Andrea Libutti began the work of reconstructing herself after her oldest son was diagnosed with severe autism several years ago. Distraught and seemingly hopeless at the time, a series of unfolding events moved her from sleepwalking through life toward a personal journey of inner transformation. She immersed herself in research surrounding the causes and treatments for autism, and after several years of learning she has come to understand the disorder from a physical, emotional, and spiritual perspective. In Awakened by Autism, Andrea shares her journey and the knowledge she has gained along the way. She believes that the masses of children diagnosed today with autism are here to teach us some important lessons about the world we have created. Humanity has gotten off track—often motivated by profit—leaving our bodies and our planet overburdened with toxins, and our families exhausted, stressed, and broken. It is for these very reasons that autism has emerged as an epidemic and a calling for humanity to wake up. We cannot continue to deplete our planet and our souls and still expect our children to thrive. Awakened by Autism is both a memoir and a practical guide for healing our children—and a starting point for healing our planet.

At eighteen months, Ashley Ruben still didnt talk. She wouldnt respond when her name was called; she didnt appear to hear either. She fixated on tiny pieces of dirt and ate only crunchy foods. She was enveloped in a thick fogimpenetrable by everyone except Barney the Dinosaur. She worked puzzles like a kindergartener and was computer-savvy before she was two years old. Her mothers late-night searches on the Internet hinted at a reason for her lack of engagement with the outside world. And then a developmental specialist confirmed it: autism, a diagnosis that shook the foundation of a family and shattered a mothers world. Ashley could hear, but she couldnt listen. In order to address that, a therapy retraining her ears to perceive sound better took her back to the time in the womb where listening begins. With the help of specialized recordings of Mozarts music, Ashley gradually awakened. Her brains desire to communicate was kindled, fostering a connection with her body, her family, and the world around her. Ashley had recovered, developing the ability to talk, to listen, to communicate to become an engaging child. But how could Sharon Ruben, a clinical researcher in her own right, convince the skeptics without clinical trial data to prove the effectiveness of this therapy? She didnt need data. She had Ashleyall the proof she needed. Listen Up! This remarkable story is for every person with a child waiting to be awakened to language and communication. Don Campbell, Author of The Mozart Effect and The Mozart Effect for Children

Unravelling some spectrums of autism through the short, captivating accounts of a mothers own experiences, this book is an inspirational read and an eye-opener. The perseverance of a mothers love triumphs against all odds to see the unlocking of a maze the little known atypical world of autism. In this book, we are allowed into the honesty of Aarons struggles; his questions of why me?; his own spiritual development; his inspiring progress and determination to learn actions and behaviours that would make him appear normal, to fit in like everyone else. The result: he has publicly and officially lost his autism stigma. Pastor Anne Iuliano (Sydney) A must-read for families coping with autism! This book offers pragmatic suggestions for coping with the uncertainties in the patterns of behaviour of autistic children. Autism has such a wide spectrum that plausibly no two cases are alike. Dato Leela Mohd Ali, Trustee and CEO of PENYAYANG (a Malaysian NGO) It is a book that everyone must read. It will enlighten us on what the power of love can accomplish. Read it, understand it, experience it, and declare it! Rev. Wong Kim Kong, JMN (Kuala Lumpur

An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind? In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next. Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others’ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight. Praise for Switched On “An eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing—as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat.”—The New York Times “Astonishing, brave . . . reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more.”—The Washington Post “Fascinating for its insights into Asperger’s and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation.”—Booklist “Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context.”—BookPage “A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?”—Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain “At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison’s lived experience.”—Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect

The story of two boys, one with autism, one without, who make their friendship work.

You're a parent or teacher or therapist struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis of autism. You sense that drugs and behavior modification aren't the answer. But what is there? Here it is! A fresh new and boldly positive way to view autism as it really is...not a problem or mystery but a gift in your life. Suzy Miller had been a highly skilled pediatric speech pathologist for close to two decades when, through an amazing experience with a 4-year old child diagnosed with autism, she came to this break through way of understanding and working with these gifted children. She currently works with children and families bringing awareness to the various energies that make these children tick. Suzy's revolutionary thinking preserves the humanity and dignity of children, empowers the parents and makes a great deal of sense to anyone interacting with these highly aware children. Now, in Awesomism! You'll discover how to understand autism as never before. Here you will learn about the vibration behind autism and understand how to apply this awareness to experience the Awesomism in your child. Autism has been redefined as AWESOMISM!

A comprehensive program that targets all four of the 4-A epidemics: autism, ADHD, asthma, and allergies “An easy-to-read commonsense guide to beneficial biomedical treatments.”—Temple Grandin Doctors have generally overlooked the connections among the 4-A disorders. For years the medical establishment has considered autism medically untreatable and utterly incurable, and has limited ADHD treatment mainly to symptom suppression. Dr. Kenneth Bock, a leading medical innovator, along with his colleagues, have discovered a solution that goes to the root of the problem. They have found that modern toxins, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, genetic vulnerabilities, and assaults on the immune and gastrointestinal systems trigger most of the symptoms of the 4-A disorders, resulting in frequent misdiagnosis and untold mysteries. Dr. Bock’s remarkable Healing Program is an innovative biomedical approach that has changed the lives of more than a thousand children. Drawn from medical research and based on years of clinical success, this program offers a safe, sensible solution that is individualized to each child to help remedy the root causes. Dr. Bock also shares the dramatic true stories of parents and children that will inspire you to change the life of your own child. Hope is at last within reach.