Re: New Book by NPR commentator

[Guest guest]

New book by NPR commentator, .

In A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention and Recovery,

From Publishers Weekly

's son, Jonah, was two years and eight months old when he was diagnosed

as autistic. Eighteen months later, child development specialists evaluating

Jonah couldn't believe he'd had a history of autism. What made the difference?

—with the help of her lawyer husband—devoted herself completely to

Jonah's treatment, starting immediately with a rigorous gluten and casein-free

diet. They enrolled the young boy in a 40-hour a week, one-on-one ABA ( " applied

behavioral analysis " ) program for autistic children, supplemented with

individual speech therapy and physical therapy. Jonah also took various drugs to

reduce

perseverative behavior and overall anxiety. , a self-described " Autism

Mommy, " worked full-time on the intervention process, advocating for Jonah's

needs with the school system so they'd cover his high bills, cooking Jonah's

special foods and interfacing with each therapist privately and then

collectively

to help Jonah integrate the lessons into real-world situations. It's pleasing

to see Jonah make such a dramatic improvement, although some readers may feel

uneasy at how quickly this two-year-old was labeled autistic, or feel

disturbed by the intensity of his treatment plan. With the number of children on

the

autism spectrum growing, 's upbeat, inspirational account has a

ready-made market—at least with other autism " super parents. " Agent, Marcy

Posner. (May

3)