​Hello Everyone,
 
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~

     AMAZING ADVENTURES
     DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
     SAVVY SOLUTIONS
     SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
 
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.

From the Category – AMAZING ADVENTURES. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.​

​All I Can Handle: I Am No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism by Kim Stagliano & Jenny McCarthy – eBook (2010). Extended Book Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

Excerpts from the book – (3% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).

3%     All three of my daughters – Mia, Gianna, and Isabella – have autism spectrum disorder. Autism is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls. Given the boy-to-girl ratio, you can see how our family is pretty unique.
 
9%       Before I really knew what was going on with my first two daughters, Mia and Gianna, I had an incident that, in hindsight, was where I veered off the Suburban Mommy Street and onto the Autism Autobahn.

14%     When did I first know? At ten months, Mia said her first words. “Shhhhoooo” as I put on her shoes and socks. She could recite her alphabet at twenty-three months. If we asked her to get a specific book – she would go and get it. Her receptive speech seemed intact. But she only used her words as labels.
 
< My Thoughts >      “...used her words as labels.”

​Some children with autism begin to communicate needs and wants by the 'label'. Whatever the child has the mental and physical facility to say. Certain sounds are more difficult to make than others. That is why neurotypical babies say 'da-da', first. Because it is much easier to say than 'mama'.

Lungamhlongo, M. (2023) tells us that children and/or adults with autism refer themselves in the third person when they speak. autistic children who are non-verbal can hear but just can’t speak except by saying a few random words here and then occasionally. These children are considered non-verbal because they only use a few disconnected words to communicate what they want.

I thought ‘kuka’ was my son’s Morse code for toilet. Then one day, after tantrumming, he opened the fridge, took out the milk, gave it to me, and said ‘kuka’ again. So, ‘kuka’ means he wants cereal for breakfast.
​
17%     I missed the signs in Gianna. Her cheeks were papery and red. Her nose ran constantly.  She had surgically implanted ear tubes as a precaution to help her speech. Her speech still did not develop. Her behavior was atrocious. She spent much of her day screaming and bolting away from me.

24%     Mia is our most affected child. If you were to meet her, you’d first notice her great beauty. She speaks in short phrases, mostly to make her needs know. “Can. I. Have. Food. Please.” She’s content to play alone. You can usually find her at her computer or watching Sesame Street of Blue’s Clues. Mia’s heart-stopping autism moment lasted almost four years. She had her first seizure when Bella was just a babe in arms.
 
27%     Bella, our third girl was moving into toddlerhood with her own set of issues in terms of development. She wasn’t crawling, sitting up, or even reaching out properly. And Gianna was nowhere near under control. Mia had at least seven grand mal seizures and her poor body was racked with exhaustion after each seizure.

36%       Autism can make for a lonely life. I remember how I felt when the girls were first diagnosed and how much I would have loved a place to go…not to mention how much time and money I could have saved. 
 
39%     Vaccine safety and informed parental consent is one of our hottest topics at Age of Autism in that it draws the most critics, to which I say, “Bring it on.” It is my great responsibility and honor to sound the alarm bells about the autism epidemic every day.
 
< My Thoughts >      “Vaccine safety and Age of Autism…”

Vaccine safety remains a 'hot' topic, today. Kim Stagliano Rossi is the Managing Editor of Age of Autism. The nation's first daily web newspaper about the 'autism epidemic'. Online – www.ageofautism.com. She has also contributed to writing a second book: 101 Tips for the Parents of Girls with Autism: The Most Crucial Things You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Doctors, Schools, Taxes, Vaccinations, Babysitters, Treatment, Food, Self-Care, and More; Kindle Edition by Tony Lyons (Author), Kim Stagliano Rossi. 

Barazza, L., Schmit, C., et al. (2017) cite that “All 50 states require children to receive certain vaccinations before attending public school, and often these requirements extend to children attending day care or private schools.”

< My Thoughts >    "All 50 states require..."

School-age children are often mandated by the state to provide 'proof of Vaccination'. These requirements vary by state, and even school district. The most commonly required by state law are – MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Hepatitis B, Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis), Varicella (Chickenpox), and Polio. Some states allow exemptions for religious reasons, and / or children with compromised immune systems.
 
