Review by Dennis Littrell:

This book is directed especially toward parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Chantal Sicile-Kira’s goal is to save parents “countless hours of precious time and heartache” by sharing what she has learned navigating through the various systems. She has an autistic child of her own and she knows the ropes having spent “tens of thousands of hours” learning about autism and the treatments and interventions available, and how the various support and governmental groups and organizations work.

She begins by debunking myths about autism while providing a little history including some sharp commentary about Bruno Bettelheim, the psychotherapist who thought that autism was caused by “refrigerator mothers” of cold affect who pushed their children into emotional isolation. She emphasizes that autism is a “spectrum disorder” that is becoming more and more prevalent without a clear etiology.

She follows this with a chapter explaining what ASDs are and “How to Know If a Person Has One.” She addresses herself to parents who have absolutely no experience with autism, parents who have no idea what to do or how to feel. In Chapter 3 she looks into the causes and attempts to explain why people with ASDs act the way they do. Then she guides parents to what to expect and what to do after a diagnosis of autism. In Chapter 5 she comments on treatments, therapies, and interventions.

What Sicile-Kira does so well is to make the reader understand and appreciate what it is like to be a parent of an autistic child, what family life can be like with siblings, what the educational prospects are, how one fits into the community and what the future may hold. Autism spectrum disorders are becoming better and better understood all the time, and there is even a school of thought that suggests that, in their milder forms, to look for a “cure” may be a misdirection because many autistics have a unique and valuable way of viewing the world and living life.

This is a personal book, but it is also a professional book. There is an appendix giving “Parent Ratings of Behavioral Effects of Biomedical Interventions”: which drugs have or have not been effective, how non-drug supplements have or have not helped, and the effect of special diets. There is a section on “Resources,” including ASD-Specific Organizations, general organizations, governmental agencies, books; and there’s a bibliography.

If you want an introduction to autism and the world of autism from a parental and a professional point of view, this is an excellent place to start.

Review by Ted A. Parks:

I am a graduate student doing research on autism, and this book provided a fantastic amount of information. It covers the history, symptoms, treatments, how to look for help, provides numerous websites and other resources, and was invaluable to my work. Out of the ten books on autism that I have read, this one is the best.

Review by M. DeLouis:

My son’s feels that he has control of his mornings and evenings by easily setting up the wonderfully designed pictures for his daily schedule of activities. Gone are the tantrums because we no longer have transition issues because he follows the visual queues that he set up. LOVE IT! Let us not forget the other boards that help kids learn patience/waiting and choices. Again, we seem to have reduced the tantrums and outbursts because he is the one in control using the boards. The product is very sturdy, colorful and everything fits together for easy travel or just for storing. Overall, excellent product!! Why did it take so long for something to be developed to help our kids with ADHD, ADHD-C, autism, PDD, etc.. Thank you BeeVisual!

Review by Daniel E. Tedesco:

For those with children experiencing communication and behavioral challenges (for example, autism, PDD, etc.), this product is a great, engaging way to help provide visual queues throughout the day. The customizable picture schedule reduces tantrums and anxiety by showing the child what they can expect next during the course of a day. The other two boards teach patience/waiting and choices. The workmanship is unbeatable–everything fits tight and snug with super high quality plastic parts. The dry erase boards and marker add even more flexibility. Most of all, the graphic images and colors are FUN and hopeful looking–not dry like the institutional feeling PECS cards you might get from a speech therapist or the like. I highly recommend this product.

Review by Lori Heimbichner:

Ellen Notbohm’s Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew, an extension of her article “What Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew” speaks to children’s wishes and the choices parents can make to honor them. Its soul triggered in me a CliffNotes’ synopsis of Aristotle’s contention that “choice (as determined by deliberation) is concerned with means to an end. Wish is concerned with the end.”*

And so begins Ten Things, with the first wish of a child – that he or she be known by one word, and one word only – “child,” and not squelched by the label “autistic child.” It ends with the child’s final wish – that he receive unconditional love and acceptance. The remaining eight wishes tucked in between provide insight into the tools (via choices parents can make) that will honor, empower and respect their precious children and make all their wishes come true.

Ten Things zeros in on the importance of sensory issues and thoroughly explains their direct link to a child’s behavior. Ellen reminds parents that “seemingly inexplicable behavior … all have a sensory cause … No matter how unprovoked, how random it may appear, behavior never comes out of nowhere.” She guides parents through reformatting their own beliefs and suggests ways to identify and work with the child’s sensory structure.

