Autism in the Family : Caring and Coping Together

How can parents provide the best support for their child with autism—and ensure that the whole family's needs are met? It's a question faced by every parent of a child on the autism spectrum, and this book answers it with keen insight, reassuring honesty, and practical guidance. A psychologist and father of an adult son with autism, Dr. Robert Naseef has both personal and professional expertise to share with overwhelmed families. Weaving wisdom from years of clinical practice with candid first-hand insights on parenting a child from birth through adulthood, Naseef helps parents

• navigate the complex emotional journey to acceptance
• guide their child's behavior and development at every age
• maintain a strong and mutually supportive marriage
• understand the needs of siblings and provide sensitive support
• collaborate effectively with professionals
• address specific issues like meltdowns, food sensitivities, sleeping, and toileting
• manage stress
• build a strong circle of support with family and friends

Using Naseef's popular Special Children, Challenged Parents as a starting point, this completely reworked and revised new book reflects 10 years of change, both in the author's life and in the autism field. Parents will benefit from new chapters on navigating their child's adolescence and adulthood, expanded and updated information on autism, and rare in-depth coverage of the needs, emotions, and parenting experiences of fathers. A warm, down-to-earth, and practical guide for parents—and an enlightening read for the professionals who work with them—this book will be a valuable companion as families love and support their child with autism.

Watch an introductory video with the author.

Robert A. Naseef, Ph.D., along with his wife Cindy N. Ariel, Ph.D., has a full-time independent practice in psychology that specializes in working with families of children with special needs. Dr. Naseef has a foot in each world because he himself is the father of a child with autism. He is a family consultant at Specare Pediatric Center, which provides a medical home for children with special health care needs in the Delaware Valley, and serves as a consultant to school districts, special education parent groups, and human services organizations. He writes regular columns at www.specialchild.com, www.kidsdirect.net/parentsdirect, and www.specialchildren.about.com. A native of Philadelphia who received his doctoral degree in psychological studies from Temple University, Dr. Naseef has a broad background in both education and psychology, with special interest and expertise in the psychology of men and fatherhood. He was instrumental in developing a training package to foster parent-professional collaboration for the New Jersey Department of Education, Division of Special Education, and taught graduate courses at Antioch University in Philadelphia and Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He held clinical privileges in psychology at the Pennsylvania Hospital's Department of Psychiatry and serves on the board of directors of the Center for Autistic children, the professional advisory board of the Pathway School, and the parent steering committee of the Interdisciplinary Council on Learning and Developmental Disorders.