Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous!!
Review: Finally, a book that speaks to how Christian parents should raise their challenged kids. I have a severely disabled 8 year old and have been very disappointed in other books I have read on the subject. This book encourages us in our very difficult and often lonely tasks. Having a book like this reminds me I am not alone in my struggles. It is heartening to know others are daily striving to find ways to help their children both spiritually and physically.Hats off to the Steers and their willingness to take the hard road and share that road with others.
Rating:
Summary: Too Wise to be Mistaken, Too Good to be Unkind
Review: Finally, a book that speaks to how Christian parents should raise their challenged kids. I have a severely disabled 8 year old and have been very disappointed in other books I have read on the subject. This book encourages us in our very difficult and often lonely tasks. Having a book like this reminds me I am not alone in my struggles. It is heartening to know others are daily striving to find ways to help their children both spiritually and physically.Hats off to the Steers and their willingness to take the hard road and share that road with others.
Rating:
Summary: thank you, Mrs. Steere!
Review: I am a Christian mother of an autistic son, and I was horrified and sickened by this book. Besides being very stilted and poorly written, it basically details almost four years of complete ignorance that the author's son is anything but willful and "morally depraved." She relates countless incidences of her autistic child's symptomatic fears, lack of receptive language and cognitive deficits being met with what must be defined as physical abuse, since he didn't in fact have the "will" to disobey, or any sense of age appropriate understanding as to why he was being spanked and left sobbing, by her own admission. She refers to this chillingly as "correcting" her handicapped son, and although she briefly considers this might not have been the right way to handle his every symptom, she decides she is proud of herself in the end, when he improves around age 4-5 (an age when many high functioning autistic children begin talking and show huge social & cognitive improvements, especially when combined with effective therapies). If she is so confident about her methods, why doesn't she just once use the word "spank"? I am very much in favor of Biblical principles applied to all of life, including child rearing, but doesn't Jesus talk an awful lot about love, particularly for the disadvantaged? And I am also a big fan of NeuroDevelopmental therapy, dietary therapy, obedience, discipline, patience, holding a handicapped child to Biblical standards (as applicable), and raising a child soul-first; however, this is a book review, not a plug for any of the above, and this is a very poorly written, misguided, in many cases misinformed, and overall upsetting book. I recommend for a Christian perspective read something else, and for ideas about autism, read something else. Amazon has some good alternatives on this very page.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book Review of a bad book, not a plug for ND therapy:
Review: I am a Christian mother of an autistic son, and I was horrified and sickened by this book. Besides being very stilted and poorly written, it basically details almost four years of complete ignorance that the author's son is anything but willful and "morally depraved." She relates countless incidences of her autistic child's symptomatic fears, lack of receptive language and cognitive deficits being met with what must be defined as physical abuse, since he didn't in fact have the "will" to disobey, or any sense of age appropriate understanding as to why he was being spanked and left sobbing, by her own admission. She refers to this chillingly as "correcting" her handicapped son, and although she briefly considers this might not have been the right way to handle his every symptom, she decides she is proud of herself in the end, when he improves around age 4-5 (an age when many high functioning autistic children begin talking and show huge social & cognitive improvements, especially when combined with effective therapies). If she is so confident about her methods, why doesn't she just once use the word "spank"? I am very much in favor of Biblical principles applied to all of life, including child rearing, but doesn't Jesus talk an awful lot about love, particularly for the disadvantaged? And I am also a big fan of NeuroDevelopmental therapy, dietary therapy, obedience, discipline, patience, holding a handicapped child to Biblical standards (as applicable), and raising a child soul-first; however, this is a book review, not a plug for any of the above, and this is a very poorly written, misguided, in many cases misinformed, and overall upsetting book. I recommend for a Christian perspective read something else, and for ideas about autism, read something else. Amazon has some good alternatives on this very page.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful for Parents of Autistic Children
Review: I am a parent of twin daughters in the autistic spectrum and I have read through many books about autism: some clinical, some from a parents perspective. This book was such a breath of fresh air. I am so grateful that Cathy Steere shared her story. Cathy's struggle mirrored mine in many ways. As a parent of autistic children, it is very difficult to know how to discipline and teach them. Many people without autistic children or children at all, claim to be experts in the area of child raising. I tend to listen to other parents who have done the job successfully, who love their children and who hold to a strong faith in God. The Bible does not address autism per se but it does address child raising, it gives examples of wise people and foolish people, and we do have the example of Jesus Christ. I would highly recommend this book to any parent of a child diagnosed as being PDD-NOS, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, or Autism. I trust parents to be able to read Cathy Steere's book and judge for themselves. I don't believe Cathy Steere is an elitist as she is not among the "professional elite" that try to mold and shape public opinion. She is a mother who dearly loves her child and wants to do what's best for him and shared her story so that what she learned could benefit other parents.