Ten Things addresses those infamous “meltdowns,” explains the four trigger clusters, and offers suggestions on how to identify their underlying causes. Ellen acknowledges that it’s hard work for parents to actively seek out reasons for those meltdowns rather than chalk them up to an out of control child that could do better if he wanted to. By her own diligence, and with the help of qualified professionals, meltdowns are a rare happening in her home now.

Ten Things reminds us that our children are concrete and visual thinkers and they interpret language literally. Ellen explains why idioms don’t work and how we can train ourselves to speak concretely and say what we mean to help our child understand since any communication that doesn’t make sense to a child simply won’t get through. Without helping him develop a functional way to communicate his needs, fears and wants, they will take any shape they want, which means they’ll generally manifest in the form of behavior.

Ten Things provides techniques to construct a visual strategy to help a child to navigate his day, which will quite naturally and over time contribute to improved social interactions and the creation of a solid self esteem, the foundation for social functioning. And for the child’s sake, Ellen implores parents to remember and believe that he’s trying the best he can with his limited abilities and social understanding. Any other belief system will short circuit the route for him to become a functioning citizen in our world.

That said, and in the spirit of Aristotle, Ellen makes it clear that we as parents and teachers and caregivers are the means to our child’s end.

Without doubt, the word ‘autism‘ strikes fear in the hearts of parents, and Ellen makes no bones about it. She speaks candidly about her own initial grief and despair when her son was diagnosed – those instantaneous images of her child locked inside his own head, never able to interact properly with the world and become self-sufficient.

Those thoughts and perceptions became the energy behind her “can-do” attitude, her intensive and pro-active approach, and her battle plan against a self-fulfilling prophecy of hopelessness for her little boy. She recognized the potential within him; a potential present in all children waiting to be noticed and built upon, and not just fixed. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she would not change her son, even if she could. “I wouldn’t have him be anything other than exactly what he was …”

A child’s wish of unconditional love – granted.

Ten Things champions the cause of helping families discover their strengths. It validates everybody’s capabilities and possibilities. It addresses early confrontations with “can’t do” and redirects the focus onto what children “can do.” It offers a roadmap for avoiding what Ellen calls the “swamp of unmet expectations,” the place where a child’s “potential goes to die if parents don’t detach their personal aspirations from their child’s.”

Ten Things is all about parental choices:

choosing between negative and positive thinking (he won’t do versus he can’t do);

choosing to live in the dark rather than the light (frustration versus empowerment and patience);

choosing to limit themselves and their child by trying to bend him to their will by forced compliance rather than focusing on his gradual acclimation to the mysterious nuances of daily life that create havoc in his world;

choosing to move beyond the bitterness, grief and disappointment that they didn’t “get the child they were supposed to get,” and open their minds to becoming the parents they have been called to become.

choosing a rewarding direction for their life, their child’s life, their family’s life.

Read Ten Things. Absorb it. Then read it again and again. Learn from it. Trust it. Find your strength. Choose well for your child. Make all his wishes come true.

*Online CliffNotes for Aristotle’s Essays on Ethics.

Review by MG:

I have read through dozens of books pertaining to Autism and within this one book I found more useful information than anywhere else. This book is not just for parents and therapists, but also for family members adjusting to life with a child who has Autism. It helps you get inside the head of a child with Autism, and understand the struggles and pain these children face every single day.

The ten things the author lays out are simple, but essential in understanding and helping the child. She provides examples in terms that people without Autism can relate to in order to better understand certain behaviors. The recovery process is different for every child, but the information in this book will without a doubt help any family get on the road. Open your heart and read this book to really understand.

Review by T. Burgess:

This book is absolutely amazing. I have 2 children with Asperger’s and Temple Grandin’s insight into why people with autism have certain behaviors was eye-opening. It also gave me a whole new perspective on what thought processes may effect their ability to learn abstract things and socialize with others. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don’t personally know someone with autism it can certainly give you a first-hand look at how different people think differently.

Review by Lynetta Anne:

Whether you know anyone with Asperger’s or not, this book will enlighten and expand your thinking about how minds work and what it means to be human. As in most areas, most people assume that other people think and perceive the same way that they do, and that this is the “only right way to do it.” But when everyone thinks the same way, break-through thinking is almost impossible.

Reading this book I wondered if, without the awe-inspiring differences, we would have ever moved out of mud huts. It seems to me that the lessons stretch far beyond what it means to have Aspergers, although learning what that means is an incredible gift.

We need to treat our differences with awe, wonder and respect and recognize how people who are “differently wired” have helped to shape our world.

Review by A. Stagg:

The Phonics Word Master is an excellent teaching toy, especially if you have a child struggling with basics of language skills.

