Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Understanding the Diagnosis and Getting Help - Softcover

Waltz, Mitzi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0596500130 ISBN 13: 9780596500139

Publisher: Patient Centered Guides, 2002

Synopsis

Autistic spectrum disorders--including autism, pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger's syndrome, and others--are labels to describe neurological conditions that can affect a person's speech and communication, emotional growth, social skills, and physical and mental abilities. Up to 1 in 150 children in some geographical areas have these conditions; children affected are disproportionately boys. This second edition is for parents (or newly diagnosed adults) who struggle with these neurological conditions that profoundly impact the life of child and family. Author and patient advocate Mitzi Waltz, now studying at the Autism Research Unit in the UK, incorporates the latest medical findings on possible causes for ASDs and on treatments.Topics include:

• Getting a diagnosis, including preparing for a diagnostic interview in a medical, psychiatric, or school setting
• Treatment options, including pharmaceutical medications, vitamins and supplements, sensory integration, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, behavior modification, floor time play therapy, talk therapy, and others
• Coping with diagnosis and treatment, including emotions and support systems, insurance system, and educational plans
• Stories from dozens of families living with autistic spectrum disorders

About this title

About the Author

Mitzi Waltz is an advocate for families facing neurological issues. She has been heavily involved in online support work, and has also advocated for special-needs children within the medical, insurance, and education systems. She has written books on childhood/adolescent bipolar disorders, adult bipolar disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, partial seizures, and Tourettes syndrome. She is currently doing research at the Autism Research Unit in the UK.

Reviews

An update to Waltz's Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Finding a Diagnosis and Getting Help (1999), this new book will be incredibly useful to parents and educators working with children and adults suffering from autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Of the changes made to this edition, first and foremost is the terminology: ASD, which incorporates autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other pervasive developmental disorders into one diagnosis, is now an accepted umbrella term for those conditions. In a very readable format, Waltz covers the latest developments in medical and therapeutic interventions and environmental links, insurance, education, family issues, support, and resources for the English-speaking world. Throughout, she intersperses numerous personal accounts from interviews held with families, caretakers, and ASD patients. Those firsthand accounts allow the human side of the diagnosis to shine through and illustrate the wide variety of experiences of living with ASD. Strongly recommended for public libraries and for academic libraries with education or autism collections. Corey Seeman, Univ. of Toledo Lib., OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Patient Centered Guides
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0596500130
• ISBN 13: 9780596500139
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 528