Rating:
Summary: Good Counsel for Wise Parents
Review: I found this book to be extremely encouraging. Like Mrs. Steere, I am a mother to a first-born child with autism. I, too, thought his strange behaviors were "normal" and it took the birth of my second child to begin to see just how challenged my first-born child was/is although I did recognize some of his unusual habits/reactions before then. I experienced many of the same thinking processes, emotions, fears, sadnesses, doubts about my mothering, intentional/unintentional harshness from others and struggles that she relates in this book. We searched and searched for help, spending many years and dollars in the process and reaping a lot of frustration and "hind-sight" wisdom.
This book is not a detailed textbook (and I don't think Mrs. Steere intended it to be); it is a parent-to-parent from-the-heart retelling of Mr and Mrs. Steere's journey from pre-birth until they found solid answers and real help for their son's needs. I found times when I could not put the book down!
Our family has recently started the same therapy program (NeuroDevelopmental or ND for short) that Mrs. Steere mentions in the latter part of the book. I was quite skeptical at first, since so many other therapies we encountered before had promised my husband and me everything from total cure to elimination of any learning/social/behavior problems and then produced little to nothing. The best of them helped our son's debilitating autistic attributes to decelerate somewhat but did not improve anything. With this ND therapy, we are seeing so many good solid levels of improvement and a lot of that improvement happened within the first 4 to 6 weeks! He is now building upon the earlier improvements. Both my husband and I feel that this particular therapy is the best avenue for him.
One of the very best aspects of this therapy (neurodevelopmental) is that each program is tailored to the child's specific needs. If two children in one family are both using this therapy, they will have 2 different programs because they will have different needs. Since autism produces such widely varied inefficiencies and over/under-development in areas of sensory, tactility, occular, hearing, and other areas, having a program that matches the child's needs with the specific therapies to address those needs and ONLY those needs is the most efficient and effective way to approach remediation.
One part of Mrs. Steere's book that I really appreciated is the discipline issue as they implimented good discipline and then encountered others who felt they were too strict or felt that children with autism could not be disciplined at all or felt that harsh discipline would solve the whole problem. Since we had encountered all those scenarios as well, I was both encouraged and comforted to continue to train all my children, not just the "typical" ones, in a godly manner, with kindness and love and truth. We found out later, as did the Steeres, that children who have had consistent training and discipline respond to appropriate therapy more quickly and easier than children who are left to themselves.
This is a very good book for parenting children with autism. I plan to buy a second copy to share with others.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Steere for your willingness to share and become vulnerable; this book will bless many families!
Rating:
Summary: Good Counsel for Wise Parents
Review: I found this book to be extremely encouraging. Like Mrs. Steere, I am a mother to a first-born child with autism. I, too, thought his strange behaviors were "normal" and it took the birth of my second child to begin to see just how challenged my first-born child was/is although I did recognize some of his unusual habits/reactions before then. I experienced many of the same thinking processes, emotions, fears, sadnesses, doubts about my mothering, intentional/unintentional harshness from others and struggles that she relates in this book. We searched and searched for help, spending many years and dollars in the process and reaping a lot of frustration and "hind-sight" wisdom.
This book is not a detailed textbook (and I don't think Mrs. Steere intended it to be); it is a parent-to-parent from-the-heart retelling of Mr and Mrs. Steere's journey from pre-birth until they found solid answers and real help for their son's needs. I found times when I could not put the book down!
Our family has recently started the same therapy program (NeuroDevelopmental or ND for short) that Mrs. Steere mentions in the latter part of the book. I was quite skeptical at first, since so many other therapies we encountered before had promised my husband and me everything from total cure to elimination of any learning/social/behavior problems and then produced little to nothing. The best of them helped our son's debilitating autistic attributes to decelerate somewhat but did not improve anything. With this ND therapy, we are seeing so many good solid levels of improvement and a lot of that improvement happened within the first 4 to 6 weeks! He is now building upon the earlier improvements. Both my husband and I feel that this particular therapy is the best avenue for him.
One of the very best aspects of this therapy (neurodevelopmental) is that each program is tailored to the child's specific needs. If two children in one family are both using this therapy, they will have 2 different programs because they will have different needs. Since autism produces such widely varied inefficiencies and over/under-development in areas of sensory, tactility, occular, hearing, and other areas, having a program that matches the child's needs with the specific therapies to address those needs and ONLY those needs is the most efficient and effective way to approach remediation.
One part of Mrs. Steere's book that I really appreciated is the discipline issue as they implimented good discipline and then encountered others who felt they were too strict or felt that children with autism could not be disciplined at all or felt that harsh discipline would solve the whole problem. Since we had encountered all those scenarios as well, I was both encouraged and comforted to continue to train all my children, not just the "typical" ones, in a godly manner, with kindness and love and truth. We found out later, as did the Steeres, that children who have had consistent training and discipline respond to appropriate therapy more quickly and easier than children who are left to themselves.
This is a very good book for parenting children with autism. I plan to buy a second copy to share with others.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Steere for your willingness to share and become vulnerable; this book will bless many families!
