BookBrowse Category:  Parenting Publisher: Diverse City Press ISBN-10:  1896230148 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 189 Copyright: Jan 1 1999 ISBN-13: 9781896230146 “In Spinning Straw, the human spirit shows itself in it's mightiest face...that of unconditional love. Beautifully written, eloquent in it's reality, the author takes us right there. We are in the Apple's home & lives...we smell the bacon on that first day...& then we feel the first suspicions along with Jeff's mother. Ultimately, we feel the love, the hope, the frustration, the fear & sadly, the grief. We are there in the silent moments, the sunny moments, the despairing moments & the final moments. Our hearts go out to the Apples, their courage, fortitude & dignity...but most of all for their love. No parent should let this book pass them by, no parent who picks this book up will put it down, particularly any parents of children who face special challenges." [From a review by a Canadian reader. Full text available at Amazon.] Jeff Apple was diagnosed with autism at age 2 l/2. That wasn't the problem! His parents, Pat and George Apple, could have handled it! But Jeff had started hurting himself. And it was getting worse. . .and worse. . .and worse. Over the years he broke limbs and severely damaged his brain. His body turned into one big scar. His parents and siblings bore their own...but all have wonderful memories. Afterword author Stephen R. Schroeder, Ph.D., is the leading authority on Self-Injurious Behavior. He worked closely with Jeff [sadly, he died of self-inflicted injuries at the age of 29] and says he never saw anyone hurt himself as badly as Jeff did. Yet Jeff's personality shone through to the extent that Dr. Schroeder's latest book is dedicated to him {over a decade later}. Two funeral services were held and they were mobbed. People traveled several counties to attend a second one. Jeff adored & was adored by countless people, giving the lie to the totally self-involved & colorless figure that is often portrayed when talking about autism. It is possible that he suffered from what is now known as Asberger's. So little information was available when Jeff was diagnosed. Spinning Straw is a triumphant story, sad and horrendous as the events it portrays are, because the family -- including Jeff -- met challenge after challenge with courage and persistence. So did a number of health & education professions {many of whom appear in the book}. The reader reviews and comments at BookBrowse & Amazon are highly illuminating. Check them out.  Excerpt Stop! You're hurting your sister!" someone managed to scream. Suddenly Jeff seemed to realize what he was doing. He dropped his hands, staring expressionlessly. Jane was almost in too much pain to notice. Within a few seconds, Jeff "went out" again. But this time Jane was able, woozy as she was, to work free. Before another explosion could erupt, she raced to the house to phone Mama. Then she raced back to the RV as I flew for the driveway, carkeys clutched in my sweating palm. Jeff had calmed down and was now in the house with his grandmother. . .But the scenes I had conjured to the tune of blaring horns and screeching tires were nothing to what I found in that RV. Poor Jane, bloody and half-bald, sobbed in my arms as I surveyed a soggy mishmash of cracked fixtures, mutilated appliances and unrecognizable flotsam. . Water had spewed from the humidifier. . .

If You Think You Have Problems With Your Child!!!!!
If you think you have problems with your child!!!!
It is hard to read this book with its tensions and the tearing at one's heart. Not knowing about autistic children and especially self-destructive autistic children, I did not realize the heartbreak of living day after day, month after month, year after year with little outside help or knowledge about the condition of a child like Jeff Apple. I gasped at times with some of the situations the Apple family had to face. I marveled at the persistence of this family in trying to find help for Jeff and keep some sense of a family together. Author Phyllis Green has captured this life story in sensitive details and also given the reader a sense of the medical and social agencies available or not available for a self-destructive autistic child. You may read this and weep, but you also marvel at Jeff's spirit and a family core that survived. It is a story you will never forget.
Russell Brown

Spinning Straw was published by Diverse City Press, Inc. (www.diverse-city.com) ISBN 1-896230-14-8Spinning Straw was published by Diverse City Press, Inc. (www.diverse-city.com) ISBN 1-896230-14-8 Library of Congress # 99-204806


Book Review: Spinning Straw: The Jeff Apple Story
...a wonderful tribute [and] an important document in the ongoing education and literature concerning self-destructive behavior - and a valuable reminder to all of the importance of making every single day count for its utmost.

David Messineo, Editor/Publisher, Sensations magazine

Complete review to follow as soon as it has been scanned & copied. PJDG
5/10/02

Book Review: Spinning Straw: The Jeff Apple Story
"I was unprepared for the power of the book. . .I felt a sense of personal loss [upon reading of Jeff's death]. Community Living News reviewer

Complete review will be scanned & copied by 6/1/02. It appeared in CLN in l999. PJDG 5/10/02