While I'm currently waiting for the arrival of Chuck Panozzo's book
(The Grand Illusion), I have something I want to share with you all.
Yesterday, Frank and I received our Amazon delivery of the book "What
You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child With Autism" by Jonathan Levy,
who has a master's degree from Harvard University and has worked
one-on-one with over 800 children with diagnosis ranging from severely
autistic to mild Asperger's syndrome and trained parents individually
and in seminars since 1994. Frank and I have a habit of taking turns
reading to each other (books that could have an impact on Veronika's
autism) so that we can both be on the same page, as it were. Last
night, we stopped in middle of chapter 3, and I am eagerly awaiting
his return from work so we can continue....although I've done some
browsing further ahead. ;-) Already, we really love this book!
It's great for parents and professionals alike. Jonathan Levy writes
with sincerity, insight and humor. The book lays out straight forward
techniques to help those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (e.g., Autism,
Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), PDD-NOS, Asperger's Syndrome,
...), as well as addresses parents' feelings/experiences with a
special child and includes instructions on charting where a child is
(in terms of eye contact, language, what a child is eating [GF/CF] and
more). It forewarns the reader of the pitfalls of assuming that a
child gives plenty of eye contact (chart it to be sure) or if a child
is very verbal (are they really interacting in our world?)...we have
all been on the phone with someone while answering emails and said
just enough to convince the other person that we are really engaging
with them ("really", "that's interesting", "go on"...), yet we are not
really interacting with them This book is an enjoyable read...unlike
some other books on autism, it is not burdened by heavy technical
jargon that leaves the reader feeling inferior, rather Levy's book
uses language to empower the reader. By the way, I have added website
mentioned in the book to the Mason Dixon Autism Resource Network
[MDARN] http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MDARN/ links page.

Below are excerpts that I typed up from the introduction of the book.
If you want to find this book, it should be noted the there was a
name change. It was originally called "Ten Things You Can Do Right
Now to Help Your Child With Autism". Some places may still have it
listed by the original name, so if you want to find it, here are the
ISBN numbers:
ISBN-10: 1402209185
ISBN-13: 978-14022091855

Excerpts from "What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your
Child With Autism", introduction Why You Should Listen
"I've been bitten, spit at, and vomited on. I've had tables thrown at
me and I've been urinated on.

I've also been hugged by children who won't let other people touch
them. I've played for an hour with a child who had never played with
anyone for more than five minutes. I've helped children from all over
the world--even the ones who bit me, spat at me and threw heavy
objects at me--say their first words.

I've seen parents thank me, question me, yell with frustration, cry
with gratitude, sob with sadness, and fight with each other. I know
what parents want: a clear way to help their child.

I wrote this book so you, the parent (or grandparent, friend, teacher,
or anyone else who is involved) of a child with autism could have some
easily accessible techniques that I know work with the vast majority
of kids with autism.....

...Finally, I invite you to have fun as you read this. I know that
people take autism very seriously, and for good reason. But I believe
there is virtue in trying to talk about it and not having to be so
heavy and so tragic. I am hopeful that this book can make a
difference in the lives of both you and your child. I believe it
can. In fact, I believe it will. All you have to do is turn the page..."



Peace be with you!
---Nicole
*********************************************
There is no such thing as "false hope"!
http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/