The Autism Book: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Detection, Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention

by Robert W. Sears

With clarity and compassion, Dr. Robert Sears guides the reader through the maze of autism, explaining what precautions parents can take to decrease their baby's risk, how to detect autism at the earliest possible age, and how to proceed once a diagnosis has been made. The book provides parents with a simple and clear understanding of the biomedical treatment approach that Dr. Sears has used successfully with many of his young patients. It lays out a plan for developmental, behavioral, and learning therapies; shows parents how to begin treatments without a doctor's help; presents information on vaccines and their safe use; and includes an extensive resources section. THE AUTISM BOOK provides all the information and reassurance parents need.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Parenting, Nonfiction, Health

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Robert W. Sears, MD, is a father of three, board-certified in Pediatrics, and a co-author in the Sears Parenting Library. "Dr. Bob", as he likes to be called by his little patients, earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1995. He did his pediatric internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, finishing in 1998. Dr. Bob is the proud father of three active boys, Andrew, age 15, Alex, age 12, and Joshua age 6. He and his wife, Cheryl, reside in Dana Point, CA. In his spare time Dr. Bob enjoys surfing the California waves, mountain biking, playing bass guitar with his teenage son guitarist, and trying to keep up with his three children.

Dr. Bob enjoys a very unique approach to pediatrics by providing a combination of alternative and traditional medical care. He has a passion for healthy natural living and incorporates this knowledge into a style of disease treatment and prevention that you won?t find in most doctors offices. By limiting antibiotic use, using science-based natural treatment approaches whenever possible, and focusing on good nutrition and immune system health, Dr. Bob takes preventative medicine to a whole new level. His commitment to breastfeeding success for all his patients also helps babies get a right start in life.

Dr. Bob has a particular passion for helping parents understand childhood vaccines and the options open to them in choosing the safest possible vaccine schedule for their child. As the solo author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, his in-depth knowledge of vaccines and the diseases they prevent has helped parents nationwide get a better understanding of this complex and confusing issue.

Having had the privilege to help raise three active boys, Dr. Bob has grown fond of the "parenting" side of pediatrics. He especially enjoys talking to parents in his practice about the joys, and trials, of watching their little babies and toddlers thrive through the first several years of life.

Dr. Bob is committed to enjoying a slow-paced, casual atmosphere in the office, providing long checkups, giving parents the flexibility to ask for house calls at home when needed and being one of the very few Orange County pediatricians to be available after hours, overnight, and on weekends for phone calls and home visits. Because he is not contracted with any insurance companies he is able to focus his attention 100% on just being a doctor without having to worry about the business side of running an insurance-based office. His patients take care of billing their own insurance themselves and find that once they learn the process it is very easy.

Dr. Bob has appeared on the Dr. Phil show to offer advice on child behavior and parenting issues. He has also appeared on the Ellen DeGeneris show, CNN's House Calls with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the CBS Early Show, and PBS?s "A Place of Our Own".

Dr. Bob is a frequent speaker at La Leche League conferences, including Colorado, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, California/Nevada and the International LLL Conference 2007 as well as various parenting health Expos. He has written for Contemporary Pediatrics, Newsweek Japan, and dozen?s of regional parenting magazines across the nation. Dr. Bob is co-author of The Updated Baby Book, The Premature Baby Book, The Baby Sleep Book 2005 and Father's First Steps: 25 Things Every New Dad Should Know and author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for your Child and an active contributor to the content of AskDrSears.com and several other parenting websites. He is also a regular contributor to Working Mother magazine.

Reviews

[AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a parent with children in the autism spectrum, I was excited to win this book on Goodreads.

The Autism book is an extensive source of information on autism. Detection, treatment, and prevention of autism is covered in fine detail. There is an expansive list of autism resources at the end of the book.

I did have a few concerns with this book. Firstly, the number of medical tests to assess autism. From what I understand, and from personal experience, there is no medical test for autism. Ordering many medical tests may be cost-prohibitive and out of reach for many families. Secondly, his opinion on vaccines scares me. For me, not vaccinating my children would be irresponsible not only to them, but to those around us.

His section on diet and supplements was interesting. Changing one's diet seems beneficial, although giving a toddler many supplements would be difficult.

