Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals [Paperback]

Catherine Maurice (Editor), Gina Green (Editor), Stephen C. Luce (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0890796831 | ISBN-13: 978-0890796832 | Publication Date: May 1996 | Edition: 1

...provides a wealth of practical information for parents professionals, & others concerned with helping such children ...

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pro ed; 1 edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890796831
• ISBN-13: 978-0890796832
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are considering doing an ABA program get this book!, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals (Paperback)

This is the book to get if you are considering running an intensive one on one program for your developmentally delayed child. From the science of ABA to the application of ABA, this book gives a solid outline. From the selection of tutors and consultants to obtaining funding, this book offers "how to" information. Part 2 Chapters include: Evaluating Claims about Treatments for Autism, Early Behavioral Intervention for Autism: What Does research Tell Us?, Are Other Treatments Effective?. Part 3 is What to Teach. Part 4 is How to Teach. Part 5 is Who Should Teach. Part 6 is Organizing and Funding. Part 7 is Working with an SLP. Part 8 Working with the Schools. Part 9 From the Front Lines:Parent's Questions, Parent's Voices. This section includes 4 childrens' stories. Is ABA successful in teaching 90% of children with Autism? You bet! In fact 40%+ will reach a point where they no longer fit the criteria for PDD or Autism. IQ scores increase. Autistic behavior is reduced. Attention is increased. Learning takes place. Is running a home ABA program time consuming and expensive? Yes it is time consuming and if you have to pay for it yourself it can be costly. Is it worth it? Yes. My 3 year old son now speaks in full sentences, has increased his IQ 20+ points, has reduced his autistic behaviors, is potty trained, dresses himself, reads books by himself, etc. This was all accomplished through positive reinforcement. No aversives were used. If you still have questions about ABA go to <http://pages.prodigy.net/damianporcari/recovery.htm>

274 of 295 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Treating Symptoms, May 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals (Paperback)

I had tremendous success with ABA therapy for my son, and this book is an excellent tool for implementing an ABA program. I also have great respect for the author of this book. However, I would like to caution readers that Ms. Maurice believes that autism is a nothing more than a behavioral disorder, and dismisses every other treatment that is not ABA. As we all know, every child with autism is different. Nobody knows why her kids recovered from ABA alone when so many do not.

Although hundreds of doctors and thousands of parents believe that autistic children (especially those with gastrointestinal problems) are physically ill, and metabolically, immunologically and nutritionally unstable, Ms. Maurice dismisses this as pseudoscience without entertaining the possibility that science may someday bear this out. I had great success with ABA, true, but I know many more kids who recovered from ABA plus biological intervention (GF/CF diet, anti-fungal treatment, immunotherapy) than from ABA alone.

I researched my child's autism for years, and the most important thing I learned along the way is that autism is a complex disorder, with many subtypes. As a result of dietary intervention, my son lost his diagnosis and is now mainstreamed. During his treatment, missing a day of ABA didn't make a difference. Missing a day of dietary intervention set him back a month.

For some of the kids, the autistic behaviors DO actually seem to result from the improper breakdown of certain proteins, and removing them actually takes away the disorder. When the scientific studies are completed and this is borne out, I pity the parents who listened to the chapter in this book in which such therapies are scorned and dismissed. Until we really understand autism, a closed mind can be disastrous for our children.

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The bible for Homebased ABA programs that are parent run, January 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals (Paperback)

Not every family is blessed with great programming in their backyard - some families are from rural places within the US and even outside the country where services are extremely difficult to come by. Some families due to limitations of time and money and other distractions can't handle the fight with school districts with myopic views on the real possibility that a child with autism can normalize if treated intensively and early on. Instead they play games with families and short change everyone, the child - the family and society in general... I happened to have a therapist work on my program who worked with Catherine Maurices second child. I had advantages of time,location and money many won't have and yet with this book and others like it (for example Ron Leafs book from the Autism Partnership out of LA, Ca.)One can develop a top notch ABA program anywhere. If there is a lack of funds get churches/temples to find local committed people to volunteer, etc. even high school students can be trained. ABA breaks down the autistic childs great confusion with processing the world into very small steps and little by little opens the child to the social dynamics of his environment. It enables the child to stop hyper focasing on irrelevant details like spinning objects, lining things up, etc.. which the child does to keep order and relieve anxiety from this confusion and the diagnostic symptoms of the disorder fade as the child makes sense of the world through one on one intervention. ABA isn't the only approach some swear by Son Rise - however, those which are effective are intensive and one on one. When a child starts to really make gains mainstraming is nessessary for peer modeling and friendship building and then a book like "Teaching Children with Autism Strategies for initating positive interactions" is a great help which teaches self management so the child has control over themself in his or her environment. As far as diet goes some do well by the gluten/casein free diet and some can't manage it -however there are new products that can help the child to break down these exogeneous proteins like enzymes and probiotics (which are basically good bacteria which produce the enzymes for proper digestion) and the right balance of Omega oils and codliver oil... Kirkman Labs has a great site with a 179 page document that explains the excess opiod theory their products in my experience have been immensely helpful. And lastly, don't despair the worst is really in the beginning as you hit the ground running and feel so unprepared... as your child makes extraordinary strides and normalizes you will feel the great rewards of parenthood - and more - a great accomplishment.