This book is essential reading for any clinician or researcher working with teens with autism spectrum disorders. This parent-assisted intervention for teens is based on a comprehensive, evidence-based, 14-week program at UCLA‘s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the manualization of the popular UCLA PEERS Program, and the success of the Children‘s Friendship Training (Routledge, 2002) manual for children.After reviewing techniques designed to help parents and therapists tailor the manual to the needs of the teens with whom they are working, the text moves on to the individual treatment sessions and strategies for tackling issues such as developing conversational skills, choosing friends, using humor, get-togethers, teasing, bullying, gossiping, and handling disagreements. Each session chapter includes handouts, homework assignments, descriptions of what to expect (and how to handle challenges in delivering the intervention), and customized tips for both parents and therapists.

Author: ELIZABETH A. LAUGESON, FRANKEL. FRED
Kindle Edition: 444 pages Kindle eBook
Company: T & F Books US (2011-03-04) (2011-03-04)
List Price: $49.95
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When their nineteen-month-old son, Miles, was diagnosed with autism, Karyn Seroussi, a writer, and her husband, a scientist, fought back with the only weapons at their disposal: love and research. Consulting medical papers, surfacing the Web, and networking with other parents, they traced the onset of their child's problems to an immune system breakdown that coincided with his vaccinations. As a result, his digestive system was unable to break down certain proteins, which in turn led to abnormal brain development. So Karyn and her husband got to work -- Karyn implementing their program at home while her husband tested his theories at the scientific lab where he worked.

Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder is an inspiring and suspenseful chronicle of how one couple empowered themselves to challenge the medical establishment that promised no hope -- and found a cure for their child.

Here are the explanations and treatments they so carefully researched and discovered, a wealth of crucial tools and hands-on information that can help other parents reverse the effects of autism and PDD, including step-by-step instructions for the removal of dairy and gluten from the diet, special recipes, and an explanation of the roles of the key players in autism research.

Author: Karyn Seroussi
Paperback: 304 pages
Company: Broadway (2002-01-08) (2002-01-08)
ISBN: 0767907981
List Price: $14.95
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Now expanded to two volumes, this invaluable reference work provides a comprehensive review of all information presently available about these disorders, drawing on findings and clinical experience from a number of related disciplines such as psychiatry, psychology, neurobiology, pediatrics, etc. The Handbook covers descriptive and diagnostic characteristics, biological contributions, intervention techniques, legal and social issues. The Third Edition is updated to include the newest work in animal models, genetics, neuropsychological processes, screening and assessment methods.

Hardcover: 792 pages
Company: Wiley (2005-04-28)
ISBN: 0471716960
List Price: $120.00
Amazon Price: $85.99
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Based upon Chantal Sicile-Kira's personal and professional experiences with autistic disorders, this comprehensive and accessible source covers all aspects of autism conditions, including Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, including:

- The causes of autism spectrum disorders
- How to properly diagnose ASPs
- Treatments based on physiology, sensory, and biomedical interventions
- Coping strategies for families
- Educational programs
- Living and working conditions for adults with ASP
- Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC)

Author: Chantal Sicile-Kira
Paperback: 360 pages
Company: Perigee Trade (2004-08-31) (2004-09-07)
ISBN: 0399530479
List Price: $15.95
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Teach Me Language was written because we saw the need for a book to provide specific language activities designed for children with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other related pervasive developmental disorders.  There are many books advocating one therapy method over another, as well as books chronicling a child's unexpected recovery from autism.  A few of these books provide information on setting up therapy in the home; however, no books that we could find give hands-on, explicit instructions for working on the language needs specific to these children, despite that fact that delayed language is one of the most common and limiting symptoms of children with developmental disorders.  This book is designed to do just that.  Teach Me Language introduced exercises and drills that attack language weaknesses common to children with pervasive developmental disorders.

Teach Me Language is designed to be used by parents, speech therapist and/or trainers as part of a therapy program where language difficulties are being addressed.  There are several conditions that must be met in order for this book to be useful:

The child must be a visual learner.
Children who have autism or have autistic-like disorders (i.e. pervasive developmental delays [P.D.D.] or Asperger's syndrome) are almost always visual learners.  By this we mean that they are able to assimilate information when it is presented to them visually as opposed to orally.  The entire book is based on this principle.

