Beyond the Autism Diagnosis: A Professional's Guide to Helping Families

Using clear, easy-to-understand language, this book offers professionals a wealth of information on how to develop effective partnerships with parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Topics covered include how to be more sensitive to families' needs, how to make one's assumptions cohere with families' assumptions, and how best to approach controversial topics in treatment and research. The book is divided into three sections. The first section lays out some of the confusions in communication that can occur between professionals and parents. The second section explores situations during which parents and professionals have opportunities to build strong working relationships on behalf of children with ASD. Finally, the third section treats the sensitive topic of how professionals may best help families cope with the short- and long-term concerns that arise with ASD.