How to Find a Four-Leaf Clover
What Autism Can Teach Us About Difference, Connection and Belonging
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- €9.49
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- €9.49
Publisher Description
'We could all use a Jodi in our lives' The New York Times
'A splendid book, full of warmth and understanding' Mail on Sunday
'This book will provide greater acceptance and understanding' Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Visual Thinking
Jodi Rodgers, on-screen autism specialist from Netflix's Love On the Spectrum, draws on three decades of experience as a teacher and counsellor to help neurodivergent and neurotypical people find ways to communicate, connect, and thrive.
Blending the latest research on the neurology of the autistic brain with intimate, heart-warming stories about the incredible humans Jodi has worked with during her career, How to Find A Four-Leaf Clover helps us use this knowledge to better understand not only the behaviour of autistic people, but our own. Highlighting how we are more similar than we are different, and that everyone is deserving of love and connection, this inspiring book will help us become more empathetic and curious about all the relationships in our lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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."
