AUTHOR: Mills, Audra
SUBJECT AREA: Autism-Parenting
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
PUBLICATION DATE 2024
NUMBER OF PAGES: 207 (for Print Edition)
Among the sheer number of parenting guidebooks for parenting children with ASD out there, Audra Mills’ new book, The Essential Autism Parenting Handbook, is one of the best. As a grandmother of a child with autism, the author starts out by pointing out the hidden brilliance that many people with autism have and she describes Savant Syndrome and famous savants which surprised me as Savant Syndrome in autism is rare; only about 10 percent of people with ASD are true savants.
She goes on to describe different therapies for autism, including ABA, CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), Intensive Behavior Intervention (IBI) and other treatments outlining the benefits and drawbacks of each. I was impressed by her approach as ABA has been seen as the most popular treatment, but the reader needs to know about both the pros and cons of any therapy a parent may be considering for the best interest of their child.
There is also a thorough description of communication challenges and ways to improve communication as well as covering the use of augmentative communication devices. In addition, the author describes the difficulties with social interactions that autism presents, including initiating friendships, participating in group activities and engaging in imaginative play. The author cites difficulties with sharing and taking turns and understanding nonverbal cues as making socialization much more of a challenge. She cites the importance of fostering kindness and empathy-qualities in short supply these days! Practical strategies such as teaching play skills, conversational skills and problem-solving skills are discussed and she suggests such ideas as role play and playing games together as well as Social Stories. Other sections include discussion of sensory overload, along with coping strategies, challenging behavior, including meltdowns, managing emotions, education issues, and the IEP, sleep difficulties, safety issues and toileting.
There is a wealth of information in each chapter with easy-to-understand language that is free of jargon making this a really handy tool for busy parents! I found the book to be such an interesting and useful read that I would highly recommend it to each and every parent and grandparent of a child with ASD!