The child must be table ready and relatively compliant
One of the major challenges with this population of children is that often it is difficult to get the child to sit down at a table, even for a moment.  For the parent who is beginning down the long road of therapy, letting the child table ready is step one.  By table ready, we mean that the child is attentive and able to follow simple directions.  The instruments in this book will be helpful once the child is table ready  To train the child to be able to sit willingly at a table and work on language skills such as these, we strongly recommend behavioral programs to bring the child to this point.  The authors can recommend Lovaas and Lovaas-type training because children who have been trained this way have good table skills and have been given the building blocks to assimilated information taught to them visually.   However, any behavioral program that brings the child to the point where s/he is table ready is needed before attempting the drills and exercises set out in the following pages Once the child is table ready (even if only for 5 minutes at a time) then the language therapy can begin.

The child must be able to communicate in some way.
In order to sue these drills, the child must have some way to respond.  If the child is verbal (even if s/he only repeats what others say - is echolalic) then eventually the child should be able to respond verbally.  If the child is nonverbal, these drills can be effective if the child uses a picture communication system, a computer, or sign language, and can use one of these communication systems quite well.

Author: Sabrina Freeman, Lorelei Dake
Hardcover-spiral: 410 pages
Company: SKF Books, Inc. (1997-09-01)
ISBN: 0965756505
List Price: $59.95
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DC:0-3 was the first developmentally based system for diagnosing mental health and developmental disorders in infants and toddlers. Its diagnostic categories reflected the consensus of a multidisciplinary group of experts in early childhood development and mental health. The newly revised DC:0-3R draws on empirical research and clinical practice that have occurred worldwide since 1994. DC:0-3R is designed to help mental health and other professionals. The features include: recognize mental health and developmental challenges in young children; understand how relationships and environmental factors contribute to mental health and developmental disorders; use diagnostic criteria effectively for classification and intervention; and work more effectively with parents and other professionals to develop effective treatment plans. DC:0-3R enhances your ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental health problems in the earliest years by identifying and describing disorders not addressed in other classification systems and by pointing the way to effective intervention approaches.

Author: Zero to Three
Paperback: 136 pages
Company: Zero to Three (2005-05)
ISBN: 0943657903
List Price: $32.95
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Now in a fully updated Third Edition, The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders has, since the first edition, become the most influential reference work in the field of autism and related conditions. In two volumes, this invaluable reference provides a comprehensive review of all information presently available about these disorders, drawing on findings and clinical experience from a number of related disciplines such as psychiatry, psychology, neurobiology, pediatrics, etc.

Hardcover: 1488 pages
Company: Wiley (2005-04-29)
ISBN: 0471716987
List Price: $240.00
Amazon Price: $179.33
Used Price: $127.00

Author: Melvin Levine
Hardcover: 626 pages
Company: Educators Pub. Service (1998)
ISBN: 0838819923
List Price: $103.35
Amazon Price: $59.00
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This cross-disciplinary reference offers a thorough overview of the communication, language, social, and behavioral issues characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Based on meticulous research of the core areas of ASD - communication, socialization, emotional regulation, and symbolic development - the authors offer practical guidelines for intervention designed for children with autism and their families. In this comprehensive book, speech-language pathologists, clinicians, early interventionists, psychologists, and educators learn how to: understand and address the social and communication challenges experienced by children with autism; enhance assessment and intervention methods; and support families in their efforts to facilitate their children's development. Chapters in this volume, written by leading clinical and research authorities in ASD, will allow readers to understand the principles and philosophies behind clinical and educational practices implemented with children with autism. Readers will also encounter guidelines to use when making critical assessment and intervention decisions to create more natural, child-centered supports. All professionals will learn how to improve their educational and developmental supports for young children with autism.

Author: Amy M. Wetherby
Hardcover: 422 pages
Company: Paul H Brookes Pub Co (2000-05-31)
ISBN: 1557664455
List Price: $49.95
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Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or PDD, is the umbrella term used to cover the whole family of autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger Syndrome. Within this group there is a subgroup called NOS not otherwise specified which covers the conditions which do not quite meet the diagnostic criteria for autism or Asperger Syndrome. Because PDD covers such a wide spectrum, it presents very differently from child to child. Written principally for parents, this is a book which explains what it means for your child to be diagnosed with PDD, NOS, autism or Asperger Syndrome, and where you go from there. The authors describe the symptoms of PDD, what a diagnosis means, how a child fits into the diagnostic terminology and the diagnostic procedures involved. They also review associated disorders such as OCD, and discuss the different treatments and therapies available. The book includes frequently-asked questions, as well as the experiences of other parents.

Author: Barbara Quinn
Paperback: 158 pages
Company: Jessica Kingsley Pub (2000-04-01)
ISBN: 1853028762
List Price: $25.95
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