Rating: 
Summary: Interesting if unscientific exploration
Review: It is a touching and helpful book. It has little in the way of statistics or scientific research to back up its observations. Sowell takes predictable swipes at the educational establishment. Still, that said, I would recommend it to worried parents as interesting and reassuring.
Rating: 
Summary: The Autistic Spectrum
Review: In the description of this book are the words, "hardly definitive, but should ease the minds of worried parents." This concerned me deeply, and I decided to read the above book. As the mother of a child diagnosed with autism before the age of two, I am deeply grateful that my physicians took my concerns about late language seriously. Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that there is a great deal of variability in the symptoms, the severity, and the level of functional disability. My husband was language delayed as a child, and although he "turned out normal," he struggled with social situations for years before achieving "normal functioning." Would an early diagnosis have helped him? I would guess that it would have helped his parents to handle his difficulties as a functional deficit, rather than as weird behavior or naughtiness that was often punished or ridiculed. My son's early diagnosis of autism was a lifesaver. He was more severely afflicted than my husband, and had we listened to the many reassurances regarding Einstein's late speech, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have endured a severe, lifelong disability. However, before he turned two we were able to obtain and implement intensive educational services that I know would not have been as effective, had we waited. At four, he has achieved a level of functioning that is remarkable, especially considering how delayed he had been. In addition, we have researched the disorder in depth, and discovered that there is an umbrella of disorders besides autism that have long been considered to be on the "autistic spectrum," such as OCD, Tourettes, and some forms of schizophrenia and ADHD. Oddly enough, scientists are finding similar urinary peptides in patients with each of these disorders. This means that they may all actually be manifestations of the same biochemical disease process. The most common lamentation I have heard from other parents at support meetings is that their child's language delays were dismissed by well-meaning friends and physicians, and the late diagnosis that resulted meant months or years of lost time in which the child could have received treatment. By the way, Einstein had a great deal of social difficulties, and was considered by many to have had autism. In its most subtle form, autism is a gift of higher intellect, but in a severe form can be a terrible disability. In many cases, it is the parents' persistence, and the level of early intervention that makes the difference between the two. Language delays WITHOUT social abnormalities are usually outgrown, but still might benefit from early speech therapy. But especially if there are concerns about abnormal eye contact, social differences, lack of receptive language or pretend play, then there is no harm in calling one's county's Early Intervention program and asking for a free speech evaluation. An early diagnosis makes a huge difference in the lifetime outcome of a child with autism. Yes, this is an interesting idea for a book, but I fear that it misleads parents with a false sense of security.
Rating:
Summary: This is a critical review from a teacher's viewpoint.
Review: This book is a journey into the world of children who acquire language at a later than usual age. Through readable case studies of children and their families, Dr. Sowell draws some compelling conclusions that may well make an important contribution to the growing understanding of late talking children in relationship to Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). His findings about the numbers of families with adults working in analytical professions support similar observations of many others who come in contact with this population. I fear, however, Dr. Sowell will alienate others as he has me. I am a special education teacher specializing in early intervention services. I am aware of the startling increase in autism, PDD and other related disorders in children and share Dr. Sowell's concerns about inaccurate perceptions and labeling of children.I am puzzled, though, by Dr. Sowell's clearly negative perceptions and inflammatory statements about publi! c education. The comments and conclusions scattered throughout the book often reveal his ignorance of why and how the schools must fulfill their obligation to the Federally mandated Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This mandate is funded at only 7% of the actual cost to the public education system. The balance of 93% is funded by state and local schools. Dr. Sowell accuses the schools of greedily seeking money through their "smooth talking experts"who label children so they can collect special education dollars. I wonder if he realizes that what little money there is has to cover the cost of small special education classes and mandated support services such as occupational and physical therapy, speech and language therapy, nursing services, adaptive physical education, behavioral and psychological evaluation and counseling and transportation to and from school. Any monies received through a child's label are a drop in the bucket when compared ! to the actual cost of these under-funded services. The asse! ssment process and labeling to which Dr. Sowell so strongly objects are also required to establish eligibility and determine what services would be best for the child. Although I agree that people should not have to wear labels, there is little the schools can do to change that. Dr. Sowell should also know that under this same education mandate, parents are an integral part of a team made up of all those who are responsible for the child's education. The decision to place a child in