Hooked on Phonics is primarily a tool to help teach reading skills, but this particular toy is interesting because it does an excellent job of pronouncing letters and words without lots of flashing lights and distractions that may inhibit children who are ADHD or autistic spectrum.

This toy ties the visual representations of letters and words together quite nicely with a straightforward pronunciation of the related sounds.

This toy should also be an excellent tool to help ANY kid learn the basics of reading.

Review by L. Heckathorn:

My 3 yr-old got this for Christmas, and he really enjoys it. He already knows his letter sounds, and we thought this would help him with the corresponding letter names and starting to form words for pre-reading skills. He really likes using the toy, although it is most effective when we sit and have one-on-one time with him while he uses it, so we can help him stay focused – a tough task for any 3 year old! It is also great to take in the car, as it is just the right size to hold in their lap. We wanted to encourage him in his interest of letters and reading but still keep it fun, and this toy helps! We also purchased the next toy Sizzle makes (Get Ready to Read Activity System for ages 4-7), so that as soon as he is ready we can get that out – it is even more interactive.

Review by Yellow Roses:

I have shelves filled with books with ‘how to’ and I have tried them all. My son, Brian now 14, has severe mental retardation, there are very few books for ‘teaching’ children like him. I took a chance on this one, and worth it. Thanx to the notes in the book I no longer try and stop him from bitting his hands, but understadning why, all of us at home started to take notes of when and what happened before and now we focus on the what happens before. This is just one excellent example.

We had a good summer and he has made great progress because of the book. We did projects with him, set real targets and monitored. My 9 year old daughter who is a part of the team helping her 14 year old sibblings, got ideas of things she could do with him and learnt much about not doing ‘for him’.

The instructions for action, and this is what the book spurs you to do ‘act’ are clear and logically. So many times we go on to another ‘intervention’ and when we read the explanation that leads to the action I hear myself thinking, but you know what that is logical. It may say ‘Autism Spectrum’, but it is forall of us who has a child/young adult with moderate to severe intellectural disability.

I am purchasing two extra copies of the book. One to send to school when he starts in another two weeks, the other to my sister who we plan to visit in December. I also chair the National Advisory Board for Persons with Disability here in Jamaica and I am going to recommending this book to all who will listen.

Review by Kristen Campbell:

I can not tell you how very much this book has helped myself and my 2 children with autism as well as the educators that I entrust with my children. There is something for everyone in this book. There are so many simple answers to big questions, I literally wanted to say “Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” The education and guidance that these authors offer us, as parents, is priceless. There are so many books out there. My library of books regarding “our” spectrum grows daily. However, this one book has done more for our “team,” we, as parents, and my children’s teachers than any other book I can name. I will add, for our children’s point of view, I very strongly suggest all books by Temple Grandin. My hope is that any parent/caregiver, anyone who loves a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder will read this book and contact me, to expand all of our networks of support and love for these incredible people who happen to have ASD’s and whom we are blessed to share our lives with. Please feel free to contact me at kristenc@wcoil.com.

Thank you to the authors, the publisher and to all who support this fabulous reference. Thank you.

Review by Lori Heimbichner:

The child of Ellen Notbohm’s award-winning Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew is now a student in her latest book, Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew. In the student’s voice, Ellen enlightens trained educators, support staff, therapists, administrators, parents, and family members about what their student wishes they knew. She offers a concise and comprehensive discussion of the underlying issues that influence teaching students with autism.

Ten Things is practical and written in clear, no-nonsense language. Ellen engages her audience with a lively and often witty writing style. She captures what it is like to function in the world of a student with autism, and provides a thoughtful examination and explanation of remedies for the problems she identifies.

Ellen says, “To be able to hear the voice of our student with autism and respond in ways that are meaningful to him or her, we must be able to step outside our own deeply, deeply ingrained frame of reference.” She shows how important and possible it is to suspend all we know so we are able to think differently.

Ten Things is founded on the essential circle of learning between student and teacher, and it challenges us to lay aside our egos and become child centered. To use Ellen’s quote from the 1995 Disney movie “Pocahontas”, if you read and apply Ten Things, “You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.”

And it is in that spirit that Ellen’s student with autism would say to teachers and learners alike, “Please read this book”:

If you believe it is important to discover ways to help students like me acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to live productive lives;

If you want to offer students a beginning, if you want to impact our lives positively, and if you want to see the best in us;

If you believe that learning is more than test scores, transcripts, and regurgitating information;

If you are committed to expanding your own education; and

If you are rewarded by seeing me believe in myself because you are putting within reach what most thought was beyond my grasp.

