Customer Reviews

Son Rise: The Miracle Continues

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As you read all the reviews of this book here, I suggest you take a moment to mentally classify the reviewers into two categories: (1) parents who decided after reading this book to adopt the Son-Rise method for their autistic children, and (2) everybody else.

You'll notice a clear difference - the parents are all UNANIMOUS in their approval of this book and the program, while the rest offer a mixed bag - some approval, sure, but a lot of criticism, cynicism, condescension, outright ridicule, and some cheap shots. All are personal viewpoints, and therefore equally valid perspectives. But if you're reading this book not as a literary exercise, but in search of an effective way to help your child, that difference should send you a crystal-clear message.

My personal viewpoint: I picked up this book almost three years ago (6 months after having had my son diagnosed with autism), and I finished it in one sitting (ending well past midnight). Within a day or two my wife and I called the Institute, signed up for their training program and haven't looked back since. Our son, who was totally non-verbal at age 3, now has a large & growing vocabulary, speaks in 5-10 word sentences, and is interacting socially, learning freely and living joyfully. And along the way, it has also transformed our family's experience of life. Not that I was the New Age type - I'm an engineer, the skeptical, numbers-guy kind. Thank goodness I could recognize the genuine article when I see it. I don't care if Son-Rise doesn't quote the statistics some people demand - my son is the only statistic I need.

The difference between the perspectives of a player on the field and a spectator in the stands can be seen in the following quotes from Rivkah McCaby's review:
* "Imitation Therapy" - if this is a reference to the practice of `joining', it reflects a very shallow understanding of this foundational pillar of the Son-Rise method.
* "Their institute is the temple of a personality cult": Oh, come on! Somebody who has spent a week there wouldn't be saying this.
* "This isn't going to be very helpful to most 21st century families looking for help with an autistic child ...", "... most parents today don't have the time and money the Kaufmans had, but they do have the resources of public funding, Medicaid, and established programs ...", "... but love is not the reason this therapy works...": Maybe these statements are true and maybe they aren't, but who would know better than someone running a Son-Rise program for their child?

When my daughter was diagnosed with autism at 22 months, I was depressed and scared. I did search after search and read method after method for treating autism. Nothing "felt" right. The therapies based on behaviorism seemed to rob children of dignity. Then I found the Option Institute website.

I read all they had published online and got the rest from the library system. After reading their autism books, I felt I understood what I needed to do to help her. I would have liked to go to their program, but there was no way I could leave her to attend.

I implemented my understanding of their program. You know what? Within two months she said, "I love you, Mommy." It was the first time in my parenting journey I had heard my child say that. That was eight years ago. I did the program alone for about six months. She did great. Now, she is not "cured." She is doing very well, though.

I was driven to look for the book again, as my four-year-old son was diagnosed with autism this week and I'm feeling that thing that parents feel when they get this news (again).

For those who say Son-Rise is about money, you can read this book at the library and get help. How much does that cost? You can pay the $10 or $15 for the book here on Amazon. You are out $10 to $15. If you read the book and want to go to the center; go for it. The people I know who have done that feel the money was well spent.

For the reviewer who wants the name of a child who was cured, I'd give you mine, but it was not a complete cure. I am going to go back and start a program again with her (what the heck, I'm going to do a program with my son, anyway). When we started my self-designed program based on Son-Rise, my daughter made no eye contact, couldn't look in mirrors, had no communicative speech, and no normal response to stimuli. We saw huge changes within the first week. I still get emotional when I remember her telling me she loved me for the first time.

I thought I was providing a loving, nurturing environment for her before son-rise, but her remarkable progress with son-rise showed me she needed more. It was amazing how, when she would bite her arms and I would bite mine in response, she would stop and look at me and be able to move on to something better.

This book, and others by Kaufman, taught me not to be afraid of autism. The program advocated in this book allowed my daughter to keep her dignity and learn to join the mainstream.

I have been working with my autistic son using floortime and developmental approaches, which are very similar to what Kaufman describes in this book - you join your child, you focus on creating meaningful interaction between the two of you, you engage your child and gently draw him into your world rather than forcing him into it. While I don't think I'd pay thousands for someone to show me this, the book is quite cheap and really all you need to get the idea of what they did.

The critical piece for me was the utter acceptance of your child for who he or she is. Love is unconditional. Too often, even if we don't intend to give this message, children with special needs or differences can feel like we only love them if they recover or if they become verbal or if they stop stimming, or whatever it is that we are working on. The Kaufmans' approach has as its bedrock unconditional love and acceptance. It is the balance of this love with the striving for more - for the child to reach his greatest potential - that many reviewers missed as the core message of the book. They are not mutually exclusive. The author never once insinuates that a person should "feel badly" if their child doesn't make a full "recovery," or if they didn't do everything just as the Kaufmans did.

The point is not, "follow this method and your child will also recover from autism." It is simply to love and be with your child, to tune into his needs, and from there your child will grow and blossom to his greatest capacity. And wherever that is - on the spectrum or off - is just fine. Process, not product, is emphasized.

I had to put the book down at first because Kaufman's style reeked of New Agey feelings. I keep telling my husband, "I like this book a lot even though it's so wacky." If you can get past that, the message is a pure one.

