[GoddessDanu]

DH and I are considering a sibling group that might include an autistic child. We'd like to do some reading on autism since neither of us knows much about it other than what you see on the news. Can you please recommend some books we could read? Thank you!

[AlexzandersMom]

I know Barnes and Nobles has a great autism book selection. I bought "The out of sync child" (dealing with sensory issues/sensory integration disorder) and "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics (dealing with bio medical therapies/diets/suppliments for children with Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies). They had alot of other really good books and others might have better suggestions. I do suggest however that you join the autism speaks community, its kind of like this forum, there are thousands of people there who either have autism, have a child with autism, teachers, and relatives. It's a great site.

[GoddessDanu]

Thank you, Linda. I just joined Autism Speaks right now. There's so much information! I'm going to see if my library has those books you recommended.

[ladyjubilee]

I got some good information out of "When Your Child Has . . .: Autism"---which was the cheapest of the books I bought!. It was one of few I found that didn't focus so much on the whys but what to dos. "The Everything Parent’s Guide to Sensory Integration Disorder: Get the Right Diagnosis, Understand Treatments, And Advocate for Your Child" has some good information about various therapies.


But I'll be honest, the spectrum is so wide....and I'll be even more honest, such a hodepodge, I don't know that any of the books I purchased really helped. Each child is so different that what is true for one isn't true for another.

[athikers]

Maybe wait to purchase books until you know which ASD the child has? Children act very different depending on whether they are classically autistic and how high functioning they are, or if they have SPD, have aspergers or some combination. So, if you are only dealing with sensory issues, the books and resources that will be helpful might be different than if they child is completely in their own world.

We believe our son has SPD, though we have no dx yet. And, he does many things that also sort of "fit" in other parts of the spectrum. So, though we started out looking at a variety of books and resources, we've kind of narrowed our field now for his specific needs.

[AlexzandersMom]

I just bought another book that might help you out. It's called, :Autism Handbook For Parents". It is written by Janice E. Janzen. I have just began to read it but it does look promising. It has advice on various treatments and services, it talks about different ways to advocate for your child, how autism can affect learning, etc. It basically says that it helps parents to figure out what to do after recieving a diagnosis. I will let you know what I think after I get done reading it.

[ladyjubilee]

Originally Posted by athikers

Maybe wait to purchase books until you know which ASD the child has?

I'm not so sure on that one. I'm finding with little guy that the more I know the more I'm able to communicate with with the professionals....and knowing some of the symptoms from the whole spectrum has helped me advocate for him.

[rosed6914]

There is a website OASIS--for families that are dealing with Asprerger's Syndrome. It is fabulous. My adopted son is 18 and was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 8. He is graduating from high school with a regular diploma in two weeks, a culinary certification from a technical center, he drives, has a part time job and has just enrolled at a local college.

Given the right support system, counseling, and educational setting, many of these children flourish.