My wife is more read than I am, especially when it comes to books on autism. Out of all of those books, she recommended Facing Autism by Lynn M. Hamilton. Hamilton is a mother of a boy who was labeled in 1995 as having autism, and she now shares her experience speaking nationally.

Facing Autism begins with a little history, how her son Ryan seemed OK early but regressed into autistic behavior. She details a little bit of the self-doubt and embarrassment of having a child who insisted on an increasing amount of environmental consistency, who had sensory issues, who wasn’t engaging with other kids, and who threw incredible tantrums seemingly without provocation.

The great middle of the book details many treatment options, from ABA to special diets to drugs. She credits ABA with Ryan’s behavioral and educational improvements but there were biologically identifiable conditions that likely exacerbated Ryan’s behavior. There may be multiple factors that can improve a child’s performance. Hamilton is careful to lay out potential risks with each therapy. The number and kinds of theories and therapies is slightly overwhelming, and the author wisely advises getting tests and independent trial data before considering a therapy. Not all therapies work for all children. At the end of each chapter are valuable addresses and web sites for all the topics covered.

The book finishes with a chapter for friends & family and log summaries showing how well her son progressed. The summaries finish an emotional book of hope, which I would recommend to those in the first stages of accepting their chlld’s autism. This book is more of a how-to book than a story about how the author and her child handle their autism.