This book is a step-by-step guide towards developing communication using RPM. Communication is an essential part of life and individuals with autism should not be left behind despite that their stimulations and motor skills may not respond in the same way as "typical "individuals. Success comes with practice and utilizing the steps of communication in this book will help teachers, students and parents. Using Soma's methods my son, Christopher, has not only been able to show how academically intelligent he is but he can now communicate his deeper thoughts and feelings in a way which means that others believe they are HIS words. -Sue Finnes-Mum to Christopher aged 14, Sutton Coldfield, United Kingdom. Our son Lenny was nearly 40 when he met Soma. He has a great deal of trouble initiating language. For the first time, he was able to ask a question and also reveal to us how much he understood about his own life as well as the world around him. -Isabel and Larry Schwartz

Soma has dedicated her life to teaching her revolutionary Rapid Prompting Method to hundreds of autistic children and adults throughout the world. Somas work proves what many parents have suspected: that students with autism are capable of learning at academic levels previously thought unattainable. The power of an academic education improves the lives of all people, and the Rapid Prompting Method is the key to providing the gift of education and communication to students with autism. This groundbreaking book describes Somas innovative technique, and for the first time in print, offers parents and educators a step-by-step guide to implementing this life-changing teaching methodology.

Curriculum Guide For Autism Using Rapid Prompting Method is for all ages to help individuals with autism and similar disorders. It is aimed towards providing a guideline for teachers who are pursuing their goals to educate their students. With guidance from Soma and her detailed lesson plans, we have been able to teach our son and ensure that he is receiving an appropriate education. Now our child truely soars! April Garsson, Parent The teacher works with the childs sensory system not against it. The art of modifying the delivery to the student was given to us in Somas first book Understanding Autism through Rapid Prompting Method . Now Soma has given us the curriculum guide which is certain to make teaching more efficient and adaptable to all learners on the spectrum. Terri Schuldt, Occupational Therapist Everyone is stunned when they view the videos of our 19 year old sons sessions with Soma as he answers questions covering subjects such as math, science, history and other topics. The benefits of RPM should be known worldwide. Sara Rugeley, Parent

Autism can isolate a person due to their sensory challenges. This book was written to help the autistic person adapt better to the environment using the sensory learning channels- vision, auditory and tactile which are the doors to the sensory world. The kinesthetic channel is the output of how our sensory channels assess the environment. Through RPM we know there is a difference between the cognitive learning and the sensory learning. Cognitively one may know what pain is but his hypo tactile sensitivity may not let one recognize a cavity in a tooth. The exercises in this book have been tried with different students before writing. Our goal is to better the lives of Autistic people using RPM. We know that our autistic children have many sensory challenges. As parents most importantly we want to know what we can DO to help. This book is packed with 'HOW TO's' - practical exercises which can be done for 5-10 mins a day at home. I feel that this book can help people even if they do not have a prior knowledge of Soma RPM. I loved that I was reading it and thinking about my son, I had so many "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" moments - for me the sign of a great resource book that will be read and re-read many times. --Sue Finnes, Parent As an occupational therapist I have found sensory based learning to be an integral part of my practice. This is especially important for persons who present with difficulties with sensory processing including challenges taking in, interpreting and responding to sensory inputs from their environments. In order to maximize learning and motor skill development, it is beneficial to teach by incorporating the student's stronger sensory channels while continuing to facilitate development of weaker channels. It is also important to utilize these channels to help students maintain a regulated state in order to promote active engagement in a multitude of tasks and experiences across environments. Teaching via Rapid Prompting Method provides the sensory supports needed to help maximize each students ability to learn, both academic content and functional skills. Utilizing this sensory rich method of teaching has helped many of my students develop the skills they need to lead more meaningful lives. --Amy Brennan, M.S., OTR/L, BCP

Ten autistic self-advocates share their experiences with alternative forms of communication such as rapid prompting method (RPM) and facilitated communication (FC), both highly controversial. Their narratives document the complexities that autistic individuals navigate--in both educational and community settings--when choosing to use approaches that utilize letter boards and keyboards. While the controversies remain--RPM requires further scientific study, and FC is subject to criticism about confirmation bias--these individuals share powerful stories in the context of aiming for disability rights. The book concludes with a chapter about best practices for educators, particularly for schools and colleges that have students who use these communication methods.

Strange Son is the powerful tale of two mothers from opposite sides of the world who, united by their fierce determination to help their severely autistic sons, have challenged everything we thought we knew about autism. Tito Mukhopadhyay, an autistic boy from India who spends most of his time flapping his fingers in front of his eyes, has an IQ of 185. He favors the writings of Wordsworth and Ibsen. He loves philosophy, reads People, and worries about conflict in the Middle East. He also writes beautiful poetry.That Tito can communicate at all is due to his mother, Soma, who single-handedly developed a revolutionary method of teaching him in their one-room apartment in Bangalore, a "classroom" that lacked even running water. Iversen weaves the twin stories of Soma and Tito (and how Soma's methods mystified experts) together with her own story of how she and her family came to understand Dov. The result is a book suffused with uplifting human drama.

Similar to a handbook in its comprehensive description of the theory and research supporting current practices in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, this interdisciplinary text shows how the existing knowledge base can be used to explore promising new possibilities related to the field’s many unanswered questions. Key features include the following: Comprehensive – This is the first book to consider the history and current state of autism as a field in transition, to cover its varied approaches and philosophies, and to describe the interventions used throughout the developmental cycle. Cross Disciplinary – Serving students with autism necessitates communication and collaboration among professionals from several disciplines as well as family members. The editors have, therefore, brought together divergent perspectives, theories and philosophies in order to demonstrate that scientific evidence, rather than educational orientation, must determine which practices should be selected for use in particular situations. Research Based – Whereas many existing texts advocate a particular type of treatment, this one recognizes that interventions must be selected and evaluated based on the scientific evidence of their effectiveness. Integrated Methodology –Chapter authors consider findings from studies that employed single-subject designs, experimental large-scale studies, and qualitative methodology. The inter-relatedness of therapies and disciplines will be highlighted throughout. Expertise – The volume editors are all highly visible researchers in autism and developmental disabilities. Likewise, each chapter is directed by a senior, highly accomplished author who is nationally recognized for his/her work in the topic being addressed. This book is appropriate for practicing professionals in education and psychology and for speech/language therapists and other clinicians. It is also suitable as a graduate level text in these fields.