Turn Autism Around: An Action Guide for Parents of Young Children with Early Signs of Autism

by Mary Lynch Barbera Ph.D., Temple Grandin (Foreword by)

Overview

This is the first book of its kind that calls attention to an important fact: parents can make a tremendous impact on their child through behavioral practices taught at home. Dr. Barbera has created a tool kit that any parent can use to help remediate—and in some cases eliminate-some symptoms of autism and other developmental delays in young children, even in as little as 15 minutes a day.

Developmental delays and signs of autism usually show up before 18 months of age, yet children are often not diagnosed until they are 4 or 5 years old. In Turn Autism Around, Dr. Mary Barbera explains why parents can't afford to worry and wait in long lines for evaluations and treatment while not knowing how to help their children. She empowers parents, caregivers, and early intervention professionals to regain hope and take back control with simple strategies to dramatically improve outcomes for their children.

Dr. Barbera has created a new approach to teaching kids with developmental delays that uses the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) married with a positive, child-friendly methodology that any parent can use—whether or not their child has delays—to learn to teach communication skills, socialization strategies, as well as tackle sleep, eating, potty training, and behavior challenges in a positive, effective, and lasting way.

Turn Autism Around is the first book of its kind that calls attention to an important fact: parents can make a tremendous impact on their child's development through behavioral practices taught at home, even in as little as 15 minutes a day. Her program shows these autism and developmental delays can be remediated, and in some cases, delays can be caught up altogether, if parents intervene while the child is young.

This book is for parents of young children aged one-to-five years who are passionate about helping their child as well as learning how they can change the trajectory of their child's and family's life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401961473
Publisher:	Hay House Inc.
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	693,908
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Mary Barbera, Ph.D., RN, BCBA-D "fell" into the autism world in the late 1990s when her first-born son Lucas started showing signs of autism. Over the past two decades, Mary has transformed from an overwhelmed and confused parent to a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and the author of The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders, which has sold more than 50,000 copies and has been translated into 13 languages. Mary is an award-winning international speaker, podcaster, and online course creator. Her mission is to help parents and professionals turn autism (or signs of autism) around for millions of children around the world.

Table of Contents

Foreword Temple Grandin, Ph.D xiii

Chapter 1 Early Signs of Autism Are an Emergency-So Why Are We Waiting? 1

Chapter 2 Is It Autism, ADHD, or "Just" a Speech Delay? 19

Chapter 3 Keep Your Child Safe at Home, at School, and in the Community 35

Chapter 4 An Easy Assessment to Figure Out Your Starting Point 45

Chapter 5 Gather Materials and Make a Plan 59

Chapter 6 Stop the Tantrums and Start the Learning 73

Chapter 7 Develop Social and Play Skills 93

Chapter 8 Teach Talking and Following Directions 111

Chapter 9 Talking but Not Conversational: Strategies to Expand Language 129

Chapter 10 Solve Picky Eating 149

Chapter 11 Stop Playing Musical Beds: Solving Sleep Issues 167

Chapter 12 Dispose of the Diapers 183

Chapter 13 Desensitize Doctor, Dentist, and Haircut Visits 199

Chapter 14 Become Your Child's Best Teacher and Advocate for Life 213

Glossary 225

Endnotes 231

Bibliography 233

Index 235

Acknowledgments 245

About the Author 247

Editorial Reviews

If your child has no words, few words, or is showing any kind of delays, Mary’s book will help, while also providing step-by-step instructions for potty training, feeding, tantrums, and more.”
— Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of The Way I See It and other books

“It’s been amazing to watch Mary’s mission to turn autism around for millions. This book will be life-changing for many children and families around the world.”
— Jeff Walker, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Launch

“As a professor of brain and cognitive science and the mother of twins born at 24 weeks, I deeply appreciate Dr. Barbera’s commitment to serving and empowering scared parents who are looking, not just for answers, but for a roadmap. Dr. Barbera takes parents out of the position of waiting on experts in a broken medical system and gives them the tools they need to begin helping their children now. Turn Autism Around is absolutely essential reading.”
— Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson, New York Times best-selling author of Bright Line Eating

“Dr. Barbera’s book lays out a nice sequence of ‘what to do’ for a child with autism or signs of autism, presented by someone who really knows what to do. The timing of this book is perfect.”
— Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA-D, author of the VB-MAPP

“As a parent of a newly diagnosed toddler on the spectrum, I have to say that the advice and strategies in this book have been absolutely life-changing for our family. My 2-year-old daughter, Elena, is living proof that remarkable progress can be made in those precious months of ‘waiting’. This is a must-read for any parent who is concerned about developmental delays in their child.”
— Michelle C., parent of Elena (a toddler featured in the book)

“Mary Barbera has written the how-to, ‘action guide’ for parents concerned about their child’s development. Filled with personal anecdotes from her journey, Barbera provides practical, research-based ideas for navigating those first few years of an autism diagnosis and her recommendations will no doubt help families feel less alone and empower them to help their child.”
— Dr. Bridget Taylor, Psy.D., BCBA-D, co-founder and CEO of Alpine Learning Group

“When my daughter began displaying speech, behavior, and socialization difficulties before the age of 3, I didn’t know what to do. I knew something was going wrong with my child, and fortunately, I stumbled across a treatment that helped her. As it turns out, not waiting for a diagnosis was the best thing I could’ve done. That was lucky. But it shouldn’t be about luck. And now, it doesn’t have to be! This is the guidebook that I wish I’d had, and that so many parents desperately need.”
— Julie Ann Cairns, mom and author of The Abundance Code

From the Publisher