Book Review: Blessed with Autism by Christina Peck

This book is highly recommended for parents who need help in funding autism treatments that may be covered by insurance. If you're looking for an insider's guide to health insurance with a special focus on autism, buy this book. If you're interested in treatment options, educational law or other topics covered in Blessed with Autism, I'd look to other, richer sources first.

I've been reviewing books, websites and professional resources for parents of children with autism for years now, and Blessed with Autism is the first resource I've seen that directly instructs parents and professionals on how to use health insurance to fund autism treatments.

Christina Peck is clear, detailed and thorough in her approach, providing specific information about health insurance codes, units of service and letter writing. It may be worth the very high cost of the book ($43) just to learn that a "unit" of therapy is only 15 minutes, so your provider will need to charge for FOUR units of therapy to fund an hour of her time.

There are, however, a few issues with this book:

First, the most valuable portions are chapters 10, 11 (Insurance Workbook and Navigating Your Insurance Maze) and the appendices, which include sample invoices and letters. This section comprises only about a third of the book, and while it's extremely useful, readers may be frustrated by sections that refer to services only available in New Jersey or families eligible for Medicaid.

The remaining chapters tell the personal story of Peck's daughter (Samantha), the treatments they've tried and the experiences they've had with specific therapists and educational settings. These are interesting from a personal point of view — and Peck is certainly a very assertive parent who has gotten results. Ms. Peck presents her experiences, though, as if they were professional insights, including direct advice and sample letters. Parents should be aware that Peck's experiences in the area of education and selection of treatments are personal, and while the letters and educational plans presented may be appropriate for her child, they are not appropriate for all children with autism.