What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child with Autism

What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child with Autism, a book by Jonathan Levy, is a fantastic overview of basic principles that help children with autism leave their comfortable world and step out into the real one: with joy, not pain.

I think this is a very important distinction. My two eldest children are in the autistic spectrum, one struggling more than the other, and we have been using these principles off and on for the past year. They are simple, yet difficult to put into practice. Why? Because many of these principles require the parent to reexamine their own emotions and beliefs regarding their child.

This sounds easy. Trust me, it's not. It requires giving up the notion that your child "should" be normal (whatever that is) or that he "should" be more obedient, or "should" be calm whenever you get the vacuum cleaner out. Why should a person examine their beliefs? Because children with autism pick up on emotions and attitudes on a level most don't, and they have very little reason to want to be in the real world in the first place: even less if they don't feel they're truly wanted. The real world is full of noises, colors, shapes, and movement that overwhelm their senses to the point of physical pain. Let's face it, most parents have difficulty figuring out what their average children want. Give them a child who doesn't want to talk or even point, who only wants to stay safely cocooned in their world, and frustration builds up on both sides.

This is where beliefs become crucial. It's very easy for a parent to give up on an autistic child or just shuttle the child off to school (special or public) or put the child in an institution. If that's all you can do, then I don't think anyone should feel any guilt over doing that. However, most parents have the ability, especially during this time of homeschool freedom, to do far more, if they believe they can and if they believe their child can. And a child who feels their parent believes in them can do miracles.

Jonathan Levy's book is a great help for parents who are willing to truly take a look at their child and themselves in an effort to understand the most frustrating question for parents of autistic children: Why? I strongly recommend this book. The information's organization is fantastic, the questions are well-thought out, and the worksheets are surprisingly fun. Plus, the anecdotes and analogies make sense and tie in to the point Levy wants to make. Overall, very well written and informative.

On a personal note: we've been using these principles for a year now* and have seen quite a bit of progress with our two eldest. There's still a lot of work to be done, but with each step forward, we see more hope for the future of our children.

*Note: we learned these principles through the Son-Rise® program, offered by the Autism Treatment Center of America (the same organization where Levy learned these principles and taught them as well). They are very enthusiastic regarding child-centered, parent-led therapy. Although the information is not as well-organized as Jonathan Levy's book, I still would recommend any parent with an autistic child to go through ATCA's programs. I recommend reading Levy's book first, though, so that the more in-depth coverage of these principles during the training programs will sink in faster.