GETTING AUTISM “JUST RIGHT”
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Hope for Autism
New Book on Biomedical Interventions Gives Hope to Families with Children on the Spectrum
“In Virgina, where I work, autism increased eleven-fold in a fifteen year period. Even writing off half of those diagnoses as overzealous or erroneous, something terrible seems to be happening to our best and brightest children,” writes Dr. Elizabeth Mumper, medical director of the Autism Research Institute and founder of the RIMLAND Center. “Thinking about these statistics, I come back to my training in pediatrics where we were taught the mantra ‘look at the baby and listen to the mama.’”
The ‘mama,’ in this case, is Sally Kirk, author of Hope for the Autism Spectrum: A Mother and Son Journey of Insight and Biomedical Intervention[September 2008, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 416 pages, hardback, 978-1-84310-894-8, $24.95], in which Kirk shares the story of her journey with her son, Will, and how her discovery of biomedical interventions significantly improved his behavior and changed their lives for the better.
“There is hope,” writes Kirk. “Your life and your child’s life can be better. This book is about improving your lives through learning to understand your child’s mind and body—and then acting on what you find. A journey on the autism spectrum has its hazards and godsends. These pages give you shortcuts to the godsends while steering you clear of the hazards.” Based on personal experience and extensive biomedical research, Kirk’s book describes in depth the most common physical problems for those on the autism spectrum, provides a variety of treatments available and “transforms the hard-to-understand aspects of autism into everyday language,” according to Jon Panghorn, PhD, co-founder of DAN! “Not too hard and not too simple—it’s just right.”
“As medical problems are systematically evaluated and addressed, some of us are fortunate enough to witness children, who were ‘in there’ all along, emerge with stunning language and social interactions, inspiring those involved in their care,” concludes Dr. Mumper, in the book’s foreword. “At the entrance of the Rimland Center, at eye level, is a plaque that carries the essence of our message: ‘listen to the parents.’ Listen to Sally speaking in these pages for the children who have lost their voices.”
Hope for the Autism Spectrum can be purchased at http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book.php/isbn/9781843108948.
Sally Kirk lives with her husband and their three boys in Midlothian, Virginia. Over the years, the diagnosis of her son Will changed from motor delay to ADHD to Asperger’s Syndrome despite numerous therapies, special education and treatments. Biomedical interventions, starting three years ago at age eleven, continue to have a dramatic and beneficial impact on Will’s life.
