The Bottom Line
Pros
- Well written, easy to follow
- Concrete, simple techniques for working with your child
- Positive, hopeful method
Cons
- Suggests ONLY Son-Rise techniques for treating autism
- Suggest that these techniques will "recover" your child
- Offers only one resource to parents
Description
- A well-written handbook for parents of children with autism
- Focuses entirely on the Son-Rise treatment method
- Includes a number of simple, implementable techniques
- Of interest only to those interested in Son-Rise
Guide Review - Book Review: "What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child with Autism"
Jonathan Levy is an expert in the Son-Rise treatment for autism, as taught at the Autism Treatment Center by the Kaufman family and their organization. As a result, he has extensive experience in implementing the method, and his recommendations are probably excellent for those families interested in implementing the method without spending the time and money to actually attend Son-Rise seminars in Sheffield, Mass.Levy recommends and then expands upon a total of ten techniques for helping a child with autism to gain better interactive and communicative skills. Some of these techniques are fairly standard, if somewhat controversial (focus on eye contact, for example).
Others are more idiosyncratic. "Joining in with stims," for example, essentially means paralleling a child's self-stimulatory actions, no matter how meaningless they may appear. In some cases, Levy describe parents flapping their hands along with their child for hours a day, for months at a time.
Levy describes a number of families who, by following the techniques he recommends, have "recovered" their children from autism.
If you are curious about Son-Rise, or are interested and seeking new ideas, Levy's book is a terrific find. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a research-based or broad-ranging handbook, this is not the one I'd recommend.
