Where can we find answers about Autism?

When the social worker in my daughter's Special Education (Communications Handicap) Kindergarten class first suggested she had Aspergers Syndrome, I was confused. What was this syndrome? I'd never heard of it, so I asked her teacher about it. She said my daughter didn't seem to fit the profile for Aspergers, but she didn't give me a clear explanation of what it was. Nevertheless, I tried to learn more about it, and found myself researching the world of the Autism Spectrum Disorders. Since we did not have an explanation for what was happening with Darbie (my daughter), the initial information I found seemed to be a reasonable explanation, but there were differences between Darbie's behaviors and the descriptions of Aspergers available. Most of the information was written by psychologists for other psychologists and developmental pediatricians, of which I am neither. Many of my questions were left unanswered and it was not until three years later that they began to be answered. Darbie was finally diagnosed as PDD-NOS partway through her third grade year. The developmental psychologist who provided the diagnosis was quite good about her explanation. Regardless, I was still left with many questions, such as where my husband and I should go from there? Few non-professional resources were available for those with high-level functioning PDD out there.

Autism was once defined as a single disorder. Today there are a number of disorders recognized as being part of the Autism Spectrum. These include Aspergers and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). What is autism? How do we identify autism? What are the treatment options available? How do we live with someone diagnosed as autistic? These are among the many challenges faced when we realize that something is "not quite right" with our child- only to find that he or she is autistic. Excellent books on the subject written for the non-professional are often difficult to locate. One that I have found is called The Essential Guide to Autism. Written for the person dealing with an autistic loved-one in mind, this book provides answers to the many questions we have when the diagnosis comes to us. Click Here for a copy of this resource book! The bonuses that come with it are also wonderful!