All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome Hardcover – 15 Oct. 2006

I had high hopes for this book as my child's paediatrician recommended it but after reading through it before my daughter saw it (luckily) I found it was terribly negative. My child is happy, cuddly & sociable but this book told her she would be bullied, wouldn't want to be held, feel sad, their parents would feel sad, they would bore people and they wouldn't get invited to play. I found it upsetting - let alone letting my daughter read those pages! I have kept it as some of the pages are fine - re loud noises and being interested in doing the same thing over and over again and small things fascinating them for hours. I have just removed some of the negative pages so it's a good starting point now with some cute pictures. Just wish it wasn't so negative.

I've read other reviews that say this book tends to lean towards the negative, and to begin with I suppose it does but there's no point in pretending that being on the spectrum is easy for anyone. It discusses the very real struggles of a child with aspergers, and their family. But read on and by the end of the book it has a positive message. That yes, you may struggle but you have a different ability not a disability.I got this for my son, who is ten next month. Its definitely a perfect book for children much younger than that - probably around five or six year olds - but I know he will love it as he adores his cat and the relation to the behaviour of cats will delight him.All in all this is a great book if you have small children diagnosed and you don't know how to explain to them, their siblings or even other children what aspergers syndrome is. It will definitely help them understand, in a way that is not overwhelming, that how they are feeling is not unusual and that they are not alone.

I have been teaching and working with 11-18 year olds with various problems for 43 years, When I discovered this book about 10 years ago I bought it and the companion book "All Dogs Have ADHD". The Aspergers one has been incredibly useful. I don't know how many copies I've bought. I would let pupils and parents borrow them. Young people often find it difficult to describe how they are feeling and those with Aspergers, even more so. The book helps them explain. I remember one boy, after looking at this book, being so relieved to discover he was not alone. He took the book home and sat with his parents pointing and saying, "That's me, that's me." It's a very positive and hopeful book. Just love it.

When my daughter was recently diagnosed with Asperger's, the first thing was to explain to her what it all meant. I looked into the various books written for children on the subject but, to my dismay, most of them included words such as 'Alien' 'Geek' 'Freak' etc. Since I wanted to reassure her that she was not 'abnormal' and that there was nothing to be ashamed of, these were not books I wanted to expose her to! I bought a copy of a book called  Dude, I'm An Aspie! Kids' Edition  which I thought looked fun and easy to understand but there was one mention of 'alien' in there which she became distressed about. Then I stumbled across 'All Cats Have Asperger's' and, since my daughter is a cat lover, thought I didn't have much to lose. I vetted it beforehand and thought it looked harmless enough, plus it was endorsed by our neuropsychologist. My daughter loved it from the moment she set eyes on it and kept referring to how the emotions and traits mentioned in the book were like her own. The fact that they could be linked to a cute cat did help her too on a psychological level - if people can love cats for these traits then surely they wouldn't be horrible to a human for them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book as a good introduction to Asperger's for children recently diagnosed with the condition and also for those who are around them, such as family, friends and teachers. It doesn't take long to read, it's not a daunting tome of science - it's just a quick summary of what Asperger's might mean. Obviously there are meatier titles out there with much more detail but for a sensitive and gentle introduction to Asperger's I don't think there's anything else out there that beats this.

Many of my students are diagnosed as beibg on the autistic spectrum. Many of them love this book. It's a great way to open conversations to identify effective teaching and learning strategies. 2 of my students bought this for their parents to help them understand what they need.

This is the fifth time I have bought this book, every time I loan this book to someone I never seem to get it back! A fantastic book to introduce a child/young person/family to a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. It is done in a humorous and gentle way, many of the children I have read this book with started nodding in understanding of what the photo's illustrate. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I'm on a quest to try to get my younger two understand their older brother a bit better, and this book has truly made an impact!! Not ashamed to admit I cried a bit when I first read it (but then I've shed a few tears over the years for my aspie) but my moment was watching my 6 year old with his older brother reading the book and discussing each page - I feel we might have a break through and a turning point. Its very sensitively written and will bring a smile to even the most hardened critic, and Lord knows I am certainly that!!! 10 stars if I could!!!

This book is absolutely brilliant. It is very simple and written in a way children can read but is also great for adults. It's a short book with some very cute pictures in of cats.Realising that my brother may have Aspergers (who is an adult and currently waiting for an assessment) I ordered this book. It almost brought me to tears, it is so touching. When my brother read it he said it made sense and I really think it made it easier for him knowing that there are others out there who also feel so different. This really is a fantastic book.