Review by Yvette K. Breaux:

I gave a copy of this book and “Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew” to my child’s principal and teacher. As the parent of a child with autism, I find myself reading these books again and again. What I appreciate most is the emphasis on recognizing the child with autism as a whole person, and not a series of problems needing to be fixed. They’re short, easy to read, and packed with useful information for anyone wanting to know more about what it’s like to be a child with autism in a neuro-typical world.

Review by Aimee Symington:

A Review of the Board Game, “Blunders” by Games for Educators in April, 2009

There are many things that make “Blunders,” an engaging game for children.

It’s funny the details that we remember from events in our lives. Rarely do we remember every single happening but instead, we may bring along snippets from the various scenes we experience. One such snippet for me was a mere portion of the advice I received while taking a class on Children’s Literature. That piece, given to the future children’s book writers, was to avoid being preachy. Such topics are no fun for children, we were told.

Playing games follows a similar suit. When consumers choose games to purchase it is important to remember that even though they may want the game to teach them something, they also want to have fun.. Why else choose that game to play in your leisure time?

Now, as a teacher, I look for games that pack in quite a punch. I want educational, engaging, interesting, and fun. I want games that I can modify and with multiple uses. I want games that we can play for fun during recess or play in a specific class setting or for a particular purpose. No one is motivated to participate otherwise.

“Blunders” is a board game for children ages 5 to 10, which I feel fulfills my lofty requirements. The point of the game is to teach manners, but play does not revolve around any punitive actions. Play is consumed by moving along a visually appealing board, landing on either a purple, orange, or green space, and addressing a corresponding situation involving etiquette. There are 4 types of questions: Multiple Choice, Charades, True/False, and Scenarios. Topics include, but are not limited to, telephone etiquette, respecting adults, gossiping, bullying, proper table manners, and personal responsibility.

Play is easily managed by rolling a die and simply moving along the board. Young players may need assistance reading the cards, but the game can be played in teams.

The game has a personal touch in that each named has a distinct personality, completely described in the direction booklet. Brenda, for instance, possesses quite an active imagination and keen artistic talent, but lacks in polite greeting skills and gossips too much. Therefore, children may choose a character to which he/she relates.

Here are the many advantages to this board game:

1. It is fun to play.

2. It teaches a life skill.

3. Children are drawn to the personalities of the players and the situation cards.

4. It is easy enough to catch on to the strategy of play, but presents situations that require children to use thinking skills requiring the use of judgement.

5. The game can be played without adult supervision, yet a teacher can easily adapt it for use in the classroom. The charade cards present excellent opportunities to discuss etiquette in a fun manner.

6. It is visually appealing.

7. The game has a website,[...]. Teachers can use this website for writing extension activities, because it contains a link where players can submit their own “Manners Moments” or “blunderblogs” to share with others. Teachers can also download and print free educational materials.

I highly recommend “Blunders” for use at home and at school!

Review by Kathryn Fortune:

I chose this game to use in social work groups in an elementary school setting. I needed a game that was easy to play that was enjoyable and taught social skills concepts. This game fulfilled all of these. The children enjoyed the game. I played it with children who displayed deficits in the area of social skills. The box says ages 5 and up, but I found with these children, the age on the box didn’t matter. I played it with 6th graders and they had fun too. I would highly recommend this game to others who work in a school setting.

Review by Chris Roberts:

“Autism: the Musical” wasn’t necessarily something groundbreakingly new, nor was it the most complete view of autism (which can be a great deal worse than what you see in the film), but it was a truly inspired and beautiful vision of hope and understanding. The children in the film are wonderful and the adults cover the whole range of what people can be. If this doesn’t deeply touch and affect you, then there is something quite wrong. It’s a valuable and important film for everyone to see and I applaud its production.

Review by Crystal A. Grey-hewett:

I am the mother of an an almost 5 year old autistic boy, and I had been itching to see Autism: The Musical. Now that I have, I am so touched and amazed by what went into that film. I liked the fact that she did not hide the difficulties these children can have, but she still showed that they are so much more than just that (a fact that can easily be forgotten when the child has a meltdown at the grocery store). I also liked that the director unflinchingly showed just how angry and frustrated that we parents can become, and that that anger and frustration has its roots in the fact that we are fiercely protective of ours and we fear what happens if we are not here. At the same time, those kids were amazing and fantastic and she showed it. Adam is a little ladies man in the making, Lexi has a lovely singing voice, Henry and Wyatt are just absolute stars, and maybe the reason Neal does not talk is simply because the rest of us don’t speak angel yet. Everyone should watch this.

