Making Sense of Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Create the Brightest Future for Your Child with the Best Treatment Options

About this book

In this authoritative and empowering book one of the worlds leading experts on early child development gives caregivers of children on the autistic spectrum the knowledge they need to navigate the complex maze of symptoms diagnoses tests and treatment options that await them. For more than thirty years James Coplan M.D. has been helping families cope with the challenges posed by autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Each family that walks into his office he knows is about to begin a journey. With this book he lays out the steps of that journey. Dr. Coplan brings you into the treatment rooms and along for the tests and evaluations and provides the kind of practical hands-on guidance that will help you help your child with ASD through every phase of life. At a time when ASD has become the subject of wild theories and uninformed speculation Dr. Coplan grounds his recommendations in reality. He helps you understand for yourself where your child may be on the spectrum that includes autism Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. His clear comprehensive and compassionate advice prepares you to make informed medical decisions evaluate the various educational and therapeutic alternatives and find answers to such fundamental questions as How do I optimize my childs long-term potential? Which interventions will best serve my child? How do the various therapies work and what is the evidence to support them? What is the best way to teach my child? This book empowers you to be an expert advocate for your child so that youll know when to say no to an ill-advised therapy or medication and can make with confidence the hundreds of important decisions you will face in the years ahead. For every parent who has made the painful transition from Why did this happen? to What can we do to help our child? here is the indispensable guidebook youve been waiting for.