special education is never made without the full participation and consent of the parents. A yearly update of the child's goals and objectives is required. Every three years, a full review is conducted and placement is reconsidered. The parents must once again give their consent to any placement. However, if the child makes unexpected progress or the parents are unhappy with the child's placement, the parent can reconvene the team at any time and would again be included in any decision abou! t the child. Once again, Dr. Sowell needs to do his homework before accusing the schools of keeping children prisoners of special education. I am concerned that Dr. Sowell's criticism of the schools will deter many parents from seeking help for their children. After age three, insurance companies often refuse to pay for needed therapies costing anywhere from $50 to $90 per hour because they know that the schools are expected to provide these services. The schools then become the only source of help for many families who cannot afford private services. Just as in other professions, not all employees of the schools come up the standards we would wish. The majority, however, are experienced, well trained professionals who treat parents and children with respect. In the majority of cases, the assessment process for young children is far different than those few unfortunate experiences described in the book. To generalize these few negative experiences over the entire nati! on's educational system is like throwing out the whole bush! el because of a few wormy apples. If Dr. Sowell really wants to help children and families, he should present a more accurate and balanced picture so that he does not deter parents from seeking the help their child may need. Dr. Sowell also discusses a few commonly used terms he finds troublesome. Whild he feels the term developmentally delayed is just a politically correct way of saying a child is retarded, most educational psychologists prefer to use that term to describe delays in young children. The reason for this comes from Dr. Sowell's own words when he describes some children who "outgrow" their diagnosis and eventually function within the normal range. Because young children sometimes do catch up to their age peers, the term developmentally delayed does seem the more appropriate one to use! The label "autistic" is also discussed. For a child to be labeled autistic, he or she must meet specific diagnostic criteria. Because of the devastatin! g effects of this diagnosis, there is rarely doubt about the child at the time it is given. In some rare, wonderful instances, children do change dramatically enough to reconsider the diagnosis. Parents new to the world ofa late talking child are not usually in a position to judge the true nature of their child's problem without a professional evaluation. For some fortunate ones, the diagnosis may turn out to be a language delay only. For others, however, it could be autism or PDD. Unlike the less serious problems associated the child who talks late, autism is a lifelong condition for which there is no known cure. It is essential for families to receive help and support as early as possible. What a shame it would be if, based on Dr. Sowell's book, parents were to avoid what may be their only source of help - the schools.
Rating: 
Summary: A highly flawed but still important analysis
Review: It is extremely surprising to me that a man of Thomas Sowell's erudition could write this book. I am a parent of a late-talking child with high intelligence. He has some of the behavioral characteristics of the children whose case histories appear in this book, and like some of them, he was given a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. We have aggressively pursued treatment for him, with the result that his speech and socialization now appear close to normal. When he enters kindergarten in '99, there will be no question that he belongs in a normal classroom; the school he enters will be unaware that he has ever had problems, and his behavior won't tip them off. The same could have been true of the children described in Sowell's book; but it has not been, because those children's problems were not treated; everyone was too busy insisting that "my son couldn't be autistic; look at him, he can do puzzles/ math problems/ pick locks/ play on our computer!" It's time for a wake-! up call, parents; that's what mildly afflicted autistic-spectrum children of high intelligence do. Even Sowell's statistics are questionable. He claims that it is noteworthy that every child in his sample had a close relative who is either in a technical field or a musician. Think about the proportion of engineers in the population; think about the number of families which, if one includes aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, have technical members. For Sowell to leave this question of statistical strength unaddressed is shocking. Yet, this book is important in that it focuses on bright children with mild autistic spectrum disorders, who may look autistic as young children but whose outcomes are often good. This class of children has long gone unrecognized by a mainstream autism community which refuses to believe that autism spectrum disorders can be treated effectively, to the point of near-recovery. But leaving these kids untreated isn't the way to go; one is leav! ing to chance what should be, and can be, taken into our ha! nds. If a parent starts specialized education early -- and effective treatement can start before the child is 2 -- the problem can be gone by the time the child reaches kindergarten. There is a yawning gap in literature on, and awareness of, children with mild autistic spectrum disorders. Thomas Sowell has tried to fill the gap -- but badly and wrongly. His recommendation that late-talking children be left untreated, lest they be labeled by their school systems, is likely to leave many parents who latch onto his book, because of its heartening message, feeling terribly sick and sorry when their children are older.
