Book Review: The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up

Book cover

After an information-heavy book by Temple Grandin, I thought it might be a good idea to give my mind a little break and get back to a book that I started a few months back, but didn't finish.

And well, I'm glad I went back to this book.

As I was browsing for material to read on SPD, since this book was purchased before R's ASD diagnosis, I looked up on Carol Stock Kranowitz, author of the highly-recommended The Out-of-Sync Child.  It also bears mention that she's also the author of The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, the companion activity book of the first-mentioned publication.  I also highly recommend that one, as it holds plenty of practical tips and activities for your SPD child.

But imagine my surprise when I found out that she also wrote a book called The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up (emphasis mine).  Grows up.  At first I wondered if I should get it, considering that R is only in pre-school at the moment, and that maybe I don't need to read it yet as I do have a few more years before he hits adolescence.

Ah whatever, I thought.  Might as well get it.  No harm in looking ahead a bit and be prepared.

Little did I know, that I was reading it more for me than for R.

So let's get into it, shall we?

The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up begins with a little poem written by a young woman living with SPD, and her thoughts on how she navigates day to day life.  The book is peppered with many little stories of adolescents, teens and even young adults who have SPD, and the way it's interspersed between Kranowitz's comments and explanations on these make this book a very easy read.

But easy as it may, it's totally relatable for me.  As a person possibly on the spectrum, I am thoroughly convinced that I had, or maybe still have, SPD.  A lot of these stories really grabbed me and made me remember what happened to me growing up, navigating the turbulent teenage years, stepping into adulthood, and more.  Even the little stories of not being bothered with grooming, fashion and make up got to me.  I can relate so much.

Let's expound on that a little more in another post.  Back to the book.

The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up is fourteen chapters long, grouped into four parts, where Kranowitz addresses as the following.

Part One deals with explaining what SPD is, and the common questions asked by these young people with SPD.  Here she also updates that we now have eight senses as opposed to the previously stated seven - visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, auditory, proprioceptive, vestibular and introspective.

Part Two talks about coping with daily activities, such as grooming, clothing, eating in or out of the home, going to places outside of the home, and sleeping.

Part Three discusses relationships, whether it's dealing with family, friends, crushes, romantic relationships, even sexual interactions.

And finally, Part Four presents recommendations for young SPD people on how to help them live what Kranowitz calls an "in-sync life", and she presents several interventions such as OT with sensory integration, and other therapies.

What I also love about this book is not just the stories of actual SPD young people, but that each chapter in Parts Two and Three also has a list of practical tips of dealing with sensory overload at the end.  I'm always one for a book that has day-to-day tips in them, as sometimes the theory can make one go, "Yes, I get it, but how do I address it?"

For someone who only knew about her SPD and possible ASD in her 30s, I wish I had found this book earlier in my life!  It would have explained everything I went through growing up as a sensory kid and a sensory teen!  It puts all my memories in a new light, and explains so much of why I behaved the way I did back then.

I recommend this book if you are an adult suspecting yourself with SPD, and was never diagnosed, or if your child is thirteen and older and recently diagnosed.

With that, The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up gets a 4.75 out of 5 stars from me.

To purchase a physical copy of this book, you can get it from Book Depository for US$ 17.00 or PHP 869.12.  To get an electronic copy like I did, Apple iBooks is selling it for US$ 12.99 or PHP 664.11.