Book

On the recommendation of the doctors last week at Nate's appointment, I ordered a specific book on autism. I like it after just the first page of the introduction:

"There are few things in life scarier than having a child diagnosed with any kind of special need, and autism is one of the scariest disabilities, because the diagnosis tells you nothing about a child's prognosis. No one can honestly say to you, 'We know exactly what your child will be like when he's twenty.'

People will, however, feel free to comment on the diagnosis in every way, most of them unhelpful. You'll hear things like 'They're crazy, he's just a late talker,' [heard it], 'My cousin's brother's kid had autism, and they changed his diet and he was cured,' [heard it], and 'Oh, my god, are you going to put him in an institution?' [haven't heard it] You'll start reading articles and combing the Internet for helpful information, and you'll find that there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there--some people swear by certain approaches, others by completely different ones, and some even believe a kid with autism should just be left alone, since 'he'll be whatever he's going to be, and nothing you do will make any difference.'

Now, that's where they're wrong.... Everything you do will make a difference" (p. xiii).

The book is written by a physician and a parent of a child with autism and seems like it covers a lot of practical information, with chapters organized by symptom. They write, "We chose to focus on one symptom at a time for a very simple reason: every child with autism is different and needs a different intervention plan. This plan needs to be based on that specific child's needs and the symptoms being exhibited, not on some general idea of how a kid with autism behaves" (p. xv). I like this, because Nate seems to strongly exhibit some symptoms while barely having others.

Anyway, all this to say I'm encouraged and am still working through everything in my head. :)