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Summary: This book was an outstretched hand offering hope
Review: My son was diagnosed with moderate to severe PDD at 19 months. This book was given to me soon after and became my parental bible. I needed to know that another Mom felt the feelings I had and had the determination to find the "right" way to go. AT the time, ABA was very controversial in our area. We only found one school doing it within a 50 mile radius of our home. Today, five years later, there are waiting lists for kids to get into ABA programs. They can't train the teachers fast enough. Thank you Catherine Maurice. Your words comforted me on some of the darkest of nights. I have learned to love my son for who he is and am awed by his significant progress (he entered Kindergarten with NO services). I realize he is not and never will be "normal" (whatever THAT is) and I am so grateful that he can show me the world from his unique and wonderful perception. What a gift.
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Summary: Let me read more books like this : A Family's Triumph...
Review: For any family going through the pain of autism, or anyone interested in learning more than what they saw in 'Rainman', this book is a definite read. Though the approaches to curing their children's autism are controversial within the medical autism community, the families efforts and struggles are well-documented and well-received. This book gives a wealth of insight into one families struggle to recognize, treat, and eventually triumph over the autism of their child(ren). You'll no doubt share in the moments of excitement as her child talks, shares, or even makes eye contact without prompting. READ THE BOOK...my review does not pay it the least bit of justice.
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Summary: The most helpful book on Autism I have read!
Review: Shortly after my daughter was diagnosed with Autism, I fell upon Catherine Maurice's book. Thank goodness! The book was honest and down right frank on therapies on Autism. Her daughter was a carbon copy of mine. Who is now 8 years old. Mrs. Maurice went through all the emotions and heartache My husband and I did, and researched a realm of therapies until she found one she truly believed in.When I read her book I felt like I had finally found some awnsers, and believe me I truly DID! I sought the same therapies that she had for her daughter. It was not easy in the mid 90's their was a lot of negativity about behavior therapy. This therapy has come a long way since the 1960's. And right from the start I stated NO ONE was to touch my child in an adverse way. The toughest adversity was a time out. We finally found a wonderful man to work with our daughter. Unlike Mrs. Maurice we did not have the finances that she seemed to have but with some state assistance and hard work within my family my daughter is funtioning more than we ever dared to dream. We also used speech therapy and some OT.. No one therapy works alone and Mrs. Maurice really stresses this in her book. Our daughter is not "Cured" but I don't think any one ever is from autism. But these therapies certainly made my daughters life a lot more functional and is doing wonderfully in school, and seems to truly enjoy life! Give this book a try if you have a child with autism even if you don't agree with the therapies used. It offers a lot of insight and is a excellent read. And I must say a godsend to to our family.
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Summary: Seminal Work on ABA method, family style
Review: When my fourth child was diagnosed with "PDD", I was happy. That was how ignorant I was--I thought it meant he wasn't autistic! Six years and one more autistic child later, I still credit this book with giving me a foothold and a way of grasping how to deal with the educational interventions that I feel continue to remain most viable for so many autistic children. I had nothing but my own gut feelings, one other book called "Children with Autism", and this book to guide me in the beginning stages of what would prove to be the longest, most incredible journey I have ever made in my life. It's still evolving, and so are we, in my family. Because of this book, I garnered the strength to look into educational intervention for my first autistic son in the way of a "home program". I didn't know anything about what a "home program" entailed until I read this book. I didn't know that the optimal time you must devote to a program such as this has been set at 40 hours a week! I didn't know that there wouldn't be any trained therapists available--I had to be trained myself, in fact! I found babysitters, one high school girl, you name it--at one point I was so desparate I dissolved in tears and said, "I CAN'T DO THIS! " But you have to. YOU JUST HAVE TO. And you will, too, because you must. As my supervisor said to me when she "okayed" us for the program, "Look at it this way--two years of your life will make such a difference." And it did. Not the sucess story the author had, but at least a sense of control over things and an awareness of my son's potential. This book gave me something to hang on to. I realize now, especially after having a second autistic son, that not all things go as planned, and not all "programs" turn out as ideally as Maurice's did. On the other hand, you must have hope when you are an autistic parent. This book gave me that. And it gave me an understanding of an invaluable way of teaching young autistic children that is still the primary way they are taught most sucessfully (it is called Applied Behavioral Analysis now)that I needed, just to get started in the right direction. Buy it and read it. Use your brain when you read it and accept the fact that all these kids are different and you are not this woman. But be thankful. She wrote THE GROUNDBREAKING BOOK on this type of intervention. best wishes, Jean
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Summary: Scientifically backed Hope
Review: This was the first book that I read on Autism that didn't blame me for my son's Autism. It was also the first book that backed up it's claim of overcoming Autism with scientifically sound research. It offered hope and guided me to do what I needed to do to help my son. I also want to point out that my son was very affected by Autism and now is almost recovered and I am a financially challenged mom who used donations, volunteers and myself to do what Catherine did with her financial resources. I am thankful she could afford it for her children but I am living proof that you don't have to be wealthy to get the results that she did. A wonderfully written inspiration to us all!
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Summary: An extraordinary book.
Review: Six months ago my 3 year-old son was correctly diagnosed as having PDD. The experts that examined him told us that there was no cure for it, and the best thing we could try would be play therapy. I read the books that they recommended on that subject, but I was not convinced by them. Fortunately, via the internet I found this book and the other one by C. Maurice, that is, "Behavioral intervention for young children with autism". Everything looked so convincing that I decided to try ABA right away. I did not hire any therapist, but started to work with my son several hours a day following the suggestions of those two books. My son made an extraordinary progress. In six months all the signs of PDD were gone, acording to new evaluations, and in some areas he is above average, like in cognitive skills. Thank you Catherine Maurice. Without your books I would probably have lost my son forever.
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Summary: This book is not a magic wand
Review: If you plan on reading this book, please do it knowing that you're not likely to have the success that the Maurice family did with their two children. As the father of an autistic 3 year old boy, I know the pain they experienced. But their story is not a typical one. You see, some of us live in the real world, where we can't afford to hire therapists who will come into our homes and work for hours on end with our kids. But that's exactly what happens in this book. Some of us are struggling just to make ends meet. I'm glad Catherine's two children recovered. But as she correctly points out, there is no miracle cure. And her methods won't work for everyone. We, as Parents need to remember that we know our own children better than anyone. And it's up to us to determine what methods will work best to bring about their full potential. In Catherine Maurice's narrow point of view, there's only one method that will work, and that's the one that healed her children. Take what you like from this book and leave the rest. It's not gospel, after all.
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Summary: PHENOMENAL!
Review: This book is an extrodinary story aboout a mother who uses behavior modification to recover two of her auttistic children! It gives me and my family new hope that my son can be cured! Maurice is an inspirational writer who does not give up and succeeds in bringing her two children out of their disorders! It is an amazing book and will give any parent of an autistic child new hope anf faith that your child can overcome autism!
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Summary: Let Me Hear Your Voice
Review: This book was a wonderful find! While it inspires those parents of autistic children to believe in miracles, it does not gaurantee a cure, and for that I am grateful. I believe that the parents were also very honest about the experiences with the different types of approaches w/o overbearing them. Check out a good book like this........
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Summary: A very important book
Review: Let Me Hear Your Voice is a very important book regarding parental love and fighting for your child. Similarly to the film LORENZO'S OIL, Maurice takes a confusing and "hopeless" situation wherein little hope is offered for her child and turns the "establishment" on its ear by not giving up. I believe that people planning to become parents should read this book as a required text, this is what can happen and this level of dedication is a prerequisite to parenthood.
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