Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Read
Review: I like the way this book is broken down into process-friendly, itemized chapters about autism and autism-related behaviors. The one thing I take issue with is the high-functioning person with autism or its closely related spectrum condition Asperger's as not having autistic symptoms. That is a question that remains to be proven and mere behaviorism does not explain autism.

As an inveterate, lifelong Beatles' fan, I had to smile when I read about Andrew, the brilliant young boy with Asperger's who had an avid love for the world's Number One Band. A gifted artist, Andrew would draw the Beatles at different points in their careers and kept abreast of any news relating to them. I like the way he was able to use his vast knowledge of the Beatles as an entree to conversation - how well I understood that! Asperger's and Beatles - two specialized areas that I have a vast amount of knowledge of myself. I love the way the authors say that because of Andrew, they listen to the Beatles and appreciate them all the more. How well I understood that!

I would have rated this 3 stars, but the description of how the Beatles played and continue to play an important part in the life of a young boy on the spectrum raises this to 4.

Rating:
Summary: An important book - with some caveats
Review: Lynn and her husband Robert Koegel have done some of the most important research work in the autism field. Their work on the use of naturalistic and motivational strategies has proved that communication can be taught most effectively when it's functional and meaningful, not as rote drills.

This book includes the first widely-available account of those methods, and would be extremely valuable for that reason alone. Hopefully it will prove to many parents and professionals that '80s Lovaas-style "ABA" is not the only (let alone the best) option around.

There are aspects of the book that I'd argue with, though. As a behaviorist, Koegel is determined to treat autism simply as a cluster of symptoms, and pays very little attention to what it feels like from the inside (despite the many people on the autistic spectrum who've written accounts of their experiences). She pays no attention to sensory problems, for example. She is horrified at the idea that autistic children might be allowed to isolate themselves on the playground (even if that's what they'd prefer?). And she only rather grudgingly accepts that a child might be permitted to "stim" in private, even though she mentions that research has shown that many stims don't interfere with learning at all.

Her claim that a child or adult who can pass for "eccentric normal" has "no symptoms of autism" anymore is something that many high-functioning autistic spectrum adults - like me - would question.

This is not to dismiss just how far many autistic spectrum kids can go with the right education and support, as Claire LaZebnik's account of her son Andrew demonstrates. Far from it.

But one of the things that touched me most in the book was LaZebnik's gentle acceptance that her son may still stim "finger puppets" in private, and her eloquent description of how his "obsessions" have contributed positively to his life. Such autistic spectrum traits may never go away, although many of us learn to hide them in public. But with the right support, they can be as much of a blessing as a curse.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to use activities!!!!!!!!
Review: WOW! As someone who teaches children with autism and has a child on the autism spectrum I was amazed with this book!!! It breaks down the symptoms of autism and provides simple activities to help children with autism! It hits on speech, communication, self-stimulatory activities! It is written in a practical and manageable way so you can start using it the day to receive it! I highly recommend this book to parents of children who have just been diagnosed, but experts and all parents will love it!!!