Amid a bewildering range of treatments that promise to alleviate or even cure autism, even the leading researchers can’t predict what will work for your child. As a parent, you are in a unique position to become the practical expert on your child’s needs and strengths. Parenting Your Child with Autism will equip you with family-tested and science-based approaches for meeting the challenges ahead. You’ll learn how to get a diagnosis and navigate the health care and educational systems, make sense of your child’s treatment options, and tap into expert opinions and your own observations to find a treatment program that works. Perhaps most importantly, you will learn how to become your child’s best advocate, and build a better life for your child. This book focuses on the processes and decisions parents of children with autism face every day. To help you build an everyday life that works for your child with autism and other family members, this book shares suggestions that range from practical and educational to philosophical, closing with some personal and professional advice for your journey ahead.

Parenting Your Child Through the Challenges of Autism takes a revolutionary approach to helping parents find and implement the most effective and powerful treatments for children with autism, a condition that still baffles many mental health professionals. Autism expert M. Anjali Sastry and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) psychiatrist Blaise Aguirre offer practical tips and guidance parents can use to track the effects of treatment on their children and draw from their own observations to find the treatments that will get the best results.

Maureen F. Morrell and Ann Palmer are raising two very different children: Justin, a whirlwind of activity and mood swings, who is supervised in a residential farm community, and Eric, quiet and passive, who lives independently at college. The authors give an account of the striking similarities as well as the stark differences in their experiences of parenting children at opposite extremes of the autism spectrum. The two mothers speak openly about their children's diagnosis and early childhood through to adolescence, young adulthood and the day they leave home. They give a moving account of the challenges they faced and the surprising consolations they found along their sons' very different paths in life. Through their friendship and two decades of shared experiences of parenting an ASD child, each has gained a clear understanding of her own strengths and limitations, as well as those of her child. Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum offers a personal perspective and practical guidance for parents at the start of their journey with autism, especially those whose children are newly diagnosed. It also provides useful insights for professionals working with individuals across the autism spectrum and their families. The book was elected the 2007 Autism Society of America's Outstanding Literary Work of the Year.

This positive, straightforward book offers kids with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) their own comprehensive resource for both understanding their condition and finding tools to cope with the challenges they face every day. Some children with ASDs are gifted; others struggle academically. Some are more introverted, while others try to be social. Some get "stuck" on things, have limited interests, or experience repeated motor movements like flapping or pacing ("stims"). The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders covers all of these areas, with an emphasis on helping children gain new self-understanding and self-acceptance. Meant to be read with a parent, the book addresses questions ("What’s an ASD?" "Why me?") and provides strategies for communicating, making and keeping friends, and succeeding in school. Body and brain basics highlight symptom management, exercise, diet, hygiene, relaxation, sleep, and toileting. Emphasis is placed on helping kids handle intense emotions and behaviors and get support from family and their team of helpers when needed. The book includes stories from real kids, fact boxes, helpful checklists, resources, and a glossary. Sections for parents offer more detailed information.

"Packed with real-life stories and everyday problem-solving ideas, this book has given many tens of thousands of parents the facts they need about high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including Asperger syndrome. The authors are leading experts who describe ways to work with these kids' unique impairments and capabilities so they can grow into happy, self-sufficient adults. Parents learn practical strategies for helping their son or daughter relate more comfortably to peers, learn the rules of appropriate behavior, and succeed in school. The book also discusses what scientists currently know about ASD and how it is diagnosed, as well as what treatments and educational supports have been shown to work. Updated with the latest research, resources, and clinical strategies, the second edition clearly explains the diagnostic changes in DSM-5"--

Twenty-four parents poignantly share their experiences with raising a child on the autism spectrum. The challenges can be daunting. Nonetheless, the rewards are immeasurable. As one author notes, such children "will teach you about the meaning of life-the beauty of patterns and seeing life through a different lens."If you are a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, some of the scenarios will be familiar-multiple doctor visits in seeking a diagnosis, questioning your own parenting skills, navigating the educational system, worrying about your child's social life, and trying to stay one step ahead of potential meltdowns, not to mention the stress on the family.But you will also read parents' accounts of their wonderment and admiration when they catch a glimpse of their child's gifts and talents. As a parent of a son or daughter on the spectrum, you can appreciate how such moments remind you, again and again, that you are lucky to have this person in your life.This book is also for you if you don't have a child on the autism spectrum. You probably know someone living on the spectrum, perhaps a family member, a friend, or a neighbor. If you're a professional who works with children, chances are that some of them are on the spectrum. The stories described herein will give you a better understanding of how these children relate to the world, each in their own unique way. Start reading to meet these remarkable families!

This book looks at what it feels like to be an autistic parent, offering valuable insights, knowledge and wisdom on parenting autistic and non-autistic children. Three mothers reflect on their experiences of growing up as undiagnosed autistics, venturing into and embracing motherhood, and connecting with their children in a unique and powerful way. They offer advice on overcoming the challenges of parenting when you are autistic, such as socialising with other parents or sensory issues that come with excessive touch. Reflecting on their own experiences, they also emphasize the positives of being an autistic parent to an autistic child, such as understanding of why their child is struggling or the open-mindedness that can come from not being constrained by societal norms. They also explain how out-of-the-box thinking leads to creative parenting of non-autistic children, forming strong and loving bonds. Full of wit and warm advice, this book empowers autistic parents and reassures them that autism is a strength in raising their children with love, knowledge and experience, while also giving non-autistic parents and professionals a fresh perspective on helping autistic children to thrive.