How to find a four-leaf clover : what autism can teach us about difference, connection, and belonging / Jodi Rodgers.

Title :

How to find a four-leaf clover : what autism can teach us about difference, connection, and belonging

Author:

Format:

Books

Summary:

A special-education teacher with thirty years of experience working with autistic people gives readers a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the neurodiverse community and looks at ways we can develop more meaningful connections with others.

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

9780316471978

0316471976

Physical Description:

ix, 270 pages ; 25 cm

Contents:

Part I. Having a unique perspective: thinking, sensing, and feeling. Emily's diapers ; Eric's bowl ; Sebastian's Spider-Man ; Heidi's bed ; Elliot's clock ; Dylan's hallway ; Sally's food court ; Melanie's hair ; Beth's stake ; Margot's gut ; Nikko's rock ; Ellis's three days -- Part II. Sharing our point of view: expressing and understanding. Jonathan's eleven ; Dennis's nod ; Joseph's Mona Lisa ; Frankie's magic carpet ; Leo's Madonna ; Nash's sneakers ; Jimmy's atlas -- Part III. Empathizing: connecting and belonging. Bradley's goggles ; Alice's dress ; Sara's dating apps ; Aaron's honeymoon ; Harry's trench ; Andre's concerto ; Malik's echidna ; Pete's door ; Imogen's eggs.

Subject:

Autistic people -- Social conditions.

Autistic people -- Family relationships.

Neurodiversity -- Social aspects.

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How to find a four-leaf clover : what autism can teach us about difference, connection, and belonging / Jodi Rodgers.

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Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Central	Adult	Non-fiction	New books	362.1968588 R691	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Henington-Alief	Adult	Non-fiction	New books	362.1968588 R691	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Shepard-Acres Homes	Adult	Non-fiction	New books	362.1968588 R691	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stanaker	Adult	Non-fiction	New books	362.1968588 R691	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A powerfully moving read from beloved Love on the Spectrum star and disability rights advocate Jodi Rodgers, sharing lessons from her work within the autistic community that can help create a more inclusive society for us all.

In How to Find a Four-Leaf Clover , Jodi Rodgers gives us inspiring, heartwarming stories from her years of experience as a teacher and counselor supporting autistic people. While acknowledging our differences, these stories invite us to expand our empathy and compassion for the neurodivergent people in our lives. Throughout, Rodgers explores the powerful impact of embracing neurodiversity and forming meaningful connections with those around us. Each chapter highlights a different story and an aspect of human behavior, including:

How we perceive the world, and our own unique experience of thinking, sensing, and feeling How we communicate our perspective to others, understand one another, and express ourselves How we can better connect with one another

With dozens of moving stories, How to Find a Four-Leaf Clover will give readers a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the neurodiverse community around them. Above all, it will inspire a profound sense of belonging, revealing that we're much more similar than we think.

Author Notes

Jodi Rodgers is a qualified counselor, sexologist, and special‑education teacher with thirty years of experience in the education, disability, and sexuality fields. During her career, she has worked with clients of all ages and their families. Her private practice, Birds and Bees, helps neurodivergent people learn about the complex areas of sexuality and relationships and how to create love and connection. She has become well known as the relationship counselor on the hit Netflix show Love on the Spectrum .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Rodgers, a relationship counselor on Netflix's Love on the Spectrum, draws from 30 years' worth of experience working with autistic individuals in her sensitive debut exploration of neurodivergence. Writing that "the skills of empathy are... tested by difference," Rodgers sheds light on the behavior of people she's encountered throughout her career, among them six-year-old Emily, who threw a fit when she discovered that her neighborhood grocery store layout had shifted ("rigid and repetitive thinking" makes it tough for people with autism to accept change), and Sebastien, an elementary schooler who struggled to participate in classroom activities that didn't reference Spider-Man (an "incredible capacity to hyper-focus" on one topic "to the exclusion of everything else" is a classic autism trait). Elsewhere, Rodgers draws broader lessons about the nuances of human needs and behaviors--a discussion of how autistic people can struggle to understand reciprocity leads to her observation that "it's about knowing each other's needs... we can demonstrate reciprocity by giving to people, but they might support us by giving back in a completely different way." Basing her conclusions on fine-grained observations of her clients, Rodgers illuminates the contours of the autistic brain and in the process makes a deeply felt case for the value of embracing others' neurological particularities. It's a persuasive testament to "the beauty in difference." (Feb.)

Library Journal Review

With more than two percent of the U.S. population diagnosed with autism, it behooves neurotypical people to have a better understanding of their neighbors, coworkers, and friends on the autism spectrum. Rodgers, drawing on over three decades of experience as a therapist and educator (and as a participant on the TV series Love on the Spectrum) suggests that readers develop new ways of perceiving individuals and forming deeper connections. Vignettes of her experiences with autistic clients and friends demonstrate the similarities and differences between neurotypical and autistic individuals. Astute readers will be able to extend the ideas to improve other relationships. Rodgers discusses various ways of sensing, thinking, feeling, and communicating, the role that personal connections play in individual mental health, and the ways many autistic people mask their condition and adopt various personae to fit in with mainstream society. She says that exhibiting patience and leaving space for autistic individuals to become their authentic selves can lead to fuller relationships. VERDICT Memorable, poignant, and heartwarming, Rodgers's stories provide welcome insight into the lives of autistic people.--Lydia Olszak

Introduction	3
Luna's Pool	11
Part I Having a Unique Perspective: Thinking, Sensing, and Feeling
1 Emily's Diapers	23
2 Eric's Bowl	32
3 Sebastian's Spider-Man	39
4 Heidi's Bed	49
5 Elliot's Clock	55
6 Dylan's Hallway	64
7 Sally's Food Court	74
8 Melanie's Hair	82
9 Beth's Stake	89
10 Margot's Gut	98
11 Nikko's Rock	107
12 Ellis's Three Days	116
Part II Sharing Our Point of View: Expressing and Understanding
13 Jonathan's Eleven	131
14 Dennis's Nod	139
15 Joseph's Mono. Lisa	150
16 Frankie's Magic Carpet	159
17 Leo's Madonna	167
18 Nash's Sneakers	174
19 Jimmy's Atlas	183
Part III Empathizing: Connecting and Belonging
20 Bradley's Goggles	195
21 Alice's Dress	204
22 Sara's Dating Apps	212
23 Aaron's Honeymoon	220
24 Harry's Trench	229
25 Andre's Concerto	237
26 Malik's Echidna	245
27 Pete's Door	254
28 Imogen's Eggs	263
Acknowledgments	267

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents