Below you will find an annotated
list of Recommended Books, most of which provide useful information
about effective teaching programs based on Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA). Following that is a list of
recommended books about
Asperger Syndrome and its treatment. If you purchase any of these
books by using the link to the left of each review,
CT FEAT will receive a commission from
Amazon.com which will be used to support our organization
and the assistance we provide.
There are
more excellent book and video reviews in back issues of the
CT FEAT Newsletter.
Recommended Books
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Right From The Start: Behavioral
Intervention for Young Children With Autism (Sandra Harris, Ph.D., &
Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA, Woodbine House, 2nd edition, 2007).
It is widely recognized that children on the autism spectrum make the
greatest gains when they receive the earliest possible intensive
behavioral intervention. But, even within the world of behavioral
treatment, there exist varying approaches and a wide range of quality.
Written specifically for parents of newly diagnosed young children,
Right From The Start provides all the essential information parents need
to answer two of the most urgent questions facing them: 1) whether to
seek applied behavior analysis (ABA) based treatment; and 2) how to
recognize a good ABA program that fits their child’s particular needs.
The authors, professors at Rutgers University with decades of clinical
experience treating children with autism, get parents quickly up to
speed on all the information they need to make these critical treatment
decisions. It is, by far, the single most important first book that
parents of young children should read.
Read a
review of this book |
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The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need
to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping and Healing (Karen Siff
Exhorn, 2005). Can too much information be a bad thing? These days the
market seems overcrowded with books on autism. Many of these books are
of dubious value, even though most seem to find some prominent autism
expert (often business or professional colleagues of the author) to
endorse them. In such an environment, it can be very difficult for
parents to choose which books will be the most helpful for their
particular child.
Written by a parent for parents, The Autism Sourcebook is probably the
best single book to start you on your reading journey. This book has
been endorsed by many luminaries in the autism world, including Temple
Grandin, Suzanne and Bob Wright (co-founders of Autism Speaks), and
leading autism researchers Geraldine Dawson, Catherine Lord, and Fred
Volkmar. And this is definitely one case where the endorsements are
merited. No other autism book so nicely balances the provision of
practical information, reliable research, and emotional support.
Read a
review of this book |
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Teaching Individuals with
Developmental Delays: Basic Intervention Techniques (Ivar Lovaas,
Pro-Ed, October 2003, 492 pages) This is the follow-up to the ME
Book, the Lovaas teaching Manual, and is extremely worthwhile. It
is full of research and instruction for parentes and/or treatment
providers and reflects the new data and techniques Ivar Lovaas has
developed over the last 40 years.
Read a review
of this book
ISBN # 0-89079-889
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A Work in Progress:
Behavioral Management Strategies and a Curriculum for Intensive
Behavioral Treatment of Autism (Ron Leaf
and John McEachin, Editors, DRL Books, 1999, approximately 400
pages). (Por
información en español, click
aquí.) This wonderful manual, which also
is available in Spanish (see above), describes the
fundamentals of intensive behavioral intervention in plain English,
with clear teaching guidelines, concrete examples, and a fully
developed curriculum. No other book currently available contains
such an extensive curriculum or as much detailed information about
ABA-based teaching techniques. Its authors are highly experienced
clinicians who have decades of experience treating children with
autism spectrum disorders. The book is organized into three parts:
1) Behavioral Strategies for Teaching and Improving [the] Behavior
of Autistic Children (itself consisting of 12 chapters on topics
ranging from reinforcement and toilet training to strategies for
shaping play and social skills); 2) The Autism Partnership
Curriculum, which has about 60 skill sequences tied to five skill
domains (pre-academic, communication/language, academic, social, and
self-help); and 3) An Appendices section consisting of seven forms
that can be used in setting up and implementing a behavioral
intervention program. (An
extensive review of this book appeared in the
Summer 1999 CT FEAT Newsletter.)
ISBN
# 0-9665266-0-0 |
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Behavioral Intervention
for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and
Professionals (Book, Edited by Catherine
Maurice, Gina Greene and Stephen C. Luce, Pro-Ed, 1996). If there
were only one book that a parent of a newly diagnosed child should
read, this is it. This book addresses most of the questions that
parents have about the merits and mechanics of undertaking an
Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) program. There are twenty
six contributors to the volume. Many of them are among the most
distinguished ABA professionals in the country (including Gina
Greene, Stephen C. Luce, Bridget Ann Taylor, Ivar Lovaas, Tristam
Smith, Ronald C. Huff and Raymond G. Romanczyk - all of whom have
Ph.Ds). There also are contributions from four parents who share
their personal experiences with doing an IBI program. The book is
divided into nine parts: 1) Introduction; 2) Choosing an Effective
Treatment; 3) What to Teach; 4) How to Teach; 5) Who Should Teach;
6) Practical Support: Organizing and Funding; 7) Working With A
Speech Language Pathologist; 8) Working With the Schools; 9) From
the Front Lines: Parents' Questions, Parents' Voices.
ISBN #0-89079-683-1 |
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Making a Difference: Behavioral
Intervention for Autism (Book, Edited by Catherine
Maurice, Gina Green, and Richard M. Foxx, Pro-ed, 2001). This
excellent book is a follow-up to Behavioral Intervention
for Young Children With Autism (described above) and covers a
variety of additional topics, including: incidental teaching
techniques to promote spontaneous language, maximizing conversation
skills, teaching social skills (accompanied by curriculum),
prompting and prompt-fading strategies, dealing with food problems,
treating problem behaviors, current information on the nature of
autism, and the political turmoil surrounding autism treatment.
There are 17 contributors to the volume, including Deborah Fein,
Patricia J. Krantz, Lynn E. McClannahan, Edward C. Fenske, Bridget
A. Taylor, and Richard M. Foxx.
ISBN
# 0-89079-871-0 |
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Teaching Developmentally Disabled Children: The ME Book
(Book, O. Ivar Lovaas, Pro-Ed, 1981)Until the
publication of Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With
Autism (discussed above), the ME Book was the only "parent-friendly"
manual available to parents interested in providing their children
with an intervention program grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis.
In the sixteen years since the publication of the book, the body of
knowledge regarding how to effectively deliver this teaching
technology to children with autism spectrum disorders has grown
enormously. This welcome development has rendered some of the
material in the Me Book obsolete or outdated. Dr. Lovaas reputedly
has a second edition of this book in development, which will consist
of two volumes. Its publication is expected within the upcoming
year. Meanwhile, especially for those parents who are not able to
retain the services of qualified ABA consultants, there still is an
enormous amount of useful information in this book. It is divided
into seven units: 1) Basic Information; 2) Getting Ready to Learn;
3) Imitation, Matching, and Early Language; 4) Basic Self-Help
Skills; 5) Intermediate Language; 6) Advanced Language; 7)Expanding
Your Child's World.
ISBN #0-936104-78-3
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Let Me Hear Your Voice: A
Family's Triumph Over Autism (Book, Catherine
Maurice, Fawcett Columbine Books, 1993). This beautifully written,
moving account of a parent's quest to obtain effective treatment for
her two children diagnosed with autism ignited a world wide interest
in intensive ABA treatment. Previously, the research documenting the
effectiveness of this approach had been little disseminated outside
of academia and a handful of center based school programs. Like
nearly half of all children who receive a truly optimal intensive
behavioral intervention program (Ms. Maurice's lead therapist was
the now famous Dr. Bridget Taylor, one of the country's most
renowned ABA professionals), the Maurice children so completely
remediated their impairments as to become "indistinguishable from
their peers" or "recovered" from their autism. This is a wonderful
book to share with family members and friends interested in
understanding the emotional turmoil experienced by parents of newly
diagnosed children and the extremely hard work that goes into
implementing an intensive behavioral intervention program.
ISBN #0-449-90664-7 |
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Reaching Out, Joining In:
Teaching Social Skills to Young Children with Autism (Book,
Mary Jane Weiss & Sandra L. Harris, Woodbine House, 2001) Mary Jane
Weiss and Sandra Harris have done it again. The authors of the
indispensable Right From the Start: Behavioral Intervention
for Young Children with Autism have written yet another
excellent book about autism treatment.
ISBN# 1-890627-24-0.
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Teaching Language to Children
with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities (Book,
Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., and James W. Partington, Ph.D.) This
book presents a language assessment and intervention program based on
B.F. Skinner’s behavioral analysis of language, and the extensive body
of empirical research that supports Skinner’s analysis. The first
section of the book provides information regarding preparation for
language intervention. It includes an assessment and a system to
interpret the assessment in order to determine the best place to start
intervention for an individual child. It also contains information on
augmentative communication. Section Two focuses on the development of
initial communication skills for nonverbal children and Section Three
focuses on teaching more advanced language and social skills. Section
Four presents issues relevant to the implementation of a language
program in a child’s natural and school environments. In addition there
are a variety of data sheets and tracking forms located throughout the
book. ( A review of this book appeared in the
Fall 1999 CT FEAT Newsletter.) This
book and its companion volume (Listed below) can be ordered from
www.behavioranalysts.com or from Different Roads to Learning,
www.difflearn.com,
a mail order company specializing in resources for teaching children
with autism. |
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The Assessment of Basic
Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) Revised (Book, James
W. Partington, Ph.D. and Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D) This is a
companion set to the work listed immediately above, by the same two
authors. This two part package contains an Assessment, Curriculum
Guide and Skills Tracking System. The first part is the ABLLS
Scoring Instructions and the IEP Development Guide. The second part
is an ABLLS Protocol. (Comes in a Two Volume set.) |
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Teach Me Language: A
Language Manual for Children With Autism Asperger's Syndrome and
Related Developmental Disorders (Book, Sabrina Freeman and Lorelei Dake, SKF Books, Canada, 1996). This is
a very "user-friendly" manual, designed for parents and therapists,
which targets language weaknesses common to children with autism
spectrum disorders. Though not an ABA book per se, many parents
doing ABA programs find it a useful resource, especially when their
children are ready for more advanced language work. Noting that this
"population of children can demonstrate compliance problems when
required to work on areas of weakness," the authors recommend "Lovaas
type training" or "any behavioral program that brings the child
to the point where s/he is table ready." This is a prerequisite
for working successfully with the book's curriculum and teaching
techniques. According to the authors, the book's various
activities and drills are "appropriate for children from
kindergarten through the teenage years, with simple adaptation
for cognitive level - i.e. the materials become more difficult,
yet the activities remain structured in the same way." The book
is divided into seven chapters: 1) Introduction; 2) Social
Language; 3) General Knowledge; 4) Grammar and Syntax; 5)
Advanced Language Development; 6)Academics/Language Based
Concepts; 7) Therapy Schedules.
(An
extensive review of this book appeared in the
Winter 2000 CT FEAT Newsletter.)
ISBN#0-9657565-0-5 |
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When Everybody Cares: Case
Studies of Applied Behavior Analysis with People with Autism
(Bobby Newman, Ph.D., ISBN: 0-9668528-1-8, Dove and Orca
Publishers, 1999). This very accessible and often humorous book,
written by Dr. Bobby Newman, consists of real life case studies
demonstrating how practical behavioral methods can improve
tremendously the lives of children and adults with autism. (An
extensive review of this book appears in the
Summer 2001 CT FEAT
Newsletter.) |
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How to Compromise with Your
School District without Compromising Your Child (Gary Mayerson,
ISBN: 0966526686, DRL Books, 2004)
Click here
for an extensive review of this excellent resource. |
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RECOMMENDED READING:
Asperger Syndrome and Its Treatment
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The following are recommended books for parents of children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome or some other form of mild autism.
These are in addition to the books recommended above, many of which are
also very useful for helping children with Asperger Syndrome.
For a more extended discussion of how these books might be used in an
ABA based treatment program, read
"Asperger
Syndrome and Mild Autism: Resources for ABA Treatment for Young
Children" This is an excerpt from a longer article
reprinted in full at the link:
"Recovery
From Asperger Syndrome and Other Forms of Mild Autism: A Parent’s
Perspective."
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The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Advice,
Support, Insight and Inspiration (Bashe and Kirby, 2nd edition,
2005). This book is the single most helpful introduction into the
fascinating and challenging world of Asperger Syndrome. In addition to
providing a general but comprehensive overview of diagnostic and
treatment issues, the book has an especially effective and insightful
section on “The Whole Child,” with chapters on “Your Child’s Emotional
Life,” “Your Child in the Social Realm,” “Your Child in School,” and
“Growing Up.” The guide draws its title from the acronym for the popular
website: Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support (OASIS),
www.aspergersyndrome.org. Maintained by the parent authors who wrote the
guide, the web site should be the first port of call for any parent of a
newly diagnosed child.
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A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High
Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child
Thrive (Ozonoff, Dawson, McPartland, 2002). Written by a team of
prominent psychologists, it provides an excellent overview of the topic.
The first section focuses on understanding AS and high functioning
autism (e.g. diagnosis and treatment issues), while the second section
provides ideas for living with AS at home, in school, and through the
lifespan. |
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Overcoming Autism:
Finding the Answers, Strategies and Hope That Can Transform a
Child’s Life (Koegel and LaZebnik, 2004). Though this book
doesn’t deal specifically with Asperger Syndrome, the behavioral
techniques it describes should benefit any child with an autism
related diagnosis. The authors’ goal is to teach parents how to
improve the symptoms of autism, both at home and in the
community, so as to enhance the entire family’s overall quality
of life. |
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Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and
Professionals (Tony Atwood, 1998). This touching book is well worth
reading for its uplifting tone and insights into what it feels like to
be a person with AS. But contrary to what its psychologist author seems
to think, the book doesn’t contain much in the way of useful treatment
information. |
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Asperger Syndrome (Klin, Volkmar, Sparrow, Editors, 2000) For
anyone interested in learning more about the neurological underpinnings
of Asperger Syndrome, a good choice would be the collection of scholarly
articles found in this book. The editors are internationally renowned
researchers at the Yale Child Study Center. |
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Relationship Development Intervention With Young
Children (Gutstein and Sheely, 2002). This book provides an
illuminating discussion of the social impairment in autism along with
lots of easily implemented social skill exercises to help remediate it.
You don’t need to buy into the authors’ unconvincing theories about
autism, or claims for the comprehensiveness or effectiveness of their
trademarked treatment model, to make constructive use of these
materials. |
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Skill Streaming in Early Childhood: New Strategies and
Perspectives for Teaching Prosocial Skills (McGinnis, and Goldstein,
revised edition 2003). This is one of a series of books, by the same
authors, which describe the development of “prosocial” skills at
different stages of childhood. There are separate volumes addressing
early childhood, elementary school age, and adolescence. The books also
contain ideas for group activities designed to build those skills.
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Teaching Your Child the
Language of Social Success (Duke, Martin, and Nowicki,
1996). Like the Skill Streaming series described above, this
book is not specifically addressed to autism. But parents of
children with Asperger Syndrome or mild autism may find it very
helpful. It’s addressed to any parent whose child is manifesting
social deficits and delays, for whatever reasons. It has
especially good discussions about nonverbal language (gestures,
glances, proximity, volume, etc.), and lots of practical advice
on how to help your child become a more successful social
communicator. |
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Any family that wants to
research the scientific data supporting the effectiveness of ABA
should begin with the journal articles at the ABA Research
link on our site.
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