Editorial Review
With a 300 percent increase in the incidence of autism and autism spectrum disorders and 1 in 150 children being diagnosed with the disability, autism is now an epidemic. Fortunately, there have been huge advances in our ability to diagnose the disability at younger ages and in the development of effective interventions that can change children’s lives.
In Overcoming Autism, Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., one of the most well-known and highly respected experts on treating autism, shares her professional advice while coauthor Claire LaZebnik, a professional writer whose son has autism, provides insight into the daily life of parents coping with autism.
It’s a difficult disability to live with, but it doesn’t have to devastate a family. In this book, Koegel and LaZebnik offer concrete ways to immediately begin improving the symptoms of autism and the emotional life of anyone coping with the disorder. Providing a complete program of strategies that can be tailored to any child’s specific needs, this is a must-read, must-own book that offers hope through practical solutions which are warm, nurturing, and designed to fit into a family’s daily life. The writers never lose sight of the humor that lurks in the quirkiness of the disability or the importance of enjoying and loving your child.
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Customer Reviews
Treasure Trove of Information 
2007-05-13
This book can be a great addition to the library of people with children who have been diagonosed with autism. It is definately a book with shows a ray of light at the end of what seems to be a dark never ending tunnel.
Renewed Hope 2007-05-07
I liked this book. After reading a book that smashed all my dreams for my son I read this Overcoming Autism and it renewed my hope for a better future for my son. It's an easy read, light hearted and positive uplifting book
Dr and Mom best combo to understanding Autism 2007-01-12
The authors are a Mom with an Autistic son. The other is half of a husband and wife Dr team with an Autism clinic in California. When my wife and I found this past year (2006) that ALL 6 of our children were ASD we were totally overwhelmed and discouraged. This book has given us renewed hope and the various story's of success raised our spirits. We hope to start the methods recommended soon. This book will always be in our top 5 Autism books.
A sigh of relief 2006-11-30
Since my three year old son's diagnosis of autism, I have purchased about 10 books on the topic. This is by far my favorite. This is a book for how to deal with the challenging characteristics of your child with autism... encouraging language development, dealing with tantrums and routines, what to consider for your child's education. Incorporating the experiences of both a recognized expert as well as a co-author who is a mother of a child with autism, this book is an excellent resource. It's the one book I have dog eared pages throughout, and always wanted a pen in easy reach when I was reading so I could star and underline passages. Perhaps best of all, the book persistently provides good reason for optimism regarding your child's future.
A practical guide for parents and professionals 2006-07-25
Overcoming Autism was given to me by a professional that I work with. She, like myself, has a nephew diagnosed with autism. Her nephew was recently diagnosed at age three and she found this book both personally and professionally helpful. (We are both relatively new to working with children with autism.) I only wish that my family had this book so many years ago when my nephew was diagnosed. Yes, this is an excellent book for parents and professionals. The authors Koegel and LaZebnik discussed many topics that apply to everyday living from toilet training, communication, sleep, finding appropriate school placements and the list can go on and on. I found the authors to be knowledgeable regarding the issues that families face each day when a member has autism. As a member of the Child Study Team I sometimes meet parents who are not knowledgeable with early intervention programs. This book does an excellent job explaining early interventions and the various programs that a child with autism may need to be successful. Each chapter begins with at least a few questions that families frequently ask regarding the issues that they face. Each answer is practical and realistic. In addition, Koegel and LaZebnik give practical suggestions on handling psychological issues such as guilty, denial, blame, anger, etc., as well as guidance and recommendations to getting on track to help your child achieve success. The authors discuss the treatment programs that are available and the research behind those programs. They also stressed to parent to be leery of those programs that cost too much and promise the world. I found the authors to be practical in their approach and the tone of the book supportive and compassionate. They truly offer realistic hope to parents that they can have a rewarding and enjoyable relationship with their child with autism. Overcoming Autism is a practical guide for families and professionals to help children with autism achieve success and find their place in society. Ann Z.
