Parent Survival Manual - (Plenum Studies in Work and Industry) by Eric Schopler (Paperback)

About the Book

Over 300 anecdotes from parents of autistic and developmentally disabled children illustrate effective solutions to such potential behavior problem areas as aggression, communication, perseveration, play and leisure, and personal hygiene. Professional therapists analyze these personal stories and suggest proven rehabilitation programs, on both the individual and community levels.

Book Synopsis

his book is the result of more than 30 years of experience and hard, T resourceful work by Eric Schopler and his team-first as lonely pioneers, now as leaders whose influence extends as far as Kuwait, India, and Japan. It is the fruit of a concept so simple, human, and obvious that it is hard to believe that not so long ago it was both revolutionary and controversial. Parents of children in mid-adulthood well remember what it was like to be considered the cause of their children's problems, rather than part of whatever solutions could be achieved. In 1971, when Eric Schopler described us as our children's "cotherapists" in the Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, it validated and strengthened the efforts we had already been making. When Division TEACCH began to develop new methods to help autistic children and-this is what was revolutionary-actually to teach them to parents, we could begin to heal. So what seems, and should seem, ordinary and matter-of-fact about this book-that it is a collection of ingenious solutions that parents have developed as responses to the continual challenges of living with autism-feels to me more like a miracle. It is not only that its nine chapters provide ingenious suggestions for dealing with the difficulties that arise in every aspect of daily life with an autistic person. Each chapter illustrates the root principle of Division TEACCH: collaboration between parents and professionals.

Review Quotes

"I would highly recommend the book as an excellent resource which every parent, carer and teacher of an autistic child would benefit from reading, taking examples directly or adapting the approach to fit specific situations and the personality of the child."
(Autism)
"Both format and tone are empowering to parents, and the book is an important contribution to the literature for parents of children with special needs. It has new insights and useful suggestions for the experienced clinician, as well."
(Readings)
"Those who care for autistic children will find [this book] to be a gold mine of useful ideas. Every family struggling with the problems of autism will find at least one - and probably many more - of the Manual's 350 instructive anecdotes to be worth the price of the book."
(Bernard Rimland, Autism Research Institute, San Diego, California)