The Way to A: Empowering Children with Autism Spectrum and Other Neurological Disorders to Monitor and Replace Aggression and Tantrum Behavior

Children with ASD are often confused by our world of rules and consequences, including how their behavior impacts another person or situation. The result is often aggressive behavior. The Way to A, designed for children ages 3 to 9 years old, presents a simple, logical, and systematic strategy that clarifies and sequentially teaches the child how to manage his behavior by engaging in forethought and self-analysis before acting out. What sets this strategy apart is that it then goes on to give the child a personal and concrete incentive to use the alternative behavior. Developed with visual learners in mind, the book offers the ultimate in customization – the laminated pages may be written on and wiped clean as new situations come up. The illustrations are delightful and use the concrete nature of red and green, “A” and “B,” to illustrate correct and incorrect pathways. In addition, thinking bubbles, arrows, and boxes help make the book easy to follow and understand. The flowchart at the end of the book can be used as an assessment tool for the student to review his behavioral situations – another visual and effective way to illustrate positive choices the child has made and celebrate the successful moments.

Hunter Manasco is a speech-language pathologist specializing in autism and neurogenic communication disorders. He lives in Mobile, Alabama, with his wife and currently pursues his Ph.D. at the University of South Alabama.