Customer Reviews

Autism Handle with Care

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Autism: Handle with Care is a well written manual for understanding the autistic person in one's home or classroom. Gail Gillingham quotes autistic individuals as they explain what autism is. She addresses sensory sensitivities in a simple, concise manner helping the reader to understand the important perceptual differences autistic people have. She gives practical advice and helps to dispel many of the myths surrounding the autism diagnosis. Gail Gillingham asks the reader to begin to respectfully listen to what autistic persons have to say, for they are the ones experiencing the effects of autism and are, therefore, the experts.

This book tops my list of "must reads" for autism information. (this one ranks up there with Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures and Stanley Greenspan's The Child With Special Needs) It covers the different sensory issues in great detail, learning styles, communication difficulties and so much more. I've found a wealth of information from different therapies to actual autistic people explaining how they see life and how they learn best... Every parent of an autistic person should read this book, from cover to cover. It'll give you support to act on your feeling that a real, thinking, feeling person is inside your child.

This book is a must have for the parent or therapist who is searching to solve some of the mysteries of Autism. As a social worker for children and adults with disabilities I have recommended this book to many people. It is absolutely the best book I have read that gives insight into the confusing world of autism. It gives first person accounts of what it feels like to be autistic and encounter the world. It gives excellent insight on ways to provide treatment to someone with autism to avoid over stimulation.

I've seen a lot comments about how this book is full of "unsupported" evidence and trite facts. Hardly. If anything, working with as many autistic people as she has, she has more than enough supported evidence to support her solutions and techniques.

I am a successful autistic adult who has read just about every book there is on the subject and I am glad to say that "Gail gets it". It's too bad that many, many others don't.

Whether you agree with her theories as to the causes of autism or not, her techniques do work. A strange concept to most therapists, "listening to the autistic person and dealing with helping autistic people cope with the sensory stressors" actually works better in the long run than ABA or any of those other therapies put together.

My husband read the book and now knows how to handle things when I get overloaded or stressed out. I read it and found out how to help myself cope with things that no one ever taught me in ABA!

If you want results that actually work in the long run without devaluing your child, patient, client, etc., I highly recommend this book.

Gail's "got it". Why not let her share it with you?

I was so excited when I received this book. However that all changed once I began reading it. I have read many books on Autism and this one was by far the worst one I have read. I felt the writer dragged the chapters out. I was hoping this book would provide a lot of information on the sensory issues in autism, instead it just gave each sensory issue its own chapter without really explaining anything. This book is less than 200 pages long, it could have been written in probably 60 pages. I do not recommend this book. It is very boring and uninformative. Read "The World of the Autistic Child" or "Facing Autism", you will enjoy them a lot more and get more information and they cost a lot less too.

The book highlighted some popular notions about what the experiences of people with autism are, but was not supported by any credible information. The advice was trite and intuitive, and offered very little that could be considered meaningful. "Right From the Start" or "Let Me Hear Your Voice" are much better buys, and are far more practical.