The reviews speak for themselves... 2008-03-03
I recently purchased and read this book as I continue to avidly research autism and it's treatment. I came across this book and purchased it based on it's reviews, and there is clearly a reason that this book has very high reviews. Dr. Koegel has written one of the best books that I have read covering this topic. The book itself is very well written and documented, and it gives hands-on treatment approaches to problematic behavior. Most books talk about the various areas of difficulties that a child w/ autism has, but for anyone that spends anytime around a child w/ it, we don't need a book to tell us what defines problematic behavior because we could write one ourselves. What someone needs is this book that discusses why the behaviors occur and how to replace the inappropriate behavior w/ something the child can learn from and consequently, yield appropriate behavior. After all, if we don't have a cure yet, we should at the very least, have a way to beat it and overcome it!
Thus, my appreciation really does go out to Dr. Koegel and her research/exprerience w/ dealing w/ children w/ autism. My only regret is that she works out of UCLA and is far away because she would be an incredible asset to a child w/ autism in Texas. She does however have available for purchase through her website, a set of various training manuals that cover areas of problematic behavior that give a more in-depth approach to how to teach and work w/ a child so that they can learn how to eliminate the behavior and replace it w/ an appropriate one. That is, after all, the point -- help the child learn by teaching them how to effectively deal w/ their autism so that they can overcome it! This book is the answer, I thank Dr. Koegel for sharing and allowing us to have hope in, at times, a very difficult world.
The essential "Welcome to Autism" handbook 2008-02-08
So full of hope and realism. If you are going through a tough time coping with the diagnosis, this book will get you back on track and focused on how to best help your child from an ABA/educational perspective. You won't find all the controversial treatments in here, but straight forward therapist and parent perspectives on how to help your child. I immediately started using techniques discussed in the book and was impressed by how quickly my daughter responded. At 3.5 she still has a way to go, but I have such an improved outlook for her future thanks to this book.
An Excellent Buy 2007-09-26
There are books on autism that I recommend that parents and heathcare professionals read. This is one book that I recommend that they don't just read but buy and keep it for future references.
There is such a wealth of info on autism here. If you can only afford to buy one book on autism. Let this be the one.
The authors take a highly optimistic view of treating autism. However, they make no bones about the fact that the treatment process is long, tedious and can even be painful. The first chapter deals with diagnosis and dealing with the initial shock.
From the second chapter onwards, the authors get down to earth with managing the autistic child. They go down to every detail on how to encourage communication. Start from the very simple and basic. Turn sounds into words. Reward, reinforce ...
Next, it's down to breaking the self-stimulating or injury cycle. Introduce replacement behaviour. The authors go into the dos and don'ts for breaking repetitive actions. Why punishment doesn't work for them. There is also a very practical FAQ section that deals with the common concerns and problems faced by parents and care providers.
The following chapters deal with imparting social skills, providing education and family support. There is so much useful info that it's impossible to finish, let alone digest in one reading. Buy this book and keep referring to it as you manage autistic children and see them grow up.
Gives you hope 2007-09-25
My son was diagnosed with ASD at 2. I read many books and this was my favorite. It was clear, easy to read and most of all it gives you techniques on how to help your child overcome. It gave me hope when I was facing his diagnosis.
Very positive and encouraging! 2007-06-01
Although I have not purchased this book, I have read a copy that I borrowed from a library.
While the author of this book doesn't guarantee that autistic kids will improve suddenly as soon as their cargivers start giving them the help they need, she talks about how much they can progress eventually if their caregivers give them all the help they need. I really like books that tell us about how much autistic people can progress eventually if they are given every chance to progress as much as they can, and that also give examples of those who have made great progress already, as a result of being given every chance to progress as much as they can. In fact, I really like all books that offer solutions to major problems and/or better alternatives to the status quo!