57%     At one time I’d had a plaque with that saying from Mother Teresa: “I know God will only give me what I can handle. I just wish God didn’t trust me so much.” 
 
96%     But I’m learning to trust in God that I’ll find the right answers because God has answered many of my prayers. This is my turn. I’m not going to waste it.

Reference:

Lungamhlongo, M. (2023). Learn How Children with Autism Use A Single Word to Communicate Everything. Retrieved online from – https://theautismguide.medium.com/learn-how-children-with-autism-use-a-single-word-to-communicate-everything-122cc3e/.

End of excerpts from this book by Kim Stagliano & Jenny McCarthy.
 
​Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.

Regards,
Sara Luker


​Paid Link Disclosure -

These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
     Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 
     I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own. 
     There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement. 
Thank you! 
Sara Luker

​Hello Everyone,
 
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~

     AMAZING ADVENTURES
     DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
     SAVVY SOLUTIONS
     SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
 
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.

From the Category DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.​

The Journey to Normal: Our Family’s Life with Autism by I.D. Johnson (2014). Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
 
Excerpts from the book – (2% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).

Excerpts from the book by I.D. Johnson.
 
2%       No one ever expects their first child to be born with differences. As a mother, it is certainly something I considered, something I worried about, but never something I actually expected to confront.
 
3%       I work as a Reading Interventionist and a Response to Intervention Coordinator in elementary school. Every day, I work with students who struggle academically and/or socially. I have had experiences with children with all sorts of disabilities, to intellectual disabilities, to autism.
 
6%       Discovering your child may be autistic often comes in the most subtle ways. It’s in the little things. When your two-year-old doesn’t look at you when you enter a room.   When your three-year-old still isn’t speaking in intelligible, complete sentences. When everyone else’s children are playing together, and she is under a tree, digging for who knows what. When a frustrated teenage swimming instructor says, “Lady, I think there’s something wrong with your kid.” That’s when you start to realize.

T7%     Then, Sophie started pre-school. The differences in Sophie were apparent immediately to the staff, particularly the director.  …but some of the things they said Sophie “couldn’t” or “wouldn’t” do at school, she was doing at home.
 
8%       The teachers were very concerned and my concern was growing by the minute.  And yet, still, I waited. I was pregnant with Ariel, Sophie’s little sister. I was working a lot. These are the excuses I used.

10%     In fact, of the four areas they tested in, Sophie qualified in two of them and almost a third. She was behind in her social skills, as far as interacting with other children and adults.
 
And then they threw the number at me that made me stop breathing.
 
…cognitively, she (Sophie) is eleven months behind. I had to ask for clarification.  My child was very bright.  She could sort objects by color. She could problem-solve like no other two-year-old I’d ever known…
​
10%     The assessment they had administered was called the Performance Assessment for Language Students, (PALS). They admitted that the test was heavy on the oral language skills, and it is possible that she could be just fine cognitively, but the test indicated that she wasn’t.
 
They said that most of the scores were based on her (Sophie’s) ability to answer questions and sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, etc. I said, “But she can’t talk.”  She was cognitively behind because she couldn’t sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” tell them her name or which picture was cookie.
 
< My Thoughts >     "...(PALS)..."

“The assessment they had administered was called the Performance Assessment for Language Students, or PALS. They admitted that the test was heavy on the oral language skills, and it is possible that she could be just fine cognitively, but the test indicated that she wasn’t.”
 
As a teacher and student of what’s out there, I was surprised that the professionals administered the PALS test.  I just seemed to me that there would have been more appropriate assessments for the first time out with a non-verbal child.  

Note: For further information on ‘Assessments’, go to MENU for Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read online here, under UNIT 2 – Why Is It Autism? CHAPTER 1 Diagnosis & DSM-5, APPENDIX A Screening Assessments.
 
