8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Putting words into our mouths..., February 4, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: A Child of Eternity: An Extraordinary Young Girl's Message from the World Beyond (Paperback)
I am a high-functioning autistic person, and I think that this book perpetuates all the worst myths about autism - that there is a normal person "trapped" inside the autism and that facilitated communication shouldn't be exposed to scientific scrutiny (which has so far shown all facilitated messages to come unconsciously from the facilitator, as Temple Grandin, an autistic scientist, notes in her book "Thinking in Pictures") because that would violate the "trust" involved. Kristi Jorde describes physically holding her struggling daughter at the keyboard because she decided to believe the messages saying that this was just "her body disobeying her". This is not my idea of "trust" - as an autistic person, this is my idea of a nightmare. "Normal" people need to respect non-verbal people as they are, and to learn how wonderful it can be to interact without having to use words, instead of exploiting their silence as a blank screen on which to project their own rescue fantasies
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A potentially good story with a dissapointing turn of events, October 16, 2001
This review is from: A Child of Eternity: An Extraordinary Young Girl's Message from the World Beyond (Paperback)
I am a mom of a child with Autism. He is 3. I will start out by saying that I am highly involved with his curriculum and have used all PROVEN scientific based treatments with my son. Including ABA and AVB.And all have pirven and continue to prove to be effective
I must say , the story and the words in the beggining of the book make a beautiful read. The pages just turned and flowed. The writing style I loved. The realities of the mothers accounts with the behaviors and reactions and the numerous evaluations in search for a diagnosis, were real and I could relate to the frustation. I was a bit bewildered WHY no behavioral intervention was taken for Adri.. with all the research and books and moves that the parents apparently made, made me wonder how they could have over looked the research and books based on ABA or AVB (applied bahvaior analysis and applied verbal behavior)..nonetheless.. The minute the book began reflecting about the triumphant of facilitating communication , the book turned so "candy coated" to me..
I KNOW the struggles, I know the fears.. I live them every day of my life.. THE MESSAGE that prevailed about the spiritual renewal WAS a good one.. But I believe if you are a parent suffering from the need of spiritual guidance I would more so leave that to books and writers such as Depak Chopra's How to Know God... If you are a parent or researcher or educator in the field of AUtism.. I would say DO NOT waste your child's precious time in a education style that
will not help the child. If you want to help your child function in this world.AS WE KNOW IT....so that you and they may have a more productive life, I would say there a trully better reads than this one..(A WOrk in progress, behvioral intervention for children with autism..)
Again, I will say, needing GOD, and being able to SEE through an autistic childs behaviors and see THEM as a child of God, is a lesson , we parents of special needs children DO NEED TO DO..
However, it is also our duty to educate them.. and help them flourish to be the best that they are capale of being..this includes helping them function and flourish with the world we DO live in..
I was dissapointed in how, the accounts AFTER this facilitation "triumph" still failed to help Adri with her self injurous and self help skills.. She still peseverated and still self inured herself and others..
To me.. those issues needed to be addressed AND could have been minimized..with the direction of books such as Richard Foxx's Decreasing Behaviors or his other book Increasing (appropriate ) Behaviors..
You could still teach and live a spiritual life while still helping your child function in a more "noramlized" way..To think that she was never really redirected or that her behviors were never addressed also trubled me .. Not for ME.. but for parents that may be looking for more CONCRETE answers..may be swayed into a technique that may simply be a waste of time..
I think Adri and her mom shared a wonderful bond.. I Guess it was the best intervention that the mom had her hands on.. or perhaps she was at the end of her rope.. and needed something to help her cope.. so she looked twords GOD to give her the strength to accept her daughter was.. However, God has also blessed many researchers with the knoledge and the peseverance to find the most effective way of treating our kids.. SO I would say God works in many ways.. And we all find him at the end of many different paths and journeys.I pray that that family continues to grow and stay close to GOD.. I would also like to hope that (though it may be too late) they would give Adri the resources she would need to live a more individual and less cripling life..
Who's to say they couldnt have done BOTH..
Continued to let this child spiritually guide them (if that WAS the case) AND give her treatment that ALSO would produce
a higher functioning person..
Maybe some will say I "missed the boat " on the meaning of this book.. But I guess I am more of a REALITY check kind of mom.. My child has Autism..YES.. Do I need.. more than ever .. a finer relationship with GOD and the world around me..YES.. Is it my responsibility to RESPONSIBLY educate my child..Yes..
Many Blessings to all..
Nicole
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The beginning of my journey in search of Life, Love, Peace, February 18, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: A Child of Eternity: An Extraordinary Young Girl's Message from the World Beyond (Paperback)
A truly uplifting book. This book was the catalyst into my search of why we are here, what lessons we have to learn in this life, and how we need to be non-judgemental and always give LOVE. Love is the answer, the meaning to our lives. This is a good book and a good account of how we can all learn to communicate with our spiritual guides. We are all searching for answers which are easily accessible if we only ask and then open ourselves up to receive these answers. Let this book lead you onto read many more entralling books on spirituality and life.
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