Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child's Life

by Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik

Book Overview

There have been huge advances in our ability to diagnose autism and in the development of effective interventions that can change children's lives. In this extraordinary book, Lynn Kern Koegel, a leading clinician, researcher, and cofounder of the renowned Autism Research Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, combines her cutting-edge expertise with the everyday perspectives of Claire LaZebnik, a writer whose experience with a son...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143034685
• ISBN13: 9780143034681
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Overall good...

I think overall this book is good. I like the back and forth between the clinician and the parent. The method used in the book is/was pivotal response. I am interested on a 2024 update on "Andrew". My only reason for knocking it down a star was, while the book gave me hope, it also filled me with fear. I do not have the resources that Claire does/did. I do not live by an Autism center that is ran by pioneers in the field, and even if I did, I can't afford those services. They do give you ideas to use at home. It just made me worry, that what I can offer/do isn't enough.

Best practical book on autism I've found so far

As the father on an autistic child, I've bought a few books that claimed to be practical guides for parents, but unfortunately, come across as dry academic tomes about setting up an entire special needs curriculum. I've also attended a seminar on applied behavioral analysis (ABA) which came across as turning my son into a "trained monkey", rather really overcoming the problem. And thoughtful friends and family members have provided me with inspirational stories about maniacally devoted parents of "cured" autistic children, who have way more intensity and resources that I could hope to commit to the problem, and therefore, leave me with feelings of hopelessness rather than inspiration. So it was with great relief and comfort reading Overcoming Autism, which takes a sensible ABA approach to overcoming autism, and provides a number of practical remedies to many common difficulties parents face with autistic children. The book is well organized, and Dr. Koegel is highly experienced and respected in the field of autistic child development. A strength of the book is that many helpful case studies are provided about particular problems autistic children have. And the solution is always sensible, and something the parents can easily implement. LaZebnick's personal account with her own son, who was effectively overcome most of his autism, really fleshed out the book and provided a well needed emotional voice throughout all the factual information. The book is definitely written from a woman's perspective, and a few times, I was almost asking myself "Where's the father" while reading. I would have like more of a father's perspective or discussion of the father's role, but that is a minor quibble. I expect to be consulting this book often as I raise my son.

Finally, an autism book for the rest of us

I've read probably hundreds of books about autism spectrum disorders since having a child diagnosed with such. This book marks the first time I felt I was reading about a parent like myself. I almost cheered out loud early in the book when the author with a child with autism said she was not a tigress, not the type to confront any and all to help her child, just a parent that loved her child very much and was devoted to helping him. So many books written by parents about autism are all about how far they have gone to help their child, and generally by following some quite narrow path, such as dietary intervention, ABA, etc. I am always struck by how so little mention is made of any other children in the family, or of the great aspects of their child OUTSIDE the autism. In this book, I really felt like I was reading about a whole family and a WHOLE CHILD---one with interests that while they might be unusual, were still kind of cool and not just obsessions to be gotten rid of. The clinical advice here is very well done. It's practical to the extreme---right down to giving ideas about helping children know what to talk about during lunch at school (hint---all kids love to discuss how gross some foods are!) While it is plainly said that helping your autistic child needs to take place full time, you are told how to do this in the course of continuing to live your life. I do think this book would be more helpful to those with verbal children. While it does contain some advice for the non-verbal child, it seems to be more aimed at those with verbal and middle to higher functioning children. It meant so much to me that in the personal narratives, there was such a sense of reality---for example, although we all know how we are supposed to deal with night wakings, we might not all be primed to follow through in the middle of the night! It may be fascinating to read about the latest "miracle" to "cure" autism. However, I think the reality is much more what is contained here---practical little things and big things we can do day after day after day to help our precious and valued children.

My favorite autism book to date

I love this book because it combines the personal story of one family with the terrific clinical advice of Dr. Koegel. The behavioral analysis is straightforward, and easy to apply even in the hectic life of any parent of an autistic child. The mother's perspective is highly valuable because she is a "real" mom, not the obsessed supermom that we often encounter in biographical autism accounts. I thought that the advice hit all major areas of import when raising a child on the autism spectrum, minus sensory issues. But there are plenty of other books that deal with that- my favorite being "The Out-of-Sync Child" and Temple Grandin's "Thinking in Pictures." This book will not make you feel guilty for not doing enough of the supposed "right thing," nor will it allow you to sit in complacency. It will give you motivation to do what is right for you and your family. I have found it to be a wonderful resource for me, and I'm insisting that my husband read it! It is a FANTASTIC book.

Easy to use activities!!!!!!!!

WOW! As someone who teaches children with autism and has a child on the autism spectrum I was amazed with this book!!! It breaks down the symptoms of autism and provides simple activities to help children with autism! It hits on speech, communication, self-stimulatory activities! It is written in a practical and manageable way so you can start using it the day to receive it! I highly recommend this book to parents of children who have just been diagnosed, but experts and all parents will love it!!!