Has anyone read/used these books...
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| Wed, 01-17-2007 - 11:31am |
Our Parents as Teachers educator visited yesterday for our younger son. But she worked with Aidan when he was little and is actually the one who really pushed (and I do mean pushed) for me to get him additional screenings. Anyway, she gave me the names of a couple of books that a friend of hers who has a PDD child recommended. I looked them up on Amazon and the one is $50, which I don't mind paying if it's worth it, but it got some mixed reviews. Some say it's wonderful and can "cure" autistic kids (that term makes me uneasy) while others say it's very dated and newer treatments and interventions have been implemented since it was published that are more effective. The last book I bought on PDD ended up being very basic and didn't contain much more than I could find doing a simple search online. So, has anyone read these books and if so, would you recommend them? Both are by Catherine Maurice.
Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals
Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism
Any other books you would recommend for PDD? It just seems most of the ones I've looked at look specifically at autism and not PDD or they cover the whole spectrum (PDD, Autism and AS) and don't really get specific about any of them.
Thanks!
Trisha

Um, well I know both books. I used to have the first one (the $50 one) because I was an ABA therapist and it had some good info in it but honest, for my own kids I might not spend the $50 on that particular book. Don't tell though because I used to work at the same place as the co-author Gina Green. She now works out here and teaches an autism masters program in San Diego.
My problem with the first book is with the first it is too ABA specific. Even though I am a former ABA therapist, I am and always have been from an eclectic school of thought. I think that there are many more avenues to look at in addition to ABA with children with ASD and putting all our eggs in one basket is not a wise choice.
I can't speak too well about the "Let me hear your voice" book as I have not read it. However, my problem with it from what I have heard about it is the whole "cure" push. I think that books like those set us parents up. There is no "cure" for autism, I will go ahead and say it. Some kids make fantastic progress and can function independently and blend into society so thier challenges are not apparent, but thier brain still processes the same way. We have just helped them process better through what we have found to work for them. I think reading those books can set us up and break our hearts if it doesn't happen for us. It can make us lose sight of everything else in the world because we have to do exactly what they did. And what worked for Catherine Maurice may or may not work for you. Something else may or may not.
There are some good ideas in the books but I think there are some better books to start with. I would recomend "Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Chantal Sicile-Kira as a good first book to read. I will try to come up with some more if you like. This book should be available at your library. It is a good overview for first time parents. It is easy enough to read and explains thing well but does water stuff down either. She uses lots of reallife anecdotes as well and that helps me.
Renee