By Travis Thompson, Ph.D.; 282 pages. Subtitle: The expert guide parents can trust!
If you're like me, you prefer your parenting books to be light on theory and heavy on practical advice for getting your child and yourself through the day. By that measure, this book's a clear winner. The author, a professor of the Autism Program at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and the grandfather of a child with autism, gives good and readable instructions for teaching skills and handling behavior problems. It may not all work for you, but there are a lot of options to try.
- Full of straightforward and practical advice for parents of kids with ASDs
- Focuses on both skill development and behavior management
- Considers ways to get children with ASDs involved in the community
- Writing is non-technical and easy to read
- Has an upbeat attitude about what autistic kids and their families can do
- Seems to make solving some of these problems simpler than it may actually be
- Doctor's-eye-view is not always sympathetic to parents' struggles
- First chapter may put off those who believe vaccines caused their child's autism
- Chapter 1: A Road Less Traveled: Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Chapter 2: Need for Control
Chapter 3: Time Is Your Enemy - Chapter 4: Once Upon a Time: Discovering the Mystery of Words
- Chapter 5: Relationships and Feelings
- Chapter 6: Letting the Genie Out of the Bottle: Promoting Socialization
- Chapter 7: Nothing Is Easy: Overcoming Stimulus Intolerance
- Chapter 8: Putting Out Fires: Coping With Behavioral Challenges
- Chapter 9: Daily Freedoms and Responsibilities
- Chapter 10: The Importance of Leisure
- Chapter 11: The Art of Living Together: Community Participation
Reading the very competent and confident text of this helpful book on autism management, I couldn't help but think of that feeling I get when my son's teachers tell me he's gained a new skill. They're so sure of themselves. They're so satisfied in the knowledge that they knew he could do it.
And yet. time and again, I can't get him to reproduce that skill at home. Some things are just easier for professionals than for parents -- maybe because of the difference in environment between school and home, maybe because of the ability of the person doing the helping, or maybe because kids know their parents will love them no matter what.
Solutions to many problems seen in children with autism spectrum disorders are given here in assured and enthusiastic detail. There appears to be no doubt in the author's mind that if you do it, your child will come around. And that's a really empowering, optimistic spirit -- one that, goodness knows, parents of children with developmental disabilities don't get all that often.
Whether it's going to work just like that for you is up to you to see. But there are sufficient ideas here that you'll likely find some things that are helpful, and others that will inspire you to come up with your own solutions. There's a good run-down on behavior analysis, a reasonable potty-training method, tips on overcoming sensitivities, and thoughts on social opportunities. Lots to think about and try.
Thompson obviously believes in the potential of children with autism and their families. He doesn't believe in an autism epidemic or vaccine's culpability, and if that's a position that makes you see red, I'd recommend skipping Chapter 1. The majority of the book is about practical help, not hot topics. Regardless of what causes autism, these techniques are likely to help in the day to day living with it.
