Autism: From Tragedy to Triumph

Rating:
Summary: autism from tragedy to triumph
Review: I found this book to be uplifting and encouraging.

Rating:
Summary: Wooden and unconvincing
Review: If you are not a devoted fan of Ivar Lovaas and his method of treating autism, this book is unlikely to convert you into one.

As well as being melodramatic and poorly written, it is extremely sketchy, giving very few details about what actually went on in therapy sessions. The rather implausible impression it leaves is that the therapists stopped her son Drew from "stimming", gave him a few lessons, and as a result he somehow became completely normal in a matter of months.

I also have to say that Drew's own epilogue, written while he was at university, is distinctly reminiscent of accounts by other university students with high-functioning autism/Asperger's syndrome that I know of.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good first book on autism
Review: If you do not have a child with autism, this book will seem too simplistic and perhaps even poorly written. However, if you do have an autistic child, this will be an excellent first book. It was for my wife and me. We saw so many things in our own child that were described in this book! Also, this author pursued the Lovaas method of treatment and was highly successful. Although this method is scorned by many, we have used it also and it has given us truly remarkable results. We have met too many parents of autistic children who were unaware of this form of treatment, and sadly their children, despite various other well-meaning "therapies," have made little progress.

Rating:
Summary: Very badly written, but treatment descript. is interesting
Review: Is there a reward for counting the number of cigarettes lit throughout this book? :) It is so terribly written that I cringed reading it, but the description of the lovaas treatment made it worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Tragedy and Triumph
Review: Part One covers the long road to diagnosis with Part II covering treatment and includes excerpts from the parent therapy log. There are also a few black and white photos in some of the chapters. The photos did not really have any affect on me and could have been left out. Also quite bothersome to this reader was the habit of smoking cigarettes that Julie had, plus the fact that never was this discussed on how detrimental it could be to her children.

I would advise future readers to read the foreword after the book was been finished. I found it confusing reading about the test scores and mention of whether Drew was actually autistic or not better digested after learning the family dynamics beforehand. It is hard to comprehend on one page the dedication to several people who volunteered in the fight for Drew's life and then learning he has been cured and no longer viewed as being on the spectrum. I find that hard to believe as a parent and really did not focus on that aspect.

Unfortunately Autism: From Tragedy to Triumph did not delve too far into the therapy, but centered more on the feelings of the mother through out the process of raising her kids and dealing with the stigma associated at the time known as Refrigerator Mothers. She left her husband who was not very involved with the kids and did not believe Drew was different from other kids. She did move to another State and the book glossed over much of their lives.

The only parts I could relate to was doing most of the work herself by seeing professionals and caring for the daily lives of her children and the hassle of driving on freeways with a child that might open a door or get out of their seat. I did feel for Julie when they first started working at the autism clinic at UCLA with her viewing from the two-way mirror and cringing when her son would cry and they would continue at the same pace.

Dr. Lovaas comes across as a caring and understanding professional and one of the first Julie came in contact when learning about autism. I did not agree with the requirements they maintained for being in the program. Julie was not allowed to mention that Drew had a disability when she enrolled him in school. I am not sure I would have done the same thing, but she maintained that secrecy and Drew supposedly turned out to be a normal child. The book really does a good job of sharing the struggles on a daily basis in the early years while raising three small kids and the sacrifices the siblings had to endure. In order to enroll Drew in the autism program Julie was informed her other son who was younger would have to be in a daycare program so she could concentrate fully on Drew.

I would have liked to read more about the progress Drew made with the therapy. It just seemed to focus much on the autism in the beginning sharing the habits of the child that clearly indicated he was autistic and then after an unspecified amount of therapy he no longer had the diagnosis. Apparently I missed something in the book to have it happen so quickly. I was not happy when I read how to keep Drew focused on therapy Julie would not be able to feed him in the morning and the appointment was set closer to the afternoon. The therapy seemed very rigid and not flexible with more focus on that than the child, but they triumphed in the end so what do I know.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Small children are the joys of our lives. They sing, dance, whine, cry, play, pretend and even copy what they see. So what if your child doesn't respond to your call or what if the child seems lost in its own world, then what?

In this 180-page story you'll find out the ways you can deal with autism and autistic children. You'll be given an excellent insight into what you can do and where to find help. The book should be a great help to those who have autistic children and have trouble finding answers.

The book shows how effective the Lovass Method is; I will not begin to claim I understand the method. I have read arguments on both sides, so I will leave the decision up to those who are facing the issue. I can say the authors believe it works and they present a persuasive argument.

Finally I think that this book shows you that there is help out for parents, from therapy groups to doctors. Branden Publishing can take great pride in this book, as like so many others, it is excellent reading.