Rating:
Summary: Build Strong Foundations
Review: I like the author did not know much about the autistic child. I learned what it was like to have an autistic child through the sights and sounds of Drew portrayed by his loving mother. Of course I know nothing experientially, only by the pictures painted by a woman who had complete faith in God and that He would see her and her family through. The most important part of the book to me came at the end by one who was trained in helping kids like Drew, Cyndi Ringoen. Mrs. Ringoen in the Afterward of the book tells of the terrific progress made by Drew. I quote Mrs Ringoen in the book as saying : "But I believe that most of the progress was obtained so quickly because of Cathy and David's conviction about their responsibility to raise a moral child. Because of this, they spent many years, before I ever met them, instilling in Drew the need for following direction and being obedient. This was the most important foundation they could have possibly laid for him. It wasn't until he was four years old that they found the answer to help Drew overcome his autistic symptoms, but because of the foundation, they could then take the answer and run with it - getting immediate and dramatic results in the process."
Rating:
Summary: Not Just a Good Story: Steere's Tale Brings Hope To Parents
Review: In attempting to find authoritative books on Autism, there tends to be two sources: psychologists/health care professionals, and parents who have engaged (usually with some measure of success) in one form of therapy or another. Cathy Steere makes no pretenses to be authoritative; hers is a gritty, first-hand account of the realities of encountering the faceless monster that is Autism and her personal battle to snatch her son from its jaws.Steere provides a candor in her narrative that is refreshing. She doesn't shirk from the graphic details of personal agony; self-doubt and second-guessing that haunt all parents of Autistic children. She resists the temptation to portray herself as a selfless heroine in providing the constant therapy to her son, and, in so doing, gives hope to the reader who struggles through the same frustrations. Those who view Autism solely as a psychological/social disorder will no doubt denigrate the therapy program espoused by Steere. This approach focuses upon treating the brain as a physical organ, rather than a social organ, and operates from the standpoint that repetitive exercise through continual input can strengthen the desired skills and ultimately produce the desired output. As an educator, scientist and athletic coach, I find the approach solid in basis. After trying "typical" approaches - including standard physical and occupational therapies as well as restrictive diets - my wife Denise and I found in Steere's book a program that empowers the parent to affect real change in the child. For my wife, the book provided a constant companion, a friend who was able to share her grief and hope on command. For myself, it provided a source to make sense out of the confusion that ensnarled our family. For our daughter, the book provided us an avenue to effectively wrest her from her darkness. The progress that she has experienced - a progress that has been significant enough to both make an impression upon her doctors and therapists and provide relief and hope to our family - can be substantially attributed to Cathy's tale of struggle and victory with her son Drew. This book is, indeed, not for everyone. Not all parents will be willing to put the time, effort, and energy and yes, discipline necessary into the program to which Steere refers. Steere's unapologetically conservative Christian values will no doubt be an affront to those who are looking for a more "touchy-feely" approach. That being said, Steere's book is a venture into a bold response to an insidious condition...a response with a decidedly happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just a Good Story: Steere's Tale Brings Hope To Parents
Review: In attempting to find authoritative books on Autism, there tends to be two sources: psychologists/health care professionals, and parents who have engaged (usually with some measure of success) in one form of therapy or another. Cathy Steere makes no pretenses to be authoritative; hers is a gritty, first-hand account of the realities of encountering the faceless monster that is Autism and her personal battle to snatch her son from its jaws. Steere provides a candor in her narrative that is refreshing. She doesn't shirk from the graphic details of personal agony; self-doubt and second-guessing that haunt all parents of Autistic children. She resists the temptation to portray herself as a selfless heroine in providing the constant therapy to her son, and, in so doing, gives hope to the reader who struggles through the same frustrations. Those who view Autism solely as a psychological/social disorder will no doubt denigrate the therapy program espoused by Steere. This approach focuses upon treating the brain as a physical organ, rather than a social organ, and operates from the standpoint that repetitive exercise through continual input can strengthen the desired skills and ultimately produce the desired output. As an educator, scientist and athletic coach, I find the approach solid in basis. After trying "typical" approaches - including standard physical and occupational therapies as well as restrictive diets - my wife Denise and I found in Steere's book a program that empowers the parent to affect real change in the child. For my wife, the book provided a constant companion, a friend who was able to share her grief and hope on command. For myself, it provided a source to make sense out of the confusion that ensnarled our family. For our daughter, the book provided us an avenue to effectively wrest her from her darkness. The progress that she has experienced - a progress that has been significant enough to both make an impression upon her doctors and therapists and provide relief and hope to our family - can be substantially attributed to Cathy's tale of struggle and victory with her son Drew. This book is, indeed, not for everyone. Not all parents will be willing to put the time, effort, and energy and yes, discipline necessary into the program to which Steere refers. Steere's unapologetically conservative Christian values will no doubt be an affront to those who are looking for a more "touchy-feely" approach. That being said, Steere's book is a venture into a bold response to an insidious condition...a response with a decidedly happy ending.
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