Rating: 
Summary: By a mother of a late-talking son
Review: As a mother of a late-talking son, it would be impossible to exaggerate the worth of this book to me. The author, Thomas Sowell, is the father of a late-talking and obviously intelligent son. This book is the result of an investigation he began in response to the lack of information he encountered in his own efforts to understand and help his son. The voices of the parents of other late-talking children he encounters speak movingly as they describe their struggles with the education and psycho/medical establishments searching, as he did himself, for answers and help, but finding, more often than not, unhelpful labeling and classification.. No parent's voice is more moving than his own. His quest was obviously heartfelt. The results of his researches are eye opening. I recognized my son; I recognized my father; I recognized my family, as did many others. I am grateful to Dr. Sowell for undertaking this study, and for understanding the need of others in our position to hear the heartening results . The book is well reasoned, and jargon free. No pseudo-professional feel good talk. The author's tone is intellectual, plain speaking and exceedingly kind. I could not recommend this book more highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Late talking child reviews Late-Talking Children
Review: My sister says this book describes me to a tee. Well, she's always had the better memory of our childhood days. I didn't start talking until I was 4, but started talking in complete sentences right away. Like Sowell's (too) many examples, I had speech therapy classes in elementary school, was unusually fond of mathematics, and wound up working on computers - before they were common. This is a must-have book if you have an inquisitive son who can take apart anything and can communicate without talking. Don't let the public school labellers label him learning disabled or autistic. He'll turn out fine without their "help".
Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading!
Review: This was a waste of my time! I sat there and read about this boy and what he could do! Then read about more kids and what they were good at. It should have another title about not labeling our kids or something. Not late talking children that makes me think that is going to help me with my late talker. Why was this even published. I could go and write about my son and how he is sooo smart but doesn't talk yet. WOW you would really care!
Rating:
Summary: An important research is beginning!
Review: I read this book seven years after it was published. Having been a late talker who fit the common Characteristics of the Sowell group of Late Talking children, I was also amazed at how these descriptions fit my 25 months old son who does not have a single word but has a remarkable memory and is very advanced in many areas of developments. My son has been examined by doctors and psychologist who have found nothing wrong with him but instead mentioned his unusual advancement in other areas including his fine and gross motor skills (unlike me who were really clumsy as a child).
The AEA speech therapist whoever, continued to insinuate that my child must have a developmental problem, insisting on autism for a child that is warm, loving, cuddly, funny, loves new things, is thrilled in public spaces and gets extremely bored with routines. I am gladly postponing his speech therapy to age 3, because he is frankly not interested in it now.
Before I bought this book, I paid attention to all the reviews including negative ones. After reading the book, I came back and re-read them all. This time I was so struck by the dogmatism and lack of comprehension by the reviewers who rated this book so poorly.
Like any other responsible social scientist, Thomas Sowell many time acknowledges the fact that his group represents only a subset of late talkers, and that he does not want to give false hope to parents of all late talkers, but that comment seem to go over the head of these reviewer.
If you as a parent, feel that your child maybe mislabeled, or is about to be mislabeled or if you are baffled by your child abilities in analytical processes and recollections of thing, places and events, and can't understand why such smart child can lag so behind in speech, read this book with an open mind. It may not provide you with answers but it encourages you to respect the unconventional nature of some human beings and help you abstain from presumptuousness that is so culturally common. After all not very many great contributions to the history of humanity have come from people who completely fit the conventional profile.
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