Parenting Your Child with Autism : Practical Solutions, Strategies, and Advice for Helping Your Family

by Sastry, Anjali; Aguirre, Blaise, M.D.

• ISBN13: 9781608821907
• ISBN10: 1608821900
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-01
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc

Summary

All children with autism respond to treatment differently, which is one of the reasons even autism experts and researchers can't pinpoint which single treatment works best for children who have this condition. The autism specialists who authored this book recommend observing your child's response to each treatment and adjusting the treatment accordingly. After reading Parenting Your Child Through the Challenges of Autism, parents themselves will become the expert on their child's autism and choose from a range of research-backed autism programs. These programs are divided into three sections: disproven treatments, questionable treatments, and well-proven treatments. With this knowledge in hand, parents can trust themselves and establish customized treatment plans that draw on one or more of these programs for the best results. The book also offers information on medications and a variety of practical dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills parents can start using right away to improve their children's responses. Mindfulness and emotion regulation skills are provided to help parents avoid unproductive feelings of despair and disappointment that may arise on the path to finding the best treatments for their children.

Author Biography

Anjali Sastry has two sons on the autism spectrum. Drawing on her doctorate in management, she researches and teaches systems thinking and health care delivery at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. Blaise Aguirre, MD, is a child psychiatrist and author. He is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and is internationally recognized for his expertise in mood and personality disorders as well as his work in atypical development in adolescents.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Scientific Evidence Is Important but Falls Short
Parents Are at the Center
Parenting a Child with Autism as a Journey
What Went into This Book
A Quick Guide to This Book
What Is Autism?	p. 15
Three Differences Define Autism
A Brief History of How Autism Has Been Defined and Explained
Definition vs. Diagnosis
How Should We Describe Autism?
The Impact of Autism on a Life: Learning from Others' Experience
Moving Forward with Understanding and Appreciation
What Causes Autism?	p. 29
How the Evidence Stacks Up
Looking into the Future
Can Autism Be Cured?	p. 41
What Do We Mean by "Cure"?
What's the Evidence for Any Form of Long-Term Improvement?
If Not a Cure, Then What Are We Aiming For?
Difficulty, Stress, and Our Advice for You	p. 53
An ASD Diagnosis Affects Parents
Tackling Common Challenges
Striving for a Balanced Mind-Set
Getting a Diagnosis	p. 67
Does Your Child Behave Differently?
The Diagnostic Appointment
The Diagnosis
Understanding Your Child's Specifics and Building Your Treatment Team	p. 77
What? More Tests?
How to Develop a Profile of Your Child's Strengths and Weaknesses
Building the Right Treatment Team
Making Every Appointment Effective
Choosing Interventions and Treatments	p. 91
Learn about Providers and What They Do
Navigate the Terrain of Treatments and Interventions
Make Your Choice
Medications	p. 105
Approved Drugs for Autism
How Drugs Are Studied
Why Consider Medications for Autism?
Types of Medications for Autism Symptoms
Side Effects and Multiple Medications
Navigating Medication Decisions
Other Biomedical, Physical, and Sensory Interventions	p. 117
Sensory Interventions
Dietary Interventions
Biomedical Therapies
Education	p. 127
Learning
Educational Approaches
Working with Your Educational Team
Becoming Your Child's Best Advocate
Social, Communication, and Language Interventions	p. 153
Speech and Language Therapy
Visually Based Communication Interventions
Interventions That Target Social Interaction
Arts-Based Interventions
Real-Life Knowledge, Skills, and Families	p. 163
Knowledge about the World
Develop Your Own Practical Learning Agenda
Practical Teaching
Daily Living Skills
Everyday Challenges
Afterword	p. 187
Recommended Reading	p. 193
References	p. 195
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