Review by The Matrix Fan:

Dr. Temple Grandin takes this simple phrase and makes it the central theme to her book “As I See It.” She explains, in very concrete examples, that autism is a ’spectrum’ disorder, and no two individuals share the exact same traits. Autism is simply a different way of thinking and learning; and with the right type and intensity of services, significant improvements can be made.

I enjoyed this book very much because Temple makes it very plain from the get-go that as a parent of an autistic/Asperger’s child, doing nothing is the worst thing possible. Don’t let the child stim all day long, don’t hold onto the belief that he/she will “grow out of these behaviors”, and never let the label define the child. In addition, she stresses the important of teaching the child proper manners, acceptable behaviors, and setting goals for them to achieve (within reason).

She goes on to say that tasks need to be taught in a piece-by-piece manner so the child does not succumb to sensory overload. I was particularly fascinated by her personal description of sensory overload in the autistic/Asperger’s mind, caused by items like fluorescent lights, fire alarms, ticking clocks, uncomfortable fabrics, and much more. Recognizing these learning hurdles requires a bit of detective work on the part of parents and teachers – but in the end, they will help in the child’s treatment and learning process.

Personal examples are provided as often as possible, which helps provide a very real and unabashed view into the autistic mindset. Dr. Grandin remembers with vivid detail getting a question wrong on a kindergarten quiz where she had to mark items that began with the letter “B”. Since suitcases were called “bags” in her house, she had no idea that her answer could be interpreted differently – a shining example of the frustration an autistic child can face.

Dr. Grandin didn’t stop her book with the early years of learning…far from it. She talks about ways of turning an autistic child’s obsessions into skills that are valued in the workplace. There are chapters which discuss the pros and cons of medicine and biomedical therapies. One of the most interesting chapters discusses nonverbal autism and the preconceived notion that if one is nonverbal, they aren’t intelligent: Her interview with Tito Mukhopadhyay and her reference to Amanda Bagg’s YouTube video “In My Language” allow us to shatter that notion into a million pieces. She offers websites and books for additional reference, providing a wealth of resources for the reader.

Social awareness is touched on as well, and since Dr. Grandin is more task-oriented than socially oriented, she openly admits her shortcomings in this area…but she stresses the importance of nurturing skills that will allow an autistic/Asperger’s child to grow into a functioning workplace member.

All in all, I found this to be very organized, informative and a worthwhile book to read. If you have any interest in studying autism, if you have an autistic child or want to work as a classroom aide, this book will provide several intervention plans with a personal touch from its author.

I would also recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – even though this is a fictional book, the author’s writing style is meant to mimic the writings of a high-functioning child with Asperger’s. This book got me interested in the nature of autism and prodded me into reading Dr. Grandin’s book.

Review by lighten_up_already2:

I’m usually not one to write rave reviews for anything, but as a father of a high functioning autistic child, I can say that this is the best book on the subject I’ve ever read.

This book is a collection of magazine column articles that were published over the course of several years. About 25% of the pages in the body of the book are either blank, chapter title pages, or pages with a single big quote on them, so this book is actually quite a bit shorter than you’d think from the page count.

But the content is what matters, and I found the author’s writing style to be both accessible and to the point. I was also impressed with the fact that the author is an extraordinarily accomplished professional in an area other than being an author. This is written from the perspective of someone who has already walked the talk and is now sharing “how it’s done” with the rest of us.

Since it’s a collection of magazine column sized chapters, and because each autism/asperger’s child is unique, the reader will likely find that some chapters apply to their particular situation a lot more than others. For example, the chapter on drugs didn’t apply to us (at least not yet) becuase we haven’t needed to “go there” yet with our son.

However, the columns dealing with vocation and socialization are priceless to a parent who knows their son or daugher is bright, but has difficulty getting along with others. In this area, Grandin shares the step-by-step sequence (which in real life may take years) of first discovering your child’s strengths and interests, then building skills based on those strengths and interests, and then getting the child into some organization built for people with those interests (it’s easier to socialize with people who have the same interests), and then getting the child outside that organization to learn to socialze in general.

Also, I found the information on brain construction and differences in “white matter” configuration in the brain to be fascinating. It explains a lot. Much of who we are seems to depend on how the white matter vs. grey matter gets sorted out in our brains.

Grandin also confirms what I already suspected, that much of our technology is developed by people with autism/asperger’s. The next time you’re wondering how someone could be smart enough to program an operating system and yet make it baffling for others to use, you’ll have your answer.

There’s more, and I can recommend this book not only for parents of children “on the spectrum” but for anyone who has a friend or colleague with autism/aspbergers. Or, at the risk of sounding cliche, if you read only one book on the subject, this is it!