Recommended Readings

Of all people in a child's life, parents have the strongest influence on the child. They do so much more than provide the basic necessities. They are teachers; they are advocates: they are comforters; they are nurturers, they are confidantes, etc., etc., etc. Filling these roles can be daunting for any parent. At times, filling these roles as the parent of a child with a disability can seem overwhelming.

Even though being the parent of a child with a disability can be a tough and demanding job, the job can be easier if the parents have the right information and skills. I often provide trainings to parents of children with disabilities, and I realize that I cannot give them all the information and skills they need in one of my trainings. As such, I provide the parents with a list of recommended readings so that they can continue to build their skills. That list is below.

For each reading, I give an approximate price. Most prices are taken from amazon.com and do not include shipping and handling. [Note: Links to the books through Amazon are provided for the reader's convenience. We do not collect any advertisement revenue.]

I also rate each reading as to how easily it is understood by laypeople, meaning people who are not professionals in the field (e.g., parents, grandparents, daycare providers). The following are what the ratings mean.

Very layperson friendly: This means that I think that most parents will be able to understand it quite well. There is little or no professional jargon and the concepts in the reading are presented very clearly.
Moderately layperson friendly: This means that I think that parents can understand it well; however, there may be a little professional jargon or occasional concepts requiring a some specific background knowledge.
Somewhat layperson friendly: This means that I think that it contains some concepts and vocabulary that require some specific background knowledge on the part of the parent, or it require some assistance from a person with that background in order for a layperson to fully understand it. Please note that the reader does not need to be a professional to understand these readings.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: The complete guide to understanding Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, and other ASDs

The author is Chantal Sicile-Kira and there is a foreword by Temple Grandin.

This book specifically addresses autism and is an excellent book for people new to autism. When recommending books to parents of a child newly identified with autism, this is the first one I recommend. It provides a lot of information about what autism is and how it affects the individuals who have it.
It is a very layperson-friendly book and costs about $11.00.
Amazon: Autism Spectrum Disorders ISBN-13: 978-0399530470

Overcoming Autism

The authors are Lynn Koegel and Claire LaZebnik. Lynn Koegel is a leading researcher in the field of autism, and Claire LaZebnik is a parent of a child with autism.

This book is specific to autism and is another great "beginner" book for laypeople. It covers topics like "meltdowns," self-stimulation, social skills, fears, and fixations.
This book is very layperson friendly and costs about $17.00.
Amazon: Overcoming Autism ISBN-13: 978-0890796832

Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism: A manual for parents and professionals

This is an edited book. The editors are Catherine Maurice, Gina Green, and Stephen Luce.

This book addresses interventions for young children with autism, but it is also great use with older children and adults with autism. It is also great for use with individuals with other developmental disabilities. This book primarily addresses the teaching of skills through an ABA (applied behavior analysis) approach. It is rich with information about how parents can teach at home and how to work with professionals to ensure appropriate services.
This book is moderately parent-friendly and costs about $46.00
Amazon: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism ISBN-13: 978-0890796832

Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior: A user's guide for producing positive change

The first author is Edward G. Carr. The book is published by Brookes Publishing, which is a great publisher for materials concerning individuals with disabilities.

This book is good for use with those with developmental disabilities, including autism. The first few chapters outline a process for conducting a functional behavior assessment. The rest is an excellent "How to Guide" for teaching a replacement behavior. A replacement behavior is an appropriate behavior that an individual uses to achieve a goal instead of using a problem behavior to achieve that goal. For example, a person who has used aggression to get attention might be taught how to approach a person and greet the person in order to get attention.
This book is moderately parent-friendly and costs about $25.00.
Amazon: Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior ISBN-13: 978-1557661593

Sleep Better! A guide to improving sleep for children with special needs

The author is Mark Durand. The book is published by Brookes Publishing, which is a great publisher for materials concerning individuals with disabilities.

The title of this book describes what it is all about. It is good for children with disabilities. It might even help you sleep better.
This book is very layperson friendly and costs about $17.00.
Amazon: Sleep Better! ISBN-13: 978-1557663153

Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism

The authors are Robert and Lynn Koegel. They are leading researchers in the field of autism, especially children with autism. The book is published by Brookes Publishing, which is a great publisher for materials concerning individuals with disabilities.

This book addresses autism, but much of it can apply to children with other developmental disabilities. This book describes cutting-edge research for helping to increase the rate of learning of young children with autism.
This book is somewhat layperson friendly and costs about $27.00
Amazon: Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism ISBN-13: 978-1557668196

The New Social Story Book: Illustrated Edition

Written by Carol Gray.

This book is intended for use with children with autism, but it is likely that this approach will work for children and adults with and without disabilities. These books provide a number of stories that help a child understand what is going to occur in a situation and what is expected of the child in that situation. Social stories essentially give the child a script for how to behave in a situation. The stories can be read to the child or read by the child. In addition, instructions are provided for writing social stories for situations that are not covered in the book.
This book is very layperson friendly. "The New Social Story Book: Illustrated Edition" costs about $22.00.
Amazon: The New Social Story Book: Illustrated Edition ISBN-13: 978-1885477668

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Interventions and Treatments for Children and Youth

The first author of this book is Richard Simpson.

This book reviews all the current treatments for autism and is a "must read" book for parents, professionals, and others who are trying to determine which intervention(s) should be used for a person with autism. For each treatment the book provides information about the following topics: (a) the age/ability level of the individuals for whom the intervention is designed; (b) a description of the intervention; (c) reported benefits of the intervention; (d) qualifications required to implement the intervention; (e) potential risks of the intervention; (f) price of utilizing the intervention; and (g) a rating that describes how well research supports the intervention.
This book is moderately layperson friendly and costs about $76.00 in hardback or $36.00 in paperback. Because of the cost and because some of the information will become dated over time, you might want to checkout a copy from a library or purchase it for use by a group. The publisher is Corwin Press.
Amazon: Autism Spectrum Disorders ISBN-13: 978-1412906036

The Tough Kid Parent Book: Why Me?: Family Version

The authors are William R. Jenson, Ginger Rhode, and Melanie Hepworth. The publisher is Sopris West.

This book is great for use with most children with and without disabilities. It is a "how to" manual for behavior management of children. Among the many subjects it covers are: (a) how to use timeout effectively; (b) how to develop rules and consequences for both following and breaking those rules; (c) how to use reinforcement effectively; and (d) some clever ways to use reinforcement.

Please note that some portions of this book (e.g., timeout) might not be useful for all individuals with autism. Also note that much of the book probably will not be useful with those who have severe or profound cognitive disabilities.
This book is very layperson friendly and costs about $32.00. It is most easily purchased through the publisher, Sopris West (sopriswest.com).
CambiumLearning.com: The Tough Kid Parent Book ISBN-10: 1570355193

Social Skills Solutions: A Hands on Manual for Teaching Social Skills to Children with Autism

The authors are Kelly McKinnon and Janis Krempa. The publisher is DRL Books.

This book is intended for use with children with autism; however, it is also very helpful for individuals with other disabilities. This book includes the following: (a) strategies for teaching specific social skills; (b) a method for assessing which social skills to teach; and (c) how to use peers to teach social skills.
This book is moderately layperson friendly and costs about $20.00.
Amazon: Social Skills Solutions ISBN-13: 978-0966526691