Individuals with autism and their caregivers face unique challenges in later childhood and adolescence. This volume translates research on the needs of this population into practical recommendations for clinicians and educators. The book features vivid case examples and an in-depth, reproducible assessment form. Accessible guidance and hands-on suggestions are provided for supporting positive behavior, communication, and social skills; managing issues related to mental and physical health and sexuality; helping families access services and navigate the legal system; and optimizing the educational and transition planning process.
"A wonderful resource for educators and mental health professionals, this book is filled with practical and helpful guidance covering a range of issues. It provides concise summaries of information and intervention strategies relevant to older children, adolescents, and adults with autism. The volume will also be of tremendous benefit to parents. A real contribution to the field."--Fred R. Volkmar, MD, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine"This wonderfully innovative volume should be a first resource for anyone interested in the complexities of the world of persons with autism, their families, and service providers. The impressive group of outstanding scholars and clinicians from many different fields contribute compelling insights about the ways that we can all work toward optimizing the quality of life of persons with autism."--Jake Burack, PhD, McGill University and Hpital Rivire-des-Prairies,Montreal, Quebec, Canada"Although some young children with autism make major gains in early childhood, many others learn at a slower pace and continue to show significant autistic involvement over the years. Professionals of many disciplines who serve older children and adolescents on the autism spectrum will find in this book a scholarly, broad, and very valuable focus on these older learners and their continuing challenges."--Sandra L. Harris, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-This book provides mental health professionals and educators with a greater awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding a child or adolescent with autism, as they enter a critical period of their development....A clearly written and useful resource for professionals, supporting them in making recommendations for the individuals, their families, and service providers. Throughout, useful ideas and guidance are provided....An extremely interesting and valuable read.--Youthinmind.info, 11/24/2010ffThe editors did a nice job of incorporating ways in which the core symptoms of autism affect multiple aspects of an individual's life and included information on issues not typically found in books of this nature....The book succeeds in being written in a manner in which it is accessible to a wide audience including parents, practitioners, and medical professionals, and as such, this book is one that could be recommended to a wide audience of readers.--Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 11/24/2010ffHas an unusual focus, but a welcome one: it concentrates on a population that is, in the tactful language of one chapter, .less able.'...There are many children, adolescents, and even adults to who must be taught joint attention, functional communication skills, and everything that seems obvious but is far from obvious. This book is full of suggestions about how this can be done....Readers concerned with autism will find this a useful book to add to their shelves.--Psychiatric Services, 11/24/2010
