaus, a clinical psychologist in private practice on Long Island, has worked with adolescents and adults with autism for more than 15 years. Her new book, Living Well on the Spectrum, offers practical advice on coping with the high-functioning form of autism known as Asperger syndrome; affected people typically show passionate intellectual obsessions, oversensitivity to sensory experiences like bright lights and loud noises, and poor social skills.

6 Tips for Living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in College

Source: Psychcentral.com
By John M. Grohol, PsyD
As Autism Awareness month continues, April is a time of transition for many high school seniors, as they learn what colleges and universities they got into. So it seems like an ideal time to talk about autism and college, and some tips to help with the transition.

The excerpt below is from the book, Living Well on the Spectrum by author Valerie L. Gaus, Ph.D. The book is a self-help book that helps a person with an autism spectrum disorder identify life goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

Book Review: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome

Source: Psychcentral.com
One of the more humbling things about being a senior therapist is realizing the cases where we missed it because we didn’t have adequate training at the time or because the disorder hadn’t been adequately researched or named yet. We learn about something at a workshop or professional conference or in supervision and figuratively slap hand to forehead and think to ourselves “If only I had known . . .”.

Learning about the emerging research on adult Asperger Syndrome (AS) has caused me more than a few of those forehead-slaps over the past ten years. Although named by Hans Asperger in 1946, Asperger’s Syndrome didn’t get codified in the DSM until 1994. For many years thereafter it was seen as a childhood disorder; not something to consider when working with troubled and troubling adults. But looking back, I have to rethink how I worked with a number of cases that discouraged me at the time.

Should You Tell Your Employer You Have Autism?

Source: Psychcentral.com
By John M. Grohol, PsyD
April is Autism Awareness Month, and in helping to promote awareness of autism, I’m pleased to provide an excerpt from the book, Living Well on the Spectrum by author Valerie L. Gaus, Ph.D. The book is a self-help book that helps a person with an autism spectrum disorder identify life goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

One of the concerns I often hear from people with an autism spectrum disorder is about work and their career. In fact, just last evening while hosting our weekly Q&A on mental health issues here at Psych Central, the question came up whether a person should tell a potential employer about their Asperger’s (the mildest form of autism).