Autism Breakthrough: The Groundbreaking Method That Has Helped Families All Over the World

Diagnosed as severely autistic, Kaufman was the first to benefit from the Son-Rise program for curing autistic children, developed by his parents, and here offers a practical and upbeat introduction for parents seeking to use the program’s strategies. Now director of global education for the Autism Treatment Center of America, Kaufman explains how the Son-Rise program frames autism as a social-relational disorder, rather than a behavioral disorder, and recommends meeting the child where his own interests lie in order to build a personal bond. His methods for working through four milestones of socialization—nonverbal communication, verbal communication, interactive attention span, and flexibility—offer a helpful road map, with methodology further explained in online supplements to each chapter. He offers an academic paper about empirical research on the program as a nod to skeptical readers, but his chapter espousing nutritional approaches to autism throws him back into the fringe camp. The most appealing aspect of the author’s approach is the limitless hope he offers to discouraged parents: “what your child has done (or not done) up until now tells you nothing about what he can do in the future.” His personal faith in the program, his warmth, and the targeted application of principles will encourage readers to try his methods even if they are undecided about the supporting evidence. Agent: Stephanie Tade, Stephanie Tade Agency. (Apr.)