Overcoming Autism by Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik

This is the first in what will be quite a few upcoming book reviews. I've finally been reminded of how much I like curling up with a good book and I'm determined to start working through the multitude of books that I have set aside waiting to be read. Some are books I bought used, some are books I borrowed from the library, and some are books that I received to review.
The first book is Overcoming Autism by Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik. This book is about...well...overcoming autism. This book is co-written. Lynn Koegel founded and runs the Autism Research Center in Santa Barbara, CA. Claire LaZebnik is a parent of a child with autism. The dual voices of this book provide a good balance between professional advice and been-there done-that parenting testimonials. I actually read this one on the airplane while we were flying to and from Michigan. In a way, this was a particularly good read for me because a lot of the techniques that they advise are things that I am already doing in therapy with my kiddos. However, this books isn't perfect- it has its good points and bad points. Here are some of the pros and cons.
Pros:
-Wide variety of techniques that can be used working with kids who have autism
-This is not a miracle cure book. The authors emphasize that the work is hard and the road is long, but worth it.
-Emphasizes the importance of early intervention and skilled therapists to help the parents learn to help their children.
-Focuses on Pivotal Response Training- encouraging and teaching behaviors in everyday life without the drill and kill approach of traditional ABA.
-Divided up into sections based on the behavior you are trying to encourage or discourage (stimming, communication, picky eating, daily living skills, etc).
-Testimonials from other Claire and other parents keep it real. If you read between the lines you can see that the kids they talk about are at a wide variety of functional levels.

Cons:
-I wish there had been more than one or two techniques given for each goal or situation
-Most of the tips and ideas are geared towards children who are more verbal. There is not as much here for children who are not talking yet.
-At times it seems as though the author lives in a fantasy world in which all kids make rapid, amazing progress as soon as the right techniques are applied. This could be a difficult read for parents of kids who take longer to make progress.

Overall, this one gets 4 out of 5 stars from me. It is a helpful book, and does give some encouragement for walking through that initial period immediately following diagnosis. It is also a hopeful book. The techniques are generally good and possible to implement, and the main downfalls are mostly those that I described above.