THE
EVERYTHING
PARENT'S GUIDE TO
CHILDREN
WITH AUTISM
2ND EDITION
Expert, reassuring advice to help your
child at home, at school, and at play
Adelle Jameson Tilton
Charlotte E. Thompson, M.D., Editor
Copyright 2010, 2004 Simon and Schuster All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
An Everything Series Book.
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Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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ISBN 10: 1-4405-0392-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0392-4
eISBN 10: 1-4405-0393-1
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0393-1
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.
This book is intended as general information only, and should not be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. In light of the complex, individual, and specific nature of health problems, this book is not intended to replace professional medical advice. The ideas procedures and suggestions in this book are intended to supplement, not replace, the advice of a trained medical professional. Consult your physician before adopting any of the suggestions in this book, as well as about any condition that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The author and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.
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For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
All the examples and dialogues used in this book are fictional, and have been created by the author to illustrate disciplinary situations.
THE EVERYTHING PARENT'S GUIDE TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM 2ND EDITION
Dear Reader,
As the parent of a child diagnosed with autism or one on the autism spectrum, you may just be starting your journey of learning how to care for your child. Some of you have already had several years of coping with the unique problems of autism, but, hopefully, the ideas and solutions presented in this book will help you to handle even the hardest, most nerve wracking problems.
By learning as much as possible about day-to-day issues and solutions, as well as reaching out to others for advice and support, you can overcome enormous challenges. Along the way you will most likely find abilities and depths in yourself of which you were unaware.
As a pediatrician who has cared for children for fifty years, I have the greatest admiration for parents who meet every parenting challenge with patience and love. Caring for a child with autism or one on the autism spectrum must be one of the hardest parenting jobs there is. We hope this book will help make each day much easier, so there can be many good times, as well as special memories in the years to come.
WELCOME TO THE EVERYTHING PARENT'S GUIDES
Everything Parent's Guides are a part of the bestselling Everything series and cover common parenting issues like childhood illnesses and tantrums, as well as medical conditions like asthma and juvenile diabetes. These family-friendly books are designed to be a one-stop guide for parents. If you want authoritative information on specific topics not fully covered in other books, Everything Parent's Guides are your perfect solution.
Urgent warnings
Important snippets of information
Quick handy tips
Answers to common questions
When you're done reading, you can finally say you know EVERYTHING!
PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Wendy Lazear
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ross Weisman
EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander
LAYOUT DESIGNERS Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace
Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com
To all the special parents and grandparents who care for children on the autism spectrum
autism n.
Condition affecting the processing, integrating, and organizing of information that significantly impacts communication, social interaction, functional skills, and educational performance. There are many manifestations and degrees of severity in the autism spectrum.
Introduction
If you are the parent of a child with autism or on the autism spectrum, you may wonder Why me, what did I do to deserve this? There are no good answers to this question despite the fact that more and more children are diagnosed with autism each year.
Instead of focusing on why your child has autism, you will find that life will be much easier and fuller if you can learn to live a day at a time and find creative ways to handle both the daily and the long-term problems. This will leave time for family fun and also time for you.
Practical solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems are provided in the following pages, plus advice on handling family and community difficulties. Autism will change not only your life as a parent, but the lives of other children in the family, the grand-parents, and relationships with friends and neighbors. Some family members will be supportive while others will pull away. This can be extremely painful and you will need to find ways to shield yourself and your children. Even a single unkind remark can pierce like a sharp dagger.
The diagnosis of autism is certainly not the end of the world for you or your family. Many brilliant people have been diagnosed with autism and some have done amazing things. The trick is to find a way to unlock the mysteries of your child's brain and channel his abilities into healthy ways of living. Finding a cure or effective treatment is of paramount importance, and you can help others to understand autism spectrum disorders by working for more international research that will benefit everyone.
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