How do you know if your child is happy or sad, tired or hungry, when all he wants to talk about is wasps-or the color of subway train doors? What can you do to reassure a nine-old who asks questions about death hundreds of times in a day? And how can you build a nurturing relationship when your girl hates to be touched?

Questions like these make parenting a child with autism or Asperger syndrome (AS) a journey through uncharted terrain. That's understanding how these disorders actually think and feel-and the striking ways in which their minds work differently from those of typical children-is so important. Through moving stories of children he has worked with, Dr. Perer Szatmari helps you see the world through your child's eyes. Revealed is what lies behind the intense preoccupations, communication problems, and seeming lack of affection that often accompany autism and AS, and what your child's mystifying behavior might really be trying to tell you. This compassionate book shows how gaining a better sense of your child's experience can deepen the bonds that support learning and growth-and help you lead the way toward a happier future.

Peter Szatmari, MD, has been working with children with autism and AS and their families for 20 years, and has consulted to government agencies in the U.S. , Canada , and around the world. He is currently professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Vice-Chair of Research, and Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry at McMaster University in Canada .