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| Foreword | |
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| Introduction | |
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| About This Book | |
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| Conventions Used in This Book | |
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| What You're Not to Read | |
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| Foolish Assumptions | |
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| How This Book Is Organized | |
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| Understanding Autism | |
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| Addressing Physical Needs | |
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| Enhancing Learning and Social Skills | |
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| Living with Autism as an Adult | |
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| The Part of Tens | |
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| Icons Used in This Book | |
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| Where to Go from Here | |
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| Understanding Autism | |
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| Autism: The Big Picture | |
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| What We Know - and Don't Know - about Autism | |
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| Making the Diagnosis: Learning Your ASDs | |
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| Understanding the diagnostic criteria | |
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| Seeing the signs: Autism symptoms | |
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| Understanding the Far-Reaching Impact of Autism | |
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| How autism can affect the diagnosed individual | |
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| How autism can affect families, schools, and communities | |
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| How autism can affect caregivers | |
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| Navigating the Sea of Interventions | |
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| Using behavioral, developmental, and other educationally based interventions | |
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| Implementing occupational and speech-language therapies | |
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| Medicating symptoms that can accompany autism | |
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| Applying biomedical and natural interventions | |
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| If You Think You (Or People You Care for) Have Undiagnosed Autism | |
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| From Classification to Treatment: Scanning the Autism Spectrum | |
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| Surveying the Colors of Autism | |
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| Severe (or "classic") autism | |
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| PDD and PDD-NOS | |
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| Asperger Syndrome | |
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| Considering Conditions That Resemble Autism | |
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| Childhood Disintegrative Disorder | |
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| Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | |
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| Other possible diagnoses | |
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| Understanding Why Early Treatment Matters More than Classification | |
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| Attempting early identification and intervention | |
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| Getting good medical care | |
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| Enrolling in effective early programs | |
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| Causes, Clusters, and Clues: Where Does Autism Come From? | |
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| Considering the Rise in Diagnoses | |
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| Exploring the Genetic Link | |
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| Familial patterns | |
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| Brain size and structure | |
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| The brain-gut connection | |
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| The testosterone link | |
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| Examining Biomedical Theories | |
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| What do allergies have to do with it? | |
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| Heavy-metal poisoning hypotheses | |
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| Autoimmune or virus-induced theories of causation | |
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| The Backlash Against the Cure | |
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| Getting a Diagnosis | |
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| Tracking Your Child's Medical History | |
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| Broaching the Possibility of Autism with a Doctor | |
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| Preparing for the consultation | |
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| Requesting a referral | |
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| Consulting a Specialist | |
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| Contacting a qualified specialist | |
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| Sharing information | |
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| Embarking on the assessment process | |
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| Diagnosing related conditions | |
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| Dealing with the Impact of the Diagnosis | |
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| Coming to terms emotionally | |
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| Taking action | |
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| Avoiding scams | |
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| Asperger Syndrome and Autism | |
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| Discovering Where Asperger Syndrome Sits on the Autism Spectrum | |
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| Examining common characteristics of Asperger's | |
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| Diagnosing Asperger Syndrome | |
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| Examining typical nondiagnostic personality traits of Asperger Syndrome | |
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| Helping People with Asperger Syndrome Socialize | |
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| Finding the hidden curriculum | |
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| Handling idioms and figures of speech | |
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| Dealing with the Emotions Triggered by Asperger Syndrome | |
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| Avoiding the rage cycle | |
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| Working through frustration | |
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| Using emotion thermometers to gauge emotional states | |
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| Recognizing Bullying and Its Emotional Repercussions | |
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| Signs of bullying | |
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| Taming the bullies | |
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| Transitioning to Adulthood | |
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| Addressing Physical Needs | |
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| Injecting Yourself with Knowledge about Autism Medication | |
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| Considering Drug Therapy | |
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| Looking at how medication can realistically help | |
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| Educating yourself and pursuing drug therapy | |
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| Using medication wisely | |
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| Identifying Helpful Medications | |
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| Beginning the process with a qualified doctor | |
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| Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | |
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| Atypical antipsychotic drugs | |
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| Tricyclic drugs | |
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| Antiepileptics (also known as anticonvulsants) | |
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| Medications for challenging behaviors in severely affected people with autism | |
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| Maximizing Safety When Vaccinating Your Child | |
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| Considering your child's medical history | |
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| Looking at an alternate vaccination schedule | |
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| Improving Immunity and Boosting Biochemistry | |
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| Taking a Look at the Balancing Act of the Immune System | |
