Synopses & Reviews
With a 300 percent increase in the incidence of autism and autism spectrum disorders and 1 in 150 children being diagnosed with the disability, autism is now an epidemic. Fortunately, there have been huge advances in our ability to diagnose the disability at younger ages and in the development of effective interventions that can change childrens lives.
In Overcoming Autism, Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., one of the most well-known and highly respected experts on treating autism, shares her professional advice while coauthor Claire LaZebnik, a professional writer whose son has autism, provides insight into the daily life of parents coping with autism.
Its a difficult disability to live with, but it doesnt have to devastate a family. In this book, Koegel and LaZebnik offer concrete ways to immediately begin improving the symptoms of autism and the emotional life of anyone coping with the disorder. Providing a complete program of strategies that can be tailored to any childs specific needs, this is a must-read, must-own book that offers hope through practical solutions which are warm, nurturing, and designed to fit into a familys daily life. The writers never lose sight of the humor that lurks in the quirkiness of the disability or the importance of enjoying and loving your child.
Review
"A truly remarkable book... I recommend it very highly." —
Fred R. Volkmar, M.D., Yale University
"An outstanding book... comprehensive, calm, poignant, and surprisingly funny." Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
"Overcoming Autism provides solid information and a practical headstart toward understanding children's needs and managing their behavior effectively." —Bruce J. Masek, Ph.D., ABPP, Clinical Director, Child and Adolescent Pyschiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School
"An excellent, practical book for both parents and teachers." Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of Thinking in Pictures
Synopsis
There have been huge advances in our ability to diagnose autism and in the development of effective interventions that can change children’s lives. In this extraordinary book, Lynn Kern Koegel, a leading clinician, researcher, and cofounder of the renowned Autism Research Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, combines her cutting-edge expertise with the everyday perspectives of Claire LaZebnik, a writer whose experience with a son with autism provides a rare window into the disorder. Together, they draw on the highly effective “pivotal response” approach developed at the center to provide concrete ways of improving the symptoms of autism and the emotional struggles that surround it, while reminding readers never to lose sight of the humor that lurks in the disability’s quirkiness or the importance of enjoying your child. From the shock of diagnosis to the step-by-step work with verbal communication, social interaction, self-stimulation, meltdowns, fears, and more, the answers are here-in a book that is as warm and nurturing as it is authoritative.
Synopsis
A fully revised and updated edition of the definitive guide to reducing symptoms of autism spectrum disorder
Since Overcoming Autism was first published nearly a decade ago, many theories about autism have fallen by the wayside. But the interventions described in this book have been shown to be the best approach to improving the development and quality of life of children with autism. Together, Lynn Kern Koegel, the nationally recognized head of the Autism Research Center at the University of California, and Claire LaZebnik, a professional writer and the mother of a child with autism, have updated their classic guide with todays cutting-edge research. This revised edition has also been expanded to clarify the importance of community support to affected families and the effect of societal acceptance on a childs life. Still the only book on autism coauthored by professional in the field and a parent with first-hand experience, Overcoming Autism is as warm and nurturing as it is authoritative.
About the Author
Lynn Kern Koegel is one of the world’s foremost experts on the treatment of autism. She and her husband, Robert L. Koegel, Ph.D., founded the renowned Autism Research Center at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Californian, Santa Barbara. She lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Claire LaZebnik is a published novelist and magazine writer. She lives with her husband and four children in Pacific Palisades, California.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
acknowledgments vii
Introduction xiii
chapter one 1
diagnosis: Surviving the worst News Youll Ever Get
chapter two 37
ending the Long Silence: Teaching Your Child to Communicate
chapter three 73
Tears, Meltdowns, Aggression, and Self-Injury: Breaking the Cycle
CHAPTER FOUR 113
Self-Stimulation: Flapping, Banging, Twirling, and Other repetitive Behaviors
CHAPTER FIVE 133
Social Skills: Turning Language and Play into Meaningful Interactions
CHAPTER SIX 185
Battling Fears and Fixations: Bringing Your Child Back to the Real World
CHAPTER SEVEN 210
Education: Finding the Right School Placement and Making It Even More Right
CHAPTER EIGHT 252
Family Life: Fighting Your Way Back to Normalcy
Conclusion: another angle on andrew 284
appendix 291
behavior data sheet 293
toilet training data sheet 294
resources 295
index 301