This book is suitable for anyone seeking information on this disorder. It is a good place to start.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easily read and formatted for quick cross checking as well as in depth reading.

Most importantly, Dr Sears approaches autism from all angles of treatment and causes.

[Kim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book! It is more detailed then the average person wants to know, but discusses a little amount about a ton of topics. Anyone with a loved one with Autism should at least skim it to have a full understanding of what treatments are available, and why to do them. It gives an excellent overview about biomedical treatments, behavioral therapies, and dietary intervention. It is a must have reference book for any parent of a child with Autism. There is hope, and we can do so much!
I love this family of authors. I have found their books and website essential when it comes to childbirth, childrens health, breastfeeding, etc.
They are not afraid to forge new paths, and buck the conventional system. I deeply respect the work they do towards educating parents. It is vital to helping all parents make conscious, informed decisions. I think they even write regularly for many mainstream parenting magazines. Awesome book!

[Bookfanatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing resource for parents and relatives! This book, written by a board certified pediatrician, is easy to understand. Dr. Sears doesn't use too much technical jargon. The chapters are organized well with up to date information. Dr. Sears backs up his statements with citations to scientific journals. He's not just asking you to believe his words. Simple dietary changes and the addition of various supplements can make a big difference in the symptoms of autism. Dr. Sears explains what those supplements are, their doses, which companies sell those, and how to take them. If you have a child on the autism spectrum or you know someone who does, you will want this book because it provides great answers to the question "What more can we do for this child's autism?"

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I love, love, love the whole Sears family/franchise of pediatricians. I cherish almost any advice that comes from pen of a Sears. However. I have to admit I was disappointed in the cursory way Robert Sears discussed the rampant rumor that vaccines cause autism. He acknowledged the theory and then...just kind of left it. In my opinion, any parent who wanted to believe would most likely think he just endorsed it. He doesn't, but he doesn't go to great lengths not to, either. Other than that, I loved it. He provides a full and detailed exploration of early detection, treatment, and recovery. I still love them.

[Amanda Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this on the giveaway page. I am intrigued and excited to learn more about Autism.
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This is a very useful introduction to Autism. It gives clear information on every aspect of the disease. It is perfect for parents looking for information to help their children or for people who are looking for a clearer understanding of Autism.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

having an autistic child i found this book very interesting but also very involved with dietary and medical information. dr.sears definitely explores in great detail many aspects of autism and this is not a light read by any means .anyone with a child that has autism has to evaluate all the information they can and combine many treatments that will suit only the individual child . i found the book well worth reading.

[Elise]

I chose not to finish this book right now. It is a very specific list of suggestions for treatments that may help autistic children/teenagers. I was reading this to learn about my brother's autism, so I chose not to finish the suggestions list since it is not my child involved. I did find the beginning part helpful in giving me some simple ideas that might help strengthen my daughter against autism.

[Brenda Lory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book about a month before receiving my daughter's diagnosis... it confirmed my suspicions about her odd behaviors before I was able to have her professionally assessed. The tools provided and the thorough outlining of the biomedical approach were immensely helpful; I was compelled to immediately remove dairy from her diet as a starting point and the results were astonishing. I would like to re-read this soon.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is well-written, clear and easy to understand and has an extensive reference list. He covers symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. He also talks about the theory that the autism rate is linked to vaccines. If you have an autistic child and are looking for a book supportive of methods not used by mainstream medicine, I think you'll be happy with this book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with lots of info - I think I would have been into it a little more if I had a child with autism or knew someone close to me that did. There are a lot of suggestions and help in this book for those that are dealing with autistic children right now. This is definitely an issue that I wish we knew more about and had more answers to.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Sears always explains things in a clear, concise manner, introducing new and interesting concepts to readers, particularly the biomedical approach to treating autism.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this on first reads.

Very interesting. As someone who has several friends and a family member who has autism, it was interesting to see what this book had to say.

[Bj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative and useful book for all.

[Christie]

I received this book from the book drawing held by Goodreads. It is currently on my to read list.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reference book!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent 1st book for parents of a child who may have autism. Reassuring , informative and one you'd want to own.

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference source on autism.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

How is this guy qualified? Well, he is the father of three. Wow! And he says he is "science based." Wow! And he is from the anti-vaccines gang.