28%     Sophie started off by “tasting” a few of her friends. However, it was determined pretty quickly by the school psychologist that this was a sensory issue, not Sophie intentionally harming others. There seemed to be a lot of evidence pointing toward a sensory integration disorder, which may have actually been a major issue all along. In fact, some of the experts on her team thought that it could be sensory integration disorder and not autism causing Sophie’s differences.
 
< My Thoughts >     “...tasting a few of her friends.” 

As a teacher, in one of my first autism classes, I sat at a table with an eight-year-old student. I reached in front of him to pick up something from the table. As I did, he reached for me, pulling my underarm into his mouth. That bite mark was there for a month.

As a grandmother, I explained to my granddaughter that her infant brother was putting everything in his mouth as a way to 'learn' about it. A few days later, my granddaughter yelled, "Grandma, come quick, brother is learning about my hair!" 
 
Farmer, J. & Rupert, A. (2013) talk about a program that helps parents understand how autism is “a different kind of normal”. This program is all about ‘understanding’. “Understanding the nature of autism and the communication, social, sensory, play, and thinking issues pertinent to ASD.” “Understanding the difficult behaviors and how to develop a practical set of strategies.”

“Understanding how to decrease feelings of isolation and parental anxiety.” This program helps parents learn from those who already understand how autism may manifest in the child.” After completing the program, on parent shared, “I feel as if I now understand what it’s like in my son’s world. I now know more about what autism is.”

71%     Sophie always struggles and rebels when she begins to develop new communication skills. I just keep reminding myself that we have come so far.
 
When her brain gets overloaded with this information, the silly sounds and laughter take over because she doesn’t know how to process it.
 
Without a diagnosis, without a cause or a proven therapy regiment, it is so difficult to know if we are moving in the right direction.
 
…if pushing her is really helping or if I shouldn’t be pushing her so hard. It’s all trial and error, learning as we go, hoping we make the right choices, and learning from our mistakes.

Note: For further information on ‘Helping’, go to MENU for, KNOW AUTISM, KNOW YOUR CHILD with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker, UNIT 3 – What Is Most Concerning? 
 
72%     I took Sophie to Wal-Mart with me to do the grocery shopping today.
 
She is in rare form today and we had a really good time.
 
My favorite part was when she started “reading” the grocery list.
 
“Okay Mommy, we need some birds and a circus and some cereal and strawberries.”
 
She was being so cute…she was sitting there (in the cart) talking to a very sweet cashier.
 
 “I bet if I told this woman that my child has autism, she would be shocked.”
 
There was nothing autistic about my girl today.
 
She was cute, she was making sense, she was being funny.
 
73%     Perhaps we’re approaching normal.
 
77%     We are going to continue to work to extinguish undesirable behavior, at least she isn’t biting, kicking, punching anyone. No one used the “A” word and no one told me she “couldn’t” or “she’ll never.”
 
The bottom line is, she’s continuing to make progress and her current placement is working. She now has an amazing classroom teacher and resource teacher and phenomenal speech teachers as well. Sophie loves her teachers and works for them because she has such a good relationship with them.
 
< My Thoughts >       "Sophie loves her teachers..."
 
As a teacher, and as a parent, establishing a relationship with a child on the spectrum is very challenging. Traditionally, many children will work for food, but will not perform because they want to please their teacher. This is another example of how different our kids are. One size does not fit all!
 
77%     Sophie’s speech has come so far this year because of the hard work of these amazing women, it boggles my mind to think about all of the things Sophie says now that she couldn’t say a year ago. It’s hard to believe kindergarten will be over soon but I’m looking forward to next year.
 
End of Excerpts from book by I. D. Johnson, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker.   
 
Reference:

Farmer, J. & Rupert, A. (2013). Understanding Autism and Understanding My Child with Autism: An evaluation of a group parent education program in rural Australia. Australian Journal of Rural Health:21; 20-27.

Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.

Regards,
Sara Luker


​Paid Link Disclosure -

These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
     Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 
     I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own. 
     There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement. 
Thank you! 
Sara Luker

​Hello Everyone,
 
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~

     AMAZING ADVENTURES
     DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
     SAVVY SOLUTIONS
     SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
 
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.

