Rating: 
Summary: A great ABA resource, but....
Review: If you are considering ABA this is the book you need. It has all the how-to's plus lesson guidance. We used it but ABA didn't work for our sons. Ignore chapter 4 it is completely off-base, dietary interventions do work.
Rating: 
Summary: "THE" Layman's guide to ABA -
Review: Immediately after my son's diagnosis (PDD-NOS) - I read everything I could get my hands on about Autism. From my research, it seemed the therapy that had the most scientifically proven successes on motivating a child to 1)Attend 2) Respond and 3) Learn..... was ABA. Therefore, I wanted to get my son started with this therapy immediately. This book proved to be exactly what we needed as a family to get started. In it you will find invaluable techniques and most importantly HOPE that these children can and do learn. You will find specific instructions on how to proceed with language drills as well as how to track your childs progress. HOWEVER - I DEFINITELY disagree with the stance of the author that dietary interventions have no proven merit, and should not be investigated. chapter 4. Tear it out and forget it. GFCF works! Other than this - the book is a true gem! We still use techniques to this day!
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Summary: The bible for Homebased ABA programs that are parent run
Review: Not every family is blessed with great programming in their backyard - some families are from rural places within the US and even outside the country where services are extremely difficult to come by. Some families due to limitations of time and money and other distractions can't handle the fight with school districts with myopic views on the real possibility that a child with autism can normalize if treated intensively and early on. Instead they play games with families and short change everyone, the child - the family and society in general... I happened to have a therapist work on my program who worked with Catherine Maurices second child. I had advantages of time,location and money many won't have and yet with this book and others like it (for example Ron Leafs book from the Autism Partnership out of LA, Ca.)One can develop a top notch ABA program anywhere. If there is a lack of funds get churches/temples to find local committed people to volunteer, etc. even high school students can be trained. ABA breaks down the autistic childs great confusion with processing the world into very small steps and little by little opens the child to the social dynamics of his environment. It enables the child to stop hyper focasing on irrelevant details like spinning objects, lining things up, etc.. which the child does to keep order and relieve anxiety from this confusion and the diagnostic symptoms of the disorder fade as the child makes sense of the world through one on one intervention. ABA isn't the only approach some swear by Son Rise - however, those which are effective are intensive and one on one. When a child starts to really make gains mainstraming is nessessary for peer modeling and friendship building and then a book like "Teaching Children with Autism Strategies for initating positive interactions" is a great help which teaches self management so the child has control over themself in his or her environment. As far as diet goes some do well by the gluten/casein free diet and some can't manage it -however there are new products that can help the child to break down these exogeneous proteins like enzymes and probiotics (which are basically good bacteria which produce the enzymes for proper digestion) and the right balance of Omega oils and codliver oil... Kirkman Labs has a great site with a 179 page document that explains the excess opiod theory their products in my experience have been immensely helpful. And lastly, don't despair the worst is really in the beginning as you hit the ground running and feel so unprepared... as your child makes extraordinary strides and normalizes you will feel the great rewards of parenthood - and more - a great accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: Your voice is a blessing........
Review: Thank you for your contribution to the autism community. My grandson is a 5 year old boy with autism. We have read all of your books. These books have reached our family at the perfect times from diagnoses, to starting an ABA program, to the continuation of services. Your voice is a blessing in our community.....
Rating:
Summary: An Essential Book for Parents with Autistic Children
Review: The authors present an excellent overview of behavior analysis applied to the treatment of autistic children. There is a chapter on what methods have proven effective and what methods have not. There is a terrific curriculum guide that shows Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced skills to work on. There are two chapters on language development & speech therapy that are very helpful. If you have a child with autism, buy this book. If you are a teacher or practioner also buy the more comprehensive guide "A Work In Progress.." written by Ron Leaf PhD, published in 1999.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book.
Review: This book saved my son's life. About one year ago (at 3.3 years old) he was diagnosed as having PDD. The professionals that evaluted him (from the school district) assured me that there was no cure for PDD/Autism and that I should not believe in any promise of cure. Fortunately, I did not believe in what they told me. I did my own research on the internet and found this book and "Let me hear your voice" (which should be read before you read "Behavioral Intervention...") also by C. Maurice. I did ABA myself with my son, and now he is totally recovered from PDD. For parents looking for more information on ABA I strongly recomend the site http://rsaffran.tripod.com
Rating: 
Summary: A broad overview.
Review: This book, by the author of Let Me Hear Your Voice, is a broad overview of the state of the field in autism treatment. It describes many different concepts and programs and even has practical material for getting started. A good starting point no doubt.
Rating:
Summary: A Manual for Parents and Professionals
Review: This consists of four hundred pages listing twenty-one chapters. Since writing another book on her autistic children, the editor Catherine Maurice received so many calls from parents inquiring on behavioral programs and combining them with the countless types of therapies that families are trying to incorporate. She refers to the countless breakthrough treatments that parents flock to in order to cure the autism their child has. She feels that unless you can provide concrete scientific research to support said statements no one is really an authority on autism. There are an alarming number of professionals and parents that have come to rely on educators and therapists and they may not have all the facts, yet we rely on them to have the answers for our children.
The last chapters are personal stories, about the authors and the index. This was co-edited by Gina Green & Stephen C. Luce. I had the preschool teacher several years ago make copies of Chapter five and incorporate them in her program. The curriculum guide was in a beginner, intermediate and advanced sections broken down into various skills.
There is also a flow-chart that explains the system for behavior modification and the steps to go through depending on yes or no responses. At the end of each chapter lists conclusions, acknowledgements and references accordingly. Throughout the book are examples of steps or exercises to use and tables with the tasks being broken step by step.
This manual should be in the home of every parent who has an autistic child, those that teach children should have a copy in the classroom as well as therapists, doctors, nutritionists and other professionals that come into contact with the special needs community.
Rating:
Summary: A great how to book
Review: This is a great book to use as I guide whether you plan on doing intensive therapy in your home or plan on using other sources and supplement at home. Our son is 3 1/2 and has mild autism. He will be in a regular preschool 5 mornings a week. However, I feel that I should still be doing more to target certain communication, self help and pre-academic skills. This book gives a very extensive list of what the curriculum should be in the beginning, intermediate and advanced stages of your child's development. I went through the list carefully checking off those skills that my son already has and it gave me a very clear path as to what I should be working on with him. Since the home therapy is so extensive, she states that you must have in home help and that makes this plan impractical for me since I can not afford to hire people and I am not in an area with a strong college or university where I can pull from for volunteer help. However, I can do one-on-one work with him and then give his preschool teachers information as to what I will be working on with him each week. All in all, although I will probably never use all of the information that is included in this book, I have still found it extremely helpful.
Rating:
Summary: very valuable
Review: This is a manual for setting up a behavioral program for an autistic child, a passionate yet practical approach to dealing with an extremely serious problem, a place to begin *doing* something. Parents of autistic children have to get involved in their children's treatment, even in those rare cases where the professionals they consult are really well-informed and do their best to map out the situation for the parents. Read the last chapters first, though, especially if you haven't read "Let Me Hear Your Voice." I started this book at the beginning, and it took me a long time to understand what it was about (this was the first book I read on autism, and I lacked a great deal of context and background, but the organization of the book did not help). It needs a better introduction, though perhaps I'm being too tough on the editors and authors. They've set themselves a very difficult task, and succeeded very well. I'd recommend that it be the second book read by parents looking at a diagnosis of autism or PDD for their child. The first should be Catherine Maurice's "Let Me Hear Your Voice." Perhaps that book is this book's best introduction.
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