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Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsEnvironmental Enrichment Reduces Autism SymptomsKids With Autism May Perceive Movement More QuicklyKelly the Robot Helps Kids Tackle AutismGirls With Autism May Need Different Treatments Than BoysStudy Debunks Lyme Disease-Autism LinkNewborn's Placenta May Predict Autism Risk, Study SuggestsThe 'Learning Curve' of Living With Asperger'sGuideline Changes Have Asperger's Community on EdgeAge of Autism Diagnosis May Depend on Symptoms: StudyKids With Autism May Be Less Likely to Imitate 'Silly' BehaviorAnother Study Sees No Vaccine-Autism LinkSuicidal Thoughts More Common in Kids With Autism: StudyWomen Abused in Childhood at Higher Odds of Having Child With Autism: StudyHaving Older Grandfather May Raise Child's Autism Risk: StudyOne in 50 School-Aged Children in U.S. Has Autism: CDCBrain Circuitry Yields Clue to Autism, Researchers SayMost Kids With Autism Overcome Language Delays, Study FindsBrain Connections Differ in Children With AutismCan Therapy Dogs Help Kids With Autism?Researchers Detect an Anti-Autism Advantage in FemalesFolic Acid in Pregnancy May Lower Autism RiskDon't Overlook Eating Issues Tied to Autism, Study WarnsInfants' Inattentiveness Might Signal Later Autism, Study SaysFor Some Children, Autism Symptoms May Fade With AgeResearchers Link 25 New Gene Variants to AutismBullying Harms Kids With Autism, Parents SayExposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution Linked to AutismGenes Linked to Autism Seem to Have Strong Tendency to MutateAsperger's, Autism Not Linked to Violence: ExpertsAdults With Autism Report Worse Health Care ExperiencesGene Study Uncovers More Autism CluesCommon Heart Drug Might Dampen Some Autism SymptomsKids With Autism Common Users of ERs, Study SaysBrain Differences Observed in Young Men With AutismStudy Sees Possible Link Between Air Pollution and Autism RiskChild Prodigies Show Links with AutismStudy Looks at Autism and Possible Pregnancy Risk FactorsPlay-Focused Program Might Help Kids With AutismAutism Tough to Spot Before 6 Months of Age, Study SuggestsKids With Autism Find It Hard to Describe Poor Behavior, Study FindsCould Stem Cells Treat Autism? Newly Approved Study May TellNearly Half of Children With Autism Wander From Safety: SurveyNew Autism Criteria Will Have Minor Impact: StudyMany Children With Autism Have Other Health Problems, Study SaysResearch Lacking on Drugs for Older Children With Autism, Study FindsDrug Shows Promise Against Fragile X Syndrome, Possibly AutismAlmost Half of U.S. Kids With Autism Have Been BulliedLittle Evidence on Value of Treatments for Autism: ReportOlder Dads May Raise Risk for Autism, Schizophrenia in KidsPets May Help Kids With Autism Develop Social Skills Questions and AnswersLinksBook Reviews |
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by Shirley Cohen University of California Press, 2002 Review by Susan Lesco on Sep 11th 2003 
In her updated edition of Targeting Autism, Shirley Cohen presents
a pragmatic, objective, yet empathic introduction to life with this baffling
gamut of neuro-biological disorders. The author, who is a university professor
of special education, draws on her own experience as well as that of prominent
and private individuals who have, live with, or treat autism. Cohen
acknowledges and explains what she calls "the mysterious code of
autism" as a spectrum of disorders, with similar characteristics that
affect each individual and family in extremely different ways. She states,
"One of the most striking aspects of the condition (or conditions)
labeled 'autism' is its variability. What then do people called autistic have
in common?" Cohen examines the
answers to this and many other questions about autism that parents, educators
and other professionals continue to pose.
In the first of this three-part
book, Shirley Cohen uses specific examples to illustrate each of the core
deficits of autism spectrum disorders.
She discusses Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive
Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and explanations of
their affects on individuals and families. One of the chapters in part two,
"Is Lovaas the Only Game in Town?", examines the pros, cons, and reported
outcomes of a variety of programs such as the TEACCH (Treatment and Education
of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children) intervention
system, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), PECS (Picture Exchange Communication
System), and " 'alternative' treatments like auditory integration
training." In part three, Cohen
offers her own suggestions for policy revisions, specific educational
interventions for children and "person centered planning" options for
adults with autism.
Albeit Targeting Autism is primarily geared toward parents new to the
world of autism, its comprehensive and impartial analysis of research findings,
treatment options and a myriad of controversial issues is useful for anyone
interested in the topic. Shirley Cohen captures the essence of the delicate
balance between accepting realistic treatment outcomes, hoping for recovery,
and defining quality of life with autism.
This book is a valuable resource for parents, friends, families and
advocates with a quest to build an up-to-date, balanced, and solid foundation
of knowledge about autism spectrum disorders.
©2003
Susan Lesco
Susan Lesco,
Cody Center for Autism, SUNY Stony Brook, NY |