From the Category SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINK to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.​

101 Tips for the Parents of Boys with Autism & 1,001 Tips for the Parents of Autistic Boys by Ken Siri. Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

Excerpts from both books – (5%/1,001 or /101 indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).
 
Excerpts from book by Ken Siri, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker   

5%/1,001         It’s not your fault your child has autism…it never was…and it never will be.
 
4%/1,001         Do not allow yourself to journey down the road marked CURE.  Instead, travel down the road toward RECOVERY.”
 
7%/1,001     Autism is a spectrum, and all the children with autism are different.  What works for one child may not work for another.  For this reason, some of these tips may appear to be contradictory. 

4%/1,001         Parents of autistic children need to adopt the mentalities of both a researcher and a warrior.  As both general and soldier in this fight, you must take ownership of all aspects of treatment, education, therapy, and organization as if preparing for battle.
 
4%/1,001         As a warrior … you will experience the stress that accompanies battle.  Battling autism can leave one feeling devastated and alone.  You will need help and support along the way.
 
< My Thoughts >      “Don’t ignore your inner parent voice.”
 
Don’t ignore your inner parent voice… because you’re “just” a parent, and he/she is a highly esteemed professional. I can’t stress this enough!  If ‘they’ (the esteemed ‘they’…doctor, teacher, therapist, or other) are telling you everything is fine. Even hinting that the problem is with you, the overanxious parent. Or, in another situation, if you’re not happy with what educators are presenting to you as their “must do” solutions, ask for additional verification. 

3%/100            Treatments for GI issues have significantly benefited Alex and though still non-verbal, his behaviors, control and vocalizations have improved over the last two years of treatment for those GI issues.
 
31%/1,001       Children with autism as a group have notoriously poor nutrition coupled with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  This may be due, in part; to extreme eating habits (they are notoriously picky).  Deficiencies are also likely due to the above mentioned tendency toward malabsorption.

Note: For further information on ‘Picky Eaters’, go to MENU for Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read online here, under UNIT 3 – What Is Most Concerning? CHAPTER 1 – Gross & Fine Motor Skills, PART 1 – Poor Eating.

7%/1,001          “Don’t be afraid of the autism label, because it will help you get the services you need for your child.”

< My Thoughts >    "...the autism label..."
 
Don’t be afraid of the autism label. To get services you must have a diagnostic label and the autism (label) diagnosis gets you more of everything. 
 
As a special education teacher, and before becoming a parent of a child with autism, I felt sorry for those parents who were in denial and could not see the ‘big’ picture.  I wanted to take the parent aside and say, “Your child is so far away from hitting any developmental milestones, now or ever. Please, accept that Autism label!  Get started helping him / her!” 
 
Now on the other side of the table. The term ‘Developmental Delay’ or PDD-NOS, ‘Pervasive Developmental Delay, Not Otherwise Specified’ sounds better than Autism.  ‘Delay’ and ‘NOS’ implies that better days are right around the corner.  In the classroom, it just gives teachers a perimeter around which to confidently plan lessons and create goals for the child.  But those labels throw fear into the hearts of parents.  In many cases the child’s growth and progress is just delayed, but in other cases, important milestones may never be met, because someone refused the ‘autism’ label.

Note: For further information on ‘PDD-NOS’, go to MENU for Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read online here, under UNIT 2 – Why Is It Autism? CHAPTER 1, APPENDIX B – PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder).

54%     Having autism does not mean your son cannot have a fulfilling life; do not allow the language of victimhood into your vocabulary.  Use empowering words that teach him that he is without limits.
 
88%     Finally, remember you will need patience and optimism in this journey.  Nobody can foretell the path your child will take and the spectrum of outcomes is broad.  Take things step-by-step, stay present, and relish each day.
 
< My Thoughts >   

These are such comprehensive books.  I have devoted only a few pages to them and only touched the surface of both books. Hope you will read them both, cover to cover. 
 
End of excerpts from these books by Ken Siri.

Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.

Regards,
Sara Luker


​Paid Link Disclosure -

These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
     Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 
     I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own. 
     There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement. 
Thank you! 
Sara Luker
​