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| Exposing the Relationship between Autism and Immune Abnormalities | |
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| Analyzing immune measurements in the blood | |
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| Exploring gut problems | |
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| Studying brain tissue | |
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| Improving Immunity | |
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| Focusing on first-line fundamentals | |
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| Seeking out second-line strategies | |
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| Tackling third-line therapies | |
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| Biochemistry Begets Behavior: A New Way of Thinking | |
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| Shedding light on the broken pathways | |
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| Maximizing metabolism | |
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| Getting the Lead (and Mercury) Out | |
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| Why the autistic child? | |
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| Testing for toxicity | |
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| Chelating | |
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| Optimizing Nutrition | |
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| Tempering Your Expectations | |
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| Considering Your Dietary Intervention Options | |
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| Cleaning up your child's diet | |
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| Going wheat and dairy free | |
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| Supplementing your child's diet | |
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| Implementing Your Plan | |
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| Keeping a food and symptom diary | |
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| Involving professionals | |
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| Easing the transition | |
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| Experimenting with specialized diets | |
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| Eating on the road | |
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| Enhancing Learning and Social Skills | |
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| Choosing an Appropriate Behavioral, Developmental, or Educational Intervention | |
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| Understanding What to Look for in the Alphabet Soup of Approaches | |
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| Actions and behaviors that lead to success in all interventions | |
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| Keys to success in educational interventions | |
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| Exploring Popular Intervention Approaches | |
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| Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) | |
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| Daily Life Therapy (DLT) | |
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| Developmental Individual Difference Relation-Based Intervention (DIR) | |
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| Miller Method | |
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| Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) | |
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| Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) | |
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| Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support Model (SCERTS) | |
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| Deciding Which Method Is Best for Your Child | |
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| Financing the At-Home Program of Your Choice | |
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| Exploring your at-home options | |
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| Obtaining government assistance | |
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| Dealing with Learning and Sensory Differences | |
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| Autistic Learning: Transferring Skills and Providing Structure | |
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| Thinking conceptually and transferring concepts | |
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| Incorporating routine into daily life | |
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| Bridging the Communication Gap | |
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| Developing sign language as a communication bridge | |
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| Working toward functional communication | |
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| Using assistive communication technology | |
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| Enjoying music therapy | |
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| "Retraining" the Brain through Neurotherapy | |
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| Examining and implementing neurotherapy | |
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| Reviewing a neurotherapy study | |
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| Making Sense of Sensory Confusion | |
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| Observing sensory integration challenges | |
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| Using hippotherapy | |
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| Working with speech-language pathologists | |
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| Seeing through Irlen-branded lenses | |
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| Handling Your Child's Sensory Issues | |
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| The supermarket test | |
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| The eyes have it | |
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| The auditory-processing blues | |
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| Socially unacceptable stimming | |
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| Dealing with the most severe behaviors | |
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| Finding a Learning Environment That Fits Your Child's Needs | |
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| Inclusion: To Be or Not to Be? | |
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| Recognizing an Effective Classroom | |
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| Maintaining routine and predictability | |
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| Learning through all the senses | |
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| Evaluating the room itself | |
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| Observing a Good Teacher | |
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| Characteristics to look for in an educator | |
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| Warning flags to avoid in an educator | |
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| Developing Effective Accommodations | |
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| Accommodations in action | |
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| Addressing the fairness of accommodations | |
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| Considering educational techniques for promoting inclusion | |
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| Weighing Your Options when the Public School System Falls Short | |
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| Exploring the world of home schooling | |
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| Considering other educational options | |
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| Understanding and Reducing Challenging Behaviors | |
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| Getting to the core of the behavior | |
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| Performing a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) | |
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| Legally Speaking: Making the Most of Your Child's Education | |
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| Navigating the Legal and Education Systems | |
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| Understanding what the law allows | |
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| Keeping track of changes in the law | |
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| Staying Involved with Your Child's Education | |
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| Working within the system | |
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| Supporting your child at home | |
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| Acting Early with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) | |
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| Specifying Special: Entering the Public School System | |
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| Initiating an evaluation to establish eligibility | |
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| Implementing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) | |
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| Assessing Your Child's Progress | |
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| Flexing Your Educational Rights When You Need To | |
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| Fostering Healthy Relationships | |
