Making Peace with Autism: One Family's Story of Struggle, Discovery, and Unexpected Gifts

How refreshing to read an unflinching and substantive account of autism that tells it like it is. Kudos to Susan Senator and to Trumpeter Books! Most mainstream publishers and bookstores have done a terrible disservice to parents of autistic children by ignoring all but the miracle cure memoirs. To a new parent scanning the special needs shelves of her local Barnes & Nobel, it must appear that autism has been cured many times over-whether by Applied Behavioral Analysis, Floor Time, the Diet, Auditory Integration Therapy, the Option Institute, or (yes, it's true!) the Mozart Effect. Only after much sweat, tears, and money down the drain does one learn what the sensation-obsessed book industry prefers to withhold: that most autistic children are never cured. Susan Senator's book is a much-needed corrective, offering practical advice instead of pipedreams, coping strategies instead of quackery, and companionship, rather than one-upmanship, in autism's many challenges.

I felt so happy while reading this book! Lately I have been reading all sorts of books about autism---after 11 years being an autistic spectrum mother, I finally felt ready to! So many of these books are about "miracle" cures brought about by parents who are incredibly focused and put "curing" their child first in their lives---before their other children and at times I almost feel before enjoying and appreciating the austistic child---it's like they only will be valued completely if they are "normal". The author of this book obviously loves her son Nat extremely much, and does so much for him, but she also ACCEPTS him. He is on the lower functioning side of the spectrum (another thing that doesn't often get written about lately) and although he makes much progress, she accepts certain things are just how he is--his silly talk, for example. I felt so encouraged about my own life and my son's life after reading this. He has Aspergers, and so we have some different issues to deal with, but we have dealt with our form of "silly talk" for years---we call it The Strange Noises---high pitched train-whistle-like squeals. I think during this reading was the first time I decided to simply accept this---perhaps try to regulate the time and place, but not to feel it had to be changed. I really want to thank Susan Senator. It is hard to be as honest as she was here. I also have 3 children, and it meant so much to read about her worries and doubts about her other children---not to have them be an aside in the book, but a big part of it. ALL our children are important and interesting and valued! I would call this one a MUST READ for those who love anyone on the autistic spectrum!

Susan Senator offers us a unique opportunity to step into her life and understand what a family experiences when one of the members has autism. This book is a very open and candid view into the struggles, the disappointments and sometimes scary times, but much more than that it allows us to celebrate the successes and milestones her family reaches. While the author makes no claims as to why autism occurs or how to cure it she does offer practical and imaginative tips and suggestions that helped her family cope with the disorder and even at times allows her son Nat to break through his autistic barrier and shine.

This is an excellent first person account of a parent whose son has autism. Nat Senator was born on November 15, 1989 just at the time more research and information was being done on autism and its spectrum partner, Asperger's Syndrome. The oldest of three sons, Nat exhibited autistic behavior almost from infancy. His language development was delayed; he sought comfort in sitting quietly, avoiding a noisy peer ("coming even" after sensory bombardment, a common behavior and coping mechanism among people with autism) and vigorously protesting noisy guests at a family Seder. At 8, Nat became a brother for the first time when Max was born. Their yougest brother Ben was born when Nat was 14 and Ben was 6. Max was described as the "peacemaker" and "trailblazer" who was able to interpret a lot of Nat's behavior. Ben balanced out the fraternal temperaments with his direct, forceful approach. He appeared to be Nat's counterpart as Nat was apt to retreat. Max was also described as "wearing the mantle of the oldest brother" because of Nat's great needs. Nat was able to attend school with lots of support and made great progress. The boy's mother wisely did not buy positive reports at face value; it was she who insisted that school staff place more emphasis on having Nat make eye contact and reduce his self-stimming behaviors. At the end of the book, Nat explained that his "silly talk," as he called it which consisted of neologisms was his way of having something he did not have to explain to others. He said that when people talked to him, their questions came at him too fast and he found that confusing and overwhelming, a common plaint among the autistic population. His way of coping was to make soft sounds including neologisms because, as he said, that gave him "something he did not have to explain to others" and helped desensitize him to overwhelming sensory input. I like the way the family "made peace" with autism; at all times, Nat is accepted, taught and encouraged to make more strides. The John Lennon classic, "Give Peace a Chance" could be the song that underscores the message of this book. This is an excellent book that includes good websites and addresses of organizations that work with people with autism and their families. This is a book for everybody. We need this book!

As the mother of a 6 year old with autism, I am often speptical of books written about the disorder as there is so, so much misinformation out there. "Making Peace with Autism" is simply a family's story. This well written book captivated me with its realism and Sue's story about her family's experience with autism and its impact on their lives, is worthy of the 5 stars. Order your copy today.