Understanding Autism: The Essential Guide for Parents

by Katrina Williams

This is the essential reference for parents and carers of children with autism. Written by two leading experts in the field, it covers everything from the causes of autism to how it manifests at the various ages and stages of a child’s life, as well as diet and nutrition, the importance of self-care for parents, how to cope with common problematic behaviours, conditions that can often appear in conjunction with autism (such as anxiety and depression), and how best to manage the child’s transition to adulthood. The authors’ warm, supportive voice reassures parents throughout, sorting fact from myth as they provide all the key information in a clear, easily understood format.

Professor Katrina Williams is a paediatrician, public health physician and an internationally recognised clinical epidemiologist. She is the APEX Australia Chair of Developmental Medicine at the University of Melbourne and the Director of the Department of Developmental Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Her current research focus is on autism, and she is a founding member and executive committee member of the Australasian Society for Autism Research.
Professor Jacqueline Roberts is the chair of autism in the Autism Centre of Excellence, an initiative of Griffith University. Prior to this, Jacqui worked as a consultant on a variety of national projects in autism. She has a background in teaching and in speech pathology and previously worked in schools for children with autism as a teacher and principal.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Parenting

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2015

Reviews

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to help parents coping with an autistic child

I think I should explain what you will learn in this little book, and yes, it is little, which I think helped me because it didn’t overwhelm me with hundreds of pages. There is enough in each chapter, dealing with subjects like What is autism? Meet individuals with autism. Assessment and diagnosis and the one that I like the most; Looking after yourself. At the end of each chapter, the authors have added something which is HUGELY important, RESOURCES, giving you, the reader, an opportunity to carry out further studies raised in the chapter. One I think that anyone with an autistic child would love the answer to; Is there a cure for autism? (Sadly, not yet, however, there are some very interesting ideas on the web).

Maybe my reading this book was a bit like “closing the stable door after the horse has bolted” because in my situation, my son was only diagnosed autistic after the age of forty and yet, reading this book has helped me sort out a lot of my “hang-ups” about how I’ve both helped and hindered my profoundly deaf, autistic son.

Putting my past behind me - because it’s the past and no good is going to come from saying “if only” - what this book has really taught me is how far research into autism has moved from where it was forty years ago. Professionals are far better qualified to see the whole child now. Assessments have moved on to include so many more tools that help those involved make the right assessment. An example; videoing the child in his own home or interacting with other children.

Coping with an autistic child is not a walk in the park – in fact using that as an example – it can be a terrifying experience! This reminds me of two instances when my son was a toddler. One, being terrified when he saw (for the first time), washing going around in a washing machine. I had to spend hours encouraging him to watch it. Another was holding him (in my arms) in the sea again, screaming, until he realised that the sea was quite fun. (Dare I mention these two events? Yes! I most probably broke every rule on how to introduce an autistic child to these two things, but please remember we’re talking forty-odd years ago!)

Are there things I wish I could go back and change – especially after reading this book? Yes! Siblings in families with an autistic child always come second. With the teaching and help that’s now available, I might have managed to give more time to my daughter. I might have saved a lot of stress in my own life and marriage if I’d known then what I’ve recently learnt.

Am I upset that books and research like this weren’t available for me years ago? Absolutely! Instead of muddling through, I would have had more resources to help. But I must add that, looking back, I’m proud of how I did cope but even prouder that my son not only survived his chaotic muddling upbringing and schooling but in spite of it all, is a very remarkable person, who is a huge example of someone with disabilities who has not only succeeded but has so much to offer this crazy world.

Imbali

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more useful books about autism in children, but it is really written for parents of younger children with only the penultimate chapter dealing with secondary/high school age children. A strength of this book is the coverage of resources and the final chapter is devoted to strategies for finding and critically evaluating information sources. I found this book to be clear, informative and even-handed.

[Laura C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many books on the topic of Autism and what I liked about this book is that it was easy to read and relevant to Australia which is rare. A lot of the information I already knew but there was still plenty that was new to me. I would definitely recommend for those that are just starting to learn about Autism.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of useful links and resources. However, this book really focuses on autistic children with high-support needs, and it may not be as useful for parents with children who have lower support needs. Good background information and suggestions for getting assistance when needed.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource for teachers also- broad spectrum addressed- from young to older and how children are individual. The resources were phenomenal. Definitely recommended.

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very academic book. I just which that the educational organisation had enough funding and support staff so these recommendations could be followed

[Myles Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard for me to review this book because it's the first book I read on the subject. But I found it extremely informative and useful for professional purposes and I learned A LOT!

[Elizabeth Martinez]

Informative for what it was. Will keep searching for more references.

No rating for non fiction materials.

[Kiri Scherer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informational.