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Dasha's Journal: A Cat Reflects on Life, Catness and Autism (Paperback)

by T.O. Daria (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 172 pages
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1st American Pbk edition (15 April 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1843105861
ISBN-13: 978-1843105862
Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 413,151 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'Dasha is a brilliant feline! She is flat-out funny, wise beyond her cat years and a true champion of autistics everywhere! Read her journal and let her teach you about autism!" - Liane Holliday Willey, EdD, author of Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome'A heartwarming book providing insights into how autistic persons perceive and interact with the world as only a cat can. As Dasha "meows" about her human members of the family we learn how autism is a different, rather than a disordered way of being. This book is a delightful and informative read.'- Stephen M. Shore, EdD, Executive Director of Autism Spectrum Disorder Consulting, Board of Directors for the Autism Society of America and the Asperger's Association of New England 'Dasha's Journal is a charming and original way of explaining the mystery that is autism. Dasha is a cat who lives in an "autistic" family. Her observations on the behaviour of both the autistic and neurotypical members of the family put the "problems" of autism into perspective; we are often told that autistic people are "mindblind", but, as Dasha shows, neurotypicals are just as blind to the ways of those who are "differently abled", whether autistics or cats! The Journal is quirky and amusing, but beneath the humour lies a serious and profound examination of autism and the misconceptions that surround it.'- Charlotte Moore, author of George and Sam: Autism in the Family

Product Description

Just a few weeks old, Dasha the cat found herself in a family with an autistic child. The publication of Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behaviour" turned the household into a research laboratory, with the humans observing Dasha's behaviours and the cat experimenting with the 'human guinea pigs'. The feline perspective provides a new outlook on autism conditions, challenging long established stereotypes and analysing controversies in the field with an unbiased attitude and humour. The text is interspersed with Dasha's 'wisdoms', 'research notes' and definitions of concepts based on her own understanding, such as 'A pet shop is a place where humans come to be adopted by the animals who are brave enough to take a responsibility of looking after them.' Dasha's Journal provides research-based information in an amusing and accessible form and makes serious and complicated issues such as sensory perception, memory, communication, savant skills and challenging behaviours in autism easily understandable for the general reader.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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	85% buy the item featured on this page: Dasha's Journal: A Cat Reflects on Life, Catness and Autism 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) �9.41
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	4% buy Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism: Different Sensory Experiences - Different Perceptual Worlds 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) �12.69
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Has someone else said Puurrfect?, 12 May 2009

By	D. T. Brunetti "manmadeofjam" (North London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was in Borders when I saw this, Dasha (the feline author) caught my eye. I had no idea what it was and it had no reviews on the cover, which tends to be my gage with these sort of books: If there're reviews by established respected in the right circles then I'll consider it. It seems odd to me that this didn't have any, especially due to it being based loosely around Temple Grandin's original book Animals In Translation (which Daria explains is what their family read and started this book). Grandin has reviewed a few books on Autism, it seems logical that she would've read this one.

It should also follow that Grandin would respect this book because it is one of the better books on ASD's out there. Dasha also speaks about Autistic author Donna Williams which this book shares affinity with, both Williams and Daria coming from an illuminating, empathetic stand-point. Both authors understand that ASD's don't automatically equal low IQ and that testing Auties with standard IQ testing is unfair, they also show that Auties may have many other physical disabilities that are unfortunately being thrown under the umbrella of ASD's and then mistreated. In fact, it seems more and more obvious that Autism is not one disorder but, as Williams underlines, a 'fruit salad' of others. While the original developmental disorder Autism exists, it may only be a portion of the over all person.

Daria, as Dasha, links a lot of the work with Grandin and her look at communication systems. All three authors point out that all animal communication is very complex, animal intelligence exists on a different scale and that animal sensory abilities far outweigh human. All this highlights that many neurotypical people will misunderstand those with ASD's and assume that no 'proper' verbal language equals no language.
Dasha goes a long way to explain that this is not true, and should not be assumed.

If carers, parents and even employers want to understand ASD's then they wouldn't go far wrong reading this marvellous book.

See Also:
Donna Williams

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top read!, 18 Sep 2008

By	G. Quinn (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't often bother to review things but I LOVE Dasha's journal. It strikes such a brilliant balance between being detailed and informative but also wholly readable and the idea of writing from a cat's perspective is just genius and in my opinion very well executed. I like it because I feel I can recommend it to people who wish to know more about AS and I know they'll get quality information but also laugh out loud in places. Great stuff!

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very good book, and why, 4 Jun 2008

By	Edgar R. Schneider - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a man with Asperger's Syndrome, the highest-functioning form of autism, and I have, for many years, been involved in autism advocacy. As such, I cannot help but be perplexed by the huge amounts of misinformation abounding in the media, invariably from non-autistic sources. "Dasha's Journal" is the proverbial breath of fresh air. In describing the ins and outs of autism, the author gets it exactly right. These are objective facts.

Style and format are, of course, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder. This beholder found it very entertaining. (Disclaimer: I am an unreconstructed cat lover.) It takes a rare literary talent to put across something as seen through the eyes of someone else, especially an animal, and make it convincing. In this, the author has been successful. I should also like to point out that this book is not "pop science". The author gives many sources that "Dasha" uses to make her points, and these can referenced by professionals and others.

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites!
I have read at least a hundred books on Asperger syndrome, and this one stands out not only because it is very accurate in its description of autism spectrum disorders, but also... Read more

Published 17 months ago by A Customer

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