Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph Over Autism

by Catherine Maurice

Book Overview

She was a beautiful doelike child, with an intense, graceful fragility. In her first year, she picked up words, smiled and laughed, and learned to walk. But then Anne-Marie began to turn inward. And when her little girl lost some of the words she had acquired, cried inconsolably, and showed no interest in anyone around her, Catherine Maurice took her to doctors who gave her a devastating diagnosis- autism. In their desperate struggle to save their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449906647
• ISBN13: 9780449906644
• Release Date: July 1994
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Valuable read teachers and therapists too

I read this as required reading for course work and it was eye opening for me as an educator. It really does a beautiful job of giving a glimpse of a very emotional journey in navigating new parenthood, all while supporting their children with significant needs and navigating the (then) essentially nonexistent treatments and educational assistance available to them and the lengths they went through to help their children be successful in life. This really changed my interactions with parents, I know this isn't every parent's experience but it was very real account and I highly recommend it to young professionals especially those who do not have children themselves or have their own personal experiences withbexceptional children to draw from. I appreciate criticisms of ABA therapy conducted during that time and know the feedback has resulted in a paradigm shift in approaches to practice. This book takes place just about at the inception of the idea of home therapy, so is historical in nature but the emotions and challenges the family went through are timeless.

Amazing story about triumph during times of uncertainty through support that surrounds a family.

Great information for anyone who knows, works, or interacts with individuals identified with Autism. Great personal experiences shared through the perspective of a mother.

To advocate for ABA is to advocate for dehumanizing torture and grooming of autistic children.

I'm disgusted by the 5 star reviews for this book, how vehemently neurotypical parents will defend any process through which they can force their autistic offspring to cram themselves into small quiet boxes for the comfort of others. Listen to the autistic community, listen to autistic adults who were victims of ABA. Listen to the thousands of autistic adults who are just now learning how to unmask because their entire childhood they were force fed self denial and ableism and now suffer from depression and anxiety and anger issues and sleep disorders and PTSD as a result. ABA is traumatic. Learn from the mistakes of the past.

Fabulous!!

When I read some of the comments about this book I was really saddened. I can agree that there is no "cure" for autism, but I must also note that Applied Behavioral Analysis, being the therapy of choice for the Maurice family, has given my child a new life. This book is different because it offers parents hope: It clearly describes the trials a family endures as they struggle to bring their autistic child into their world. There is absolutely nothing wrong with fighting this disorder. After all, we should all want the very best for our children. We should all want our children to be able to function normally in society. I have patiently read through every review and wish to make a few comments of my own, having implemented an ABA program with my now 3-year old son, for nine months. ABA is rigorous therapy. It requires time and effort on everyone involved. But, it is worth every struggle, be it financial or otherwise. In no way has ABA therapy, as described in this book, harmed my child. I have not met anyone, nor have I heard of a family, who was not thrilled with the progress made by his/her/their child through ABA therapy. Our child has gained two years worth of development within a six-month period of having ABA therapy. In fact, my child scored a 37.5 (a half point above severely autistic) on the CARS (childhood autism rating scale) and is now considered to have "no autistic symptoms." We are also advocates for the Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Dietary Intervention; both ABA and dietary intervention are responsible for our son's miraculous progress...backed by lots of prayers. My husband and I cannot technically "afford" ABA therapy. We cannot afford to hire endless nannies and therapists. But I'll tell you what we have done, we have FOUND a way to do this therapy. Where there is a will, there is a way. We took out a home equity loan, got a newspaper article, had fundraisers, sold our cars, did craft shows, bake sales...and we're still pursuing our insurance companies. We even asked our families for help. We pay our bills week-by-week. And we do it for our son. We cannot put a price tag on his future. This therapy takes some getting used to, but it is worth any effort one can give. Our child hasn't had 40 hours every week. In fact, he's made steady progress with 20-32 hours every week. Don't make excuses for your child's autism when you can do something about it. The progression of autism CAN be reversed. There are many ways to cut costs and do this therapy. But it does require effort, dedication, consistency, and time. I love this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a true account of what it is like to see one's child break out of autism. You may decide that the therapies implemented by the Maurice family are not for you...but that should not hinder you from at least pursuing the possibility of implementing ABA therapy. Read the book. It is a great reference, and if you wish to do the therapy, good for you. Your child will thank you one da

An extraordinary book.

Six months ago my 3 year-old son was correctly diagnosed as having PDD. The experts that examined him told us that there was no cure for it, and the best thing we could try would be play therapy. I read the books that they recommended on that subject, but I was not convinced by them. Fortunately, via the internet I found this book and the other one by C. Maurice, that is, "Behavioral intervention for young children with autism". Everything looked so convincing that I decided to try ABA right away. I did not hire any therapist, but started to work with my son several hours a day following the suggestions of those two books. My son made an extraordinary progress. In six months all the signs of PDD were gone, acording to new evaluations, and in some areas he is above average, like in cognitive skills. Thank you Catherine Maurice. Without your books I would probably have lost my son forever.

This Book Saved Us From Dark Aged Autism Treatment

Thank God for Catherine Maurice and sharing her story.This was the most accurate book that explained autism to me.As a nurse practitioner I find It difficult many pediatricians,to whom parents first turn can not recognize the early symptoms of this disorder.This book was my story also.I asked many so called experts what they thought and was told this treatment forced them to be normal,it was adversive,the treatment was expensive.I lost 1 year of my son's life listening to these people who also told me that my child would never speak.The shell of a child that was in my home is now a little boy.He talks in sentence's, read's, write's and attend's a typical kindergarten class.YES ABA/DT is a long hard road to be on but if your determined to save your child with a method of scientifically proven therapy for the most effective result's this is it.I tried the DARK AGED WAY first for 1 year,what a wasted year it was.My son will always have autism he isnt one of the recovered children,but the effectiveness of this method has worked for this family and his level of functioning has improved dramatically. Remember science work's and I have the data (4 yrs now)to prove it.I owe ton's of gratitude to Catherine Maurice as if you never shared your story we'd still be in the dark ages.Please Catherine help us Advocate and Educate the public and medical professional's so NO more children get lost in the DARK AGES.