SWAN Resource Library

'It feels terrible for your son to want to hurt you so bad that you bleed, and to look into his beautiful eyes and see nothing but hatred. What mother could deal with that?

Not me, that’s for sure. I loved my son, but I was no longer sure whether I was the right mother for this job.’ Chloe Maxwell seemed to be living the dream: discovered at sixteen as a model, she went on to become a household name as a TV personality. Then she met rugby star Mat Rogers and a great romance was born. Inside, though, Chloe was fighting her own demons: her parents’ separation in her teens had led to a deep sense of insecurity. Then Mat’s father, football legend Steve Rogers, died after taking prescription drugs and alcohol. Chloe treated her wounds with an ‘alcohol Band-aid’ until the birth of Mat and Chloe’s son, Max, heralded a new beginning. But it soon became clear that Max was not like other boys: the few words he learned faded away, his rages transcended any regular toddler tantrums, and he seemed to exist in a bubble, cut off from everyone. Heartbreakingly honest and moving, LIVING WITH MAX is the story of how Chloe and her family learned to face the challenges of autism and release the little boy locked within.

Look Me In The Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger's at a time when the diagnosis simply didn't exist (John was diagnosed at the age of 40.)

A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and others regarded as ‘defective’, who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his Wife ‘Unit Two’). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents – the boy who would later change his name to Augustin Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir.

A note from SWAN: ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’ is no longer used as a diagnosis and the term “high-functioning” is harmful, as it minimises the varied support needs of autistic people.  SWAN does not endorse these terms, but recognises that this resource contains other useful information.

Receiving a diagnosis of autism is a major crisis for parents and families, who often feel as if their world has come to an end.

In this insightful narrative, a courageous and inspiring mother explains why a diagnosis of autism doesn’t have to shatter a family’s dreams of happiness. Senator offers the hard-won, in-the-trenches wisdom of someone who’s been there and is still there today-and she demonstrates how families can find courage, contentment, and connection in the shadow of autism. In , Susan Senator describes her own journey raising a child with a severe autism spectrum disorder, along with two other typically developing boys. Without offering a miracle treatment or cure, Senator offers valuable strategies for coping successfully with the daily struggles of life with an autistic child. Along the way she models the combination of stamina and courage, openness, and humor that has helped her family to survive-and even to thrive. Topics include: the agony of diagnosis, grieving and acceptance, finding the right school program, helping siblings with their struggles and concerns, having fun together, and keeping the marriage strong.