Son-rise the miracle continues gave me hope. All hope was drained away from me when we were given the diagnosis of ASD. As a result of reading this book we took our son to the Autism Treatment Center of America.

This treatment changed our lives forever. Ewan went from a boy who spoke on 2/3 word sentences to now where you can have a wonderful conversation. He is in mainstream education and doing well. This is beyond my wildest dreams.

Give yourself an opportunity of a win/win situation.If you read the book you may decide this is the program for you. A winning situation. You may decide you don't like what you read. Again you win because you discovered something you don't want.

Anyone who doesn't appreciate this book is missing the point. The work of the Kaufman family has been neglected and shunned by many in the autistic community on the pretense that it is "unscientific" and will "make" people feel bad if they try other treatments, but the truth is the Kaufmans are among the first to offer a program that not only CAN get results, but doesn't emphasize results as the important part of the journey. The important part, we are reminded, is to love our children and ourselves no matter what. This book makes clear the importance of doing whatever you feel is best for your child, while emphasizing that those decisions should come from a place of love and not of fear.

I read this book when my child was 5 years old and in the public school system, in which he was receiving failing grades from his CST. This book renewed my hope and dreams for my child which was in total opposition to the 'professionals' opinions. This book changed our direction in life for our child. My child's grades are straight A's vs. straight F's. My child is happy and so are we!!! This is a must read for any parent dealing with a child with special needs.

We bought this book when we started a Son-Rise Program 8 months ago for my step-son (now age 11), and have been blessed by the story. I still read excerpts from time-to-time as a pick-me-up and use it to train the volunteers in our Son-Rise Program.

My step-son was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at age 2-1/2, with that diagnosis updated to Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 9. Before we started our Son-rise Program, he would sometimes speak when forced, but then only with 1-2 words; eye contact from him was rare and fleeting, and usually because we forced him to look at us; his frustration and confusion resulted in daily tantrums and screaming fits sometimes he hit himself on the leg or threw things.

We tried everything else first because that's what "everyone" said to do (including SSRIs and anti-psychotic medications prescribed by his developmental pediatrician for off-label use, chelation therapy, speech therapy, ABA therapy, Floor Time therapy, OT, PT and PECS) and none resulted in appreciable improvement, while some made him more withdrawn or frustrated. Our son has responded to Son-Rise like nothing else. So far (after 8 months of 25-35 hours a week of Son-Rise Program) he has more spontaneous use of language, has started imaginary play, started initiating play with others, increased his spontaneous and requested eye contact. He plays with toys with his 16-month old sister. Two days ago I had my first conversation with him ever, consisting of three "conversation loops" of 4-5 words each. His father and I have been able to build a relationship with him and expect him to continue to emerge from his inner world. His personality continues to come out--he likes to try and make us laugh.

If you have an autistic or special needs child, or work with autistic or special needs children, and want another point of view of the possibilities for them as people then give this book a try. We are grateful that the Kaufmans have shared their story and ideas through this book and the other Barry Neil Kaufman books because of the way our lives have been enriched.

We no longer see our son as a tragedy. He is a great blessing to us and we feel lucky that he chose us to be his parents.

In dealing with my own son who is on the spectrum, I found that he is making breakthroughs when I accept, join, and immerse him in my love. Then I read this book which reaffirms what I was discovering on my own... Although scientific evidence is important as well...I truly believe that a positive attitude and love can take us quite far in life and more people need to open up to this idea to make the world a better place to live.

In a world where parents of special-needs children are constantly told they don't know what's best for their children and the "experts" favorite answer is to forcefully "modify" a child's behavior to appear normal, this book is a refreshing demonstration of the power of parental love and determination. When told by the recognized experts that their son, Raun, was hopelessly autistic and mentally retarded, uneducable and in need of institutionalization, the Kaufmans chose to look to their child as his own expert. Hours of open-minded observation, experimenting and lovingly joining Raun's actions, gave them a unique understanding of him and the key to reach into his strange world and ultimately inspire him to become a part of theirs. Raun's total recovery from a supposedly incurable disorder is a demonstration that the "experts" don't always know best and that scientific studies often fall short. This is a story about trusting yourself and a special-needs child, or anyone, to know what is best for themselves and using observation, respect and openness to find the best answers to meet any challenge. It's a story of really going for what you want, despite the established beliefs others insist on, and enjoying the process. I wish every parent, teacher, professional or person who has contact with children would read this book!

This book saved our lives. When my 2 yr. old son was diagnosed as autistic the entire medical profession turned their backs on him with terms such as "hopeless" or "we've never seen this before". My wife was fortunate enough to be handed this book by one of our son's occupational therapists and after reading it, she handed it over to a world class skeptic...me. With each line my eyes opened to a new world where I started to see opportunity instead of tradgedy, acceptance instead of repulsion and hope where there was once was no where to turn. The secret of this book is not in it's method of guiding special children, but in it's effect on the parents of that special child. When you are finished, you truly understand how "special" your child is and how with each new challenge, new wonderful doors open in your life. This book is essential for any parent dealing with the issues of raising a special child no matter what philosophy is being used in the child's development. If you are also fortunate enough to incorporate the teachings of the book into your child's program, you will see truly miraculous results. Don't pass this one up!!!!