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| Recognizing the Social Challenges an Autistic Child Faces | |
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| Understanding social norms | |
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| Conversing and cooperating | |
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| Supporting a child when verbal communication is minimal or nonexistent | |
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| All in the Family | |
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| Talking about autism with your kids | |
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| Considering the challenges siblings face | |
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| Including extended family | |
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| Encouraging Your Child to Form Friendships | |
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| Staging an emotional rescue | |
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| Creating social stories and calling on Power Cards | |
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| Making conversation | |
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| Sparking interactive play | |
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| Respecting differences | |
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| Living With Autism as an Adult | |
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| For Adults with Autism: Living Well after K-12 | |
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| Discovering How to Live Interdependently | |
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| Managing your daily life | |
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| Deciding where to live | |
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| For caregivers: Preparing your dependent to succeed from day one | |
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| Out of the High-School Daze: Pursuing Higher Education | |
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| Evaluating your educational options | |
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| Getting the accommodations you need for higher education | |
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| Practicing self-advocacy and disclosure | |
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| Easing into higher education | |
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| For caregivers: Helping your dependent realize his/her higher-education dreams | |
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| Time to Nurture Your Bank Account: Finding (and Keeping) Employment | |
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| Matching your skills and desires with job opportunities | |
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| Working with a job coach | |
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| Applying for and obtaining a position | |
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| Maintaining your job | |
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| Gracefully exiting your position | |
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| Considering self-employment | |
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| For caregivers: Helping a dependent find employment | |
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| An Advocate Off the Ol' Block: Getting Involved with Your Community | |
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| Becoming a part of your community | |
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| Looking within the autism community | |
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| For caregivers: Encouraging an adult with autism to get involved | |
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| For Adults with Autism: Fostering Friendships and Romantic Relationships | |
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| Developing Friendly Relationships | |
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| Understanding the circle of relationships | |
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| Making first contact | |
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| For caregivers: Helping your dependent establish friendships | |
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| Recognizing (And Overcoming) the Challenges of Dating | |
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| Asking for a date | |
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| Behaving appropriately during the date | |
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| Opting for full or no disclosure | |
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| For caregivers: Moving on to dating | |
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| Taking It to the Next Level with Sexual Behavior | |
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| The most important part of boyfriend or girlfriend is "friend" | |
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| Engaging in sexual activity | |
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| For caregivers: Exploring sex education for people with autism | |
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| Special-Needs Planning for the Future | |
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| Avoiding Common Financial Mistakes | |
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| Putting Plan to Paper: Getting Started | |
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| Taking account of your child's prognosis | |
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| Keeping eligibility for government services in mind | |
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| Sizing up your estate | |
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| Considering living arrangements and guardianship | |
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| Involving an Attorney and/or Financial Planner | |
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| Writing Your Will | |
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| Setting up a special-needs trust | |
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| Giving a morally obligated gift | |
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| Designating guardianship | |
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| The Part of Tens | |
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| Ten Tactful Responses to Challenging Questions or Comments | |
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| "What Special Talent Does He Have?" | |
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| "Why Can't You Control Your Kid?" | |
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| "Asperger Snausperger. He Looks Fine. He Just Needs a Better Attitude" | |
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| "Who Did He Inherit It From?" | |
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| "Why Should Your Child Get Special Treatment?" | |
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| "Are You Kidnapping That Child?" | |
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| The "Bad-Parent" Look | |
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| "Is She Still in Her Own World?" | |
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| "They Grow Out of It, Don't They?" | |
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| "But She Doesn't Look Autistic..." | |
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| Ten Things to Do after a Diagnosis | |
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| Learn and Read as Much as Possible | |
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| Network with Other Families | |
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| Test, Test, Test | |
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| Investigate Sources of Financial Aid | |
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| Consider Major Lifestyle Changes | |
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| Set Up an Educational/Behavioral Program in Your Home | |
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| Begin Therapies | |
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| Address Your Child's Diet and Nutrition | |
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| Don't Give Up | |
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| Get Out and Relax | |
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| Where to Go for More Help | |
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| Finding Other Helpful Texts | |
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| Specializing in autism spectrum disorders | |
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| Special-education publishers | |
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| Research journals and magazines | |
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| Surfing Informative Sites on the Web | |
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| Connecting with advocacy organizations | |
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| Perusing general-information sites | |
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| Having some fun | |
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| Gaining insight from people with an ASD | |
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| Chatting about autism | |
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| Exploring listserves | |
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| Accessing World-Wide Autism Organizations and Resources | |
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| Index | |