Famous People's Book Pick: About.com: Books on Autism (4.5

Books on Autism (4.5 - 5 stars rating):

More Than Words: Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by Fern Sussman

(happiness, nonfiction, parenting)

"This is, by far, the best resource I've found for helping parents help their child with autism to communicate, learn and grow. My only regret is that I didn't know it existed when my son was little! Just open the book and jump right in with simple, easy-to-implement activities and approaches that will have you and your child communicating better almost instantly. (5 Stars)"

Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think by Serena Wieder

(happiness, parenting)

"This is a terrific book, and well worth reading. Its first few chapters, in particular, are positively inspirational. The authors bust through myths, clarify the issues surrounding diagnosis, and offer parents legitimate hope. On the other hand, the authors seem to be altogether unaware of the extraordinary difficulties that stand between parents and the ability to institute an "ideal" therapeutic program for their child. (4.5 Stars)"

The Child With Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional Growth by Robin Simons

(happiness, nonfiction, parenting)

"The cover promises "comprehensive approach to developmental challenges including autism, PDD, language and speech problems, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADD, and other related disorders," and that's a tall order. But this book more than fills it. Just about any child would benefit from the sort of intensive parenting play described here (5 Stars)"

Dr. Thompson's Straight Talk On Autism by Travis Thompson

(happiness)

"If you're like me, you prefer your parenting books to be light on theory and heavy on practical advice for getting your child and yourself through the day. By that measure, this book's a clear winner. The author, a professor of the Autism Program at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and the grandfather of a child with autism, gives good and readable instructions for teaching skills and handling behavior problems. It may not all work for you, but there are a lot of options to try. (5 Stars)"

Act Early Against Autism: Give Your Child a Fighting Chance from the Start by Jayne Lytel

(happiness, parenting)

"Getting a diagnosis as early as possible, and taking advantage of interventions offered by state programs and school districts (and your own pocketbook, as far as it will stretch), is good advice for parents of children with special needs, whether they're dealing with autism or not. By sharing her own story and then distilling what worked into a strong informational text, author Jayne Lytel, founder of The Early Intervention Network, provides a useful how-to and what-not-to for parents just starting out. 4.5 Stars"

An Anthropologist On Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales by Oliver Sacks

(happiness)

"Sometimes, the books that have a meaningful impact on your parenting aren't parenting books at all. Sacks' essays, celebrating the way the brain works even when it works in unusual ways, can give you vital insights into your own paradoxical child. 4.5 Stars"

Not Even Wrong : Adventures in Autism

(happiness)

"Collins is the father of a child with autism, but this isn't a standard diagnosis-struggle-triumph memoir. Interspersed with scenes of his son, Morgan, is the author's research on autistic figures from the past, especially an 18th-century "wild boy." It's a fascinating mix of relatability and research. 4.5 Stars"

Rules by Cynthia Lord

(children books (Ages 9-12), children books, teens)

"If you, like me, enjoy reading children's literature - this is a "must read." Lord is up there with major writers like Jerry Spinelli and Beverly Cleary as a creator of real, fresh, believable children who experience the world in all its colors. For families and teachers with autistic children in their lives, this novel is a terrific way to open the door to conversations. (4.5 Stars)"