Making Sense Of Autistic Spectrum Disorders

In this authoritative and empowering book, one of the world’s leading experts on early child development gives caregivers of children on the autistic spectrum the knowledge they need to navigate the complex maze of symptoms, diagnoses, tests, and treatment options that await them. For more than thirty years, James Coplan, M.D., has been helping families cope with the challenges posed by autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Each family that walks into his office, he knows, is about to begin a journey. With this book, he lays out the steps of that journey. Dr. Coplan brings you into the treatment rooms and along for the tests and evaluations, and provides the kind of practical hands-on guidance that will help you help your child with ASD through every phase of life. At a time when ASD has become the subject of wild theories and uninformed speculation, Dr. Coplan grounds his recommendations in reality. He helps you understand for yourself where your child may be on the spectrum that includes autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. His clear, comprehensive, and compassionate advice prepares you to make informed medical decisions, evaluate the various educational and therapeutic alternatives, and find answers to such fundamental questions as • How do I optimize my child’s long-term potential? • Which interventions will best serve my child? • How do the various therapies work, and what is the evidence to support them? • What is the best way to teach my child? This book empowers you to be an expert advocate for your child, so that you’ll know when to say no to an ill-advised therapy or medication and can make with confidence the hundreds of important decisions you will face in the years ahead. For every parent who has made the painful transition from “Why did this happen?” to “What can we do to help our child?,” here is the indispensable guidebook you’ve been waiting for.

This book is for parents, teachers and carers of young people with autistic spectrum disorders. It offers practical strategies for preventing or managing the commonest sorts of challenging behaviour. The book's core message can be summed up in a single sentence: to change a child's behaviour one needs to be able to make sense of that behaviour - and making sense of that behaviour means making sense of the child's autism.

Describes functional behaviour assessment (FBA), which is a strategy that parents and professionals can use to identify the factors contributing to problem behaviour. This book explains how children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are susceptible to unwanted behaviours, and helps cope with their challenging behaviour.

To many of the people who live or work with an individual with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the processes by which those with autism make sense of the world around them may seem mysterious. In Understanding and Working with the Spectrum of Autism Wendy Lawson demonstrates these processes using comparisons from the non-ASD world to help professionals, families and carers to relate to and communicate with people with ASD better. Exercises at the back of the book encourage the reader to reflect on what has been discussed. The second part of the book contains chapters presenting a range of interventions and strategies for particular situations. Wendy illustrates her text with examples from her own life and from the lives of those she has met or worked with to clarify her points. She analyses ASD characteristics and examines interventions for dealing with social skills, anger management and self-esteem. Stress, its effects on the families of children with autism, and how best it can be alleviated, is also explored. Wendy writes in the light of her personal experience of an autism spectrum disorder as well as that of the available literature to create a book that is both readable and wide-ranging, furthering understanding of the links and differences between neurotypical individuals and those with ASD. Her book is an essential introduction to ASD for social workers, nurses, health professionals and those working in related fields.

This book is for parents, teachers and carers of young people with autistic spectrum disorders. Written in a jargon free style, it offers practical strategies for preventing or managing the sorts of challenging behaviour most likely to be encountered. This book is for parents, teachers and carers of youngsters with autistic spectrum disorders. Written in a jargon free style, it offers practical strategies for preventing or managing the sorts of challenging behaviour most likely to be encountered. With detailed case studies and key tips that allow it to be used as a quick reference, it also offers a step-by-step framework that enables readers to devise their own solutions. The book's core message can be summed up in a single sentence: to change a child's behaviour you need to be able to make sense of that behaviour - and making sense of that behaviour means making sense of the child's autism.

Outlining a new, optimistic way to understand autism, this concise and accessible book offers practical ideas to help children on the spectrum grow. The Polyvagal Theory suggests autism is a learnt response by the body - a result of the child being in a prolonged state of 'fight or flight' while their nervous system is still developing. This book explains the theory in simple terms and incorporates recent developments in brain plasticity research (the capacity of the brain to change throughout life) to give parents and professionals the tools to strengthen the child's brain-body connection and lessen the social and emotional impact of autism.

This book explains how many children with high-functioning ASD relate to the world through their senses. The book reviews sensory integration terminology and a discussion of how the sensory systems impact behavior. It also takes an in-depth look at sensory issues associated with ASD. Assessment tools can assist children in pinpointing sensory characteristics. Intervention strategies and case studies are also outlined.--Éditeur.