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The Red Beast: Controlling Anger in Children with Asperger's Syndrome ISBN: 9781843109433
Al-Ghani, Haitham and Al-Ghani, K.I.
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008
This mother and son duo, experienced in the problems that autistic spectrum disorders bring, have written a startlingly original book about anger management. K.I. Al-Ghani says in an introduction that anger needs to be depersonalized, treated as a separate thing and taught accordingly. In this way, self-esteem is preserved. And so we meet the Red Beast. This is an emotion everyone has that lies dormant inside until something wakes it up. Then its ears get small, as do its eyes, but its mouth becomes huge and spits out hurtful words and actions. The story then takes us to a school playground where Rufus is hit by a ball. His Red Beast starts to grow until he is swearing and hitting John, the boy who threw the ball. Teachers take the Beast to a quiet room where he is given a stress ball to squeeze while he counts to twenty. The Red Beast starts to shrink and when it finally goes to sleep, Rufus is given a drink and some bubble wrap to pop. When he is fully calm, he goes back to the classroom where he is rewarded for being able to tame the Beast. The illustrations are brilliant, particularly those of the Red Beast, and further suggestions of coping strategies are given at the end. An interesting solution to a big problem. Available from Amazon, from bookshops, or from the publisher at www.jkp.com.
Age: 6+