Autism Tomorrow: The Complete Guide to Help Your Child Thrive in the Real World
I should preface this review by noting that by now, I am very suspicious of anything that insists it's comprehensive or complete in regards to autism. I've gone over why the various factions in the autism world can't seem to stop arguing about autism, and have at least privately noted that if someone could manage to get them all to stop arguing and start listening, we could have a really decent conversation and maybe get a lot done.
That said, this book does take a good shot at covering many aspects of an autistic person's life. Though admittedly, it seems more focused on the more heavily-affected, less blended section of the autistic population. Most specifically, it seems focused on their parents. I try to read such books with an open mind and an eye to figuring out ideas that might help me, but in this case, the book was almost entirely academic reading (ie: it had little personal bearing on my life).
The book is a compilation of essays, more or less, based on specific subjects in a person's life. The authors seem to be, if not experts in their fields, at least notably thoughtful on their subjects. Most of the contributors seemed to be parents or lettered people (ie: PHD, MA, MD, etc), rather than autistic people. That's par for the course, particularly since this book is now six years old. They did include a piece from Temple Grandin, and another couple shorter pieces from an autistic man named Stephen Shore.
The subjects covered include things I've never had to consider, such has how to deal with the police, firefighters, and hospitals. There are sections for financial planning, for health issues, and for sex-related subjects (both sexuality and specifically boys' and girls' issues when dealing with autism). Because of the variety of authors, each section varied from indepth and helpful to "here's stuff you should do." The latter didn't seem terribly helpful, given the kinds of parents I tend to run across- harried, overworked, exhausted, and just trying to survive another day.
Still, at least as a spread of issues to know about and be aware of, it doesn't do too badly. It skips the vaccine controversy almost entirely, along with most kinds of therapy I've heard of for autism. But education, finances, health and welfare, community, puberty, and communication are all covered. For a book of less than 300 pages, that's impressive.
I should preface this review by noting that by now, I am very suspicious of anything that insists it's comprehensive or complete in regards to autism. I've gone over why the various factions in the autism world can't seem to stop arguing about autism, and have at least privately noted that if someone could manage to get them all to stop arguing and start listening, we could have a really decent conversation and maybe get a lot done.
That said, this book does take a good shot at covering many aspects of an autistic person's life. Though admittedly, it seems more focused on the more heavily-affected, less blended section of the autistic population. Most specifically, it seems focused on their parents. I try to read such books with an open mind and an eye to figuring out ideas that might help me, but in this case, the book was almost entirely academic reading (ie: it had little personal bearing on my life).
The book is a compilation of essays, more or less, based on specific subjects in a person's life. The authors seem to be, if not experts in their fields, at least notably thoughtful on their subjects. Most of the contributors seemed to be parents or lettered people (ie: PHD, MA, MD, etc), rather than autistic people. That's par for the course, particularly since this book is now six years old. They did include a piece from Temple Grandin, and another couple shorter pieces from an autistic man named Stephen Shore.
The subjects covered include things I've never had to consider, such has how to deal with the police, firefighters, and hospitals. There are sections for financial planning, for health issues, and for sex-related subjects (both sexuality and specifically boys' and girls' issues when dealing with autism). Because of the variety of authors, each section varied from indepth and helpful to "here's stuff you should do." The latter didn't seem terribly helpful, given the kinds of parents I tend to run across- harried, overworked, exhausted, and just trying to survive another day.
Still, at least as a spread of issues to know about and be aware of, it doesn't do too badly. It skips the vaccine controversy almost entirely, along with most kinds of therapy I've heard of for autism. But education, finances, health and welfare, community, puberty, and communication are all covered. For a book of less than 300 pages, that's impressive.
Read This Book If:
You're a parent of a child on the spectrum, particularly a younger child, and you want a grasp of a lot of the issues you'll face as they grow. Each of the chapters in the book could easily have been its own book, and you'll want to consult more sources and your local experts on those subjects, but this is, at least, a place to start.
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