Let Me Hear Your Voice : A Family's Triumph over Autism

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Summary: great book
Review: I am to have a daughter who is so much like ann marie and know exactly how this woman feels ,and from a mans point its too much for me.i would really like to know how ann marie is doing and would give anything to get in touch with this woman to see if she can help me and me wife........were going too two much and a really dont know how this is going to affect my life but already i cant stop shaking over this .and it dont seem like anyone is taking this as serious as we know it really is...........catherine if your out there please e mail me.................

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Summary: a touching mother's story
Review: My son has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (on the autism spectrum, but milder), and so I have read a great deal of books on autism spectrum disorders, some more of a scholarly textbook variety and others that were memoirs of raising an autistic or PDD child. This book falls into the latter category, and it is one of the more hope-inspiring such memoirs that I have read.

This book has many strengths. Perhaps the most important is its emphasis on seeking early intervention. If there is one thing that the literature on treating autism shows, it is that early intervention is absolutely critical. I would urge all parents who are harboring even vague suspicions that there might be something "wrong" with their child to initiate the evaluation process, speech therapy, and other interventions. The interventions that have been shown to be successful (the ABA behavioral modification approach highlighted in this book and Greenspan's Floor Time method) can, as this book shows, make an amazing difference in a child's social and intellectual outcomes. More to the point, they can't hurt... so even if your child turns out not to have a full-blown autism spectrum disorder, speech therapy and ABA can only help in terms of normal development.

A second important strength of this book is to point out the weaknesses in psychodynamic approaches to treatment of autism. Perhaps the most harrowing sections of the book were Maurice's description of the holding sessions conducted at the Mothering Center. I hate to think how many families have put themselves through such a self-defeating and pointless exercise, especially if it reduced the likelihood that they would try interventions that actually have scientific evidence in their support.

The part of the book that rang the truest for me was Maurice's description of the long period of doubts and the journey toward a definitive diagnosis. One of the most frustrating things about autism spectrum disorders is that they are not obvious at birth, nor does a simple diagnostic test exist. Instead, it generally takes several months or years of doubts first suppressed and then whispered to one's spouse, then voiced to a pediatrician, and ultimately to multiple specialists who are consulted. I know that in my experience, the year or so it took our family to go from "I'm beginning to worry that our son's speech and social development is a little delayed" to the official PDD-NOS diagnosis was a time of great stress, uncertainty, and fear. In retrospect, of course, it all seems so obvious--just as it did to Maurice. But we don't have the luxury of going through life with the benefit of hindsight and must muddle through as best as we can. Perhaps the greatest service this book can provide is to help other families deal with their fear and uncertainties as they face an autism spectrum diagnosis in one of their children.

Maurice's story of (apparently) full recovery in not one, but two, autistic children thus stands as a beacon of hope. But there is one sense that this can perhaps be considered one of the drawbacks of the book. Perhaps it should be accompanied by the disclaimer one sees in ads for weight-loss products: "Results not typical." The fact is that even the best clinical tests of the ABA method show only about 50% "success," defined as significant improvement of the child's social and linguistic behavior and placement in regular educational settings. Maurice's book may have the unfortunate effect of raising unrealistic expectations in parents and exacerbating their guilt when their child does not fare as well as Anne-Marie or Michel did. On balance, I do not view this as a serious weakness. Early intervention does help, and anything that inspires parents to try these techniques early on is a good thing, even if their children do not show the same degree of recovery. I would also rather parents try the interventions that have been shown to be effective than not try anything at all. Twenty or 40 hours a week of ABA may not result in a full recovery for your child, but doing nothing surely will not help.

This book is well-written and often moving. The passage describing the very first time Anne-Marie called out "Mommy" brought tears to my eyes. However, I would recommend "A slant of sun" by Beth Kephart, as an even more beautifully written and moving memoir. Maurice's book does a better job of describing the nuts and bolts of ABA and the advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic interventions for autism. But the Kephart book does a better job of capturing a parent's emotions--the raw grief and anguish that accompanies the realization that one's child has an autism spectrum diagnosis. I highly recommend both of these books. Lastly, for those parents who are contemplating reading this book because your child has just been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, or you are worried he or she might have one, I strongly recommend you read "Quirky Kids" as a scholarly reference on these disorders.

Rating:
Summary: Let Me Hear Your Voice
Review: My oldest child was diagnosed with autism at age 3-1/2 years old. I recieved this book when my child was 5 years old. I applied as much of Catherines recommendations as I could on my own and gave the book to my childs teacher. I told the teacher that I was implementing this book at home and I would like her to read it and implement it at school. Now, ten years later, the doctors are concidering changing his diagnosis from autism to aspergers, a much higher functioning form of autism. This is a great book to get started with.

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Summary: Offers hope
Review: I have never lived with an autistic child. I can not speak for those parents who have to somehow cope with their child's disability. I am sure that this book provides some much-needed hope and inspiration to these parents, some of whom have also reviewed this book. However, it bears mentioning that although the plot is positive, the attitudes towards children with autism are not. I believe it is important to note that acceptance of a child no matter how they are is just important as trying to "fix" or "cure" them. This is a point regretfully absent from this book. Although many of the points made in this book are good ones, they are overshadowed by this absence. I thank the author for writing this book that seems to give hope to those who need hope most, but I warn against drawing all of your thoughts and opinions from the words of one other person.

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Summary: I felt like I wasn't alone
Review: I am a mother of an autistic daughter who was diagnosed a few months ago. This book really inspired me not to give up hope! While reading this book, I would be in tears as to how realistic it truely is. How you preceive your own child. How you go through all the stages of defeat, over and over again! and to reading about the most uplifting little spirits who overcome HUGE obsticals over and over again! This book both breaks your heart and heals it. Great book to give as a gift to those who are an important part in a little persons autistic life who just "don't get it" or want to know hands on what you are going through as a parent. I would recommend to anyone who has autism in their life. Be prepared with a tissue box.

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Summary: With great appreciation to Catherine Maurice
Review: I am entereing a Masters of Occupational Therapy program this fall. I read this book over the summer in hopes of having a better picture of Autism and of ABA therapy. This book gave me just that. ABA jobs are common here and I know that they can help a student. Intervention (especially early on) can change the life of any child with disabilities. This book shows how much it can change the life of a child with Autism.

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Summary: I want to hear his voice
Review: If you are a parent of an autistic child - you need a few books on your journey. This is one of them. READ THIS ONE FIRST! To give you hope, direction and guidance in your journey called autism - start here. This is an amazing, inspirational book that give parents practical advice, from someone who understands how you feel and a guide to getting started on the road of recovery. ABA (Applied behavorial analysis) has helped my son Jeff get to be a big part of our world. Husbands and wifes needs to sit side by side AND Read this book.