Author: Amy V. Jaffe and Luci Gardner
Publishing Info: 2006
Reviewed by Yu-Chi Chou, University of Kansas & Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

Author: Kirby Lentz
Publishing Info: 2004
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Author Kirby Lentz brings over 30 years of experience in education and administration for persons with developmental disabilities to this book which guides both parents and educators through the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) process. The guide, written primarily for parents, is a tool for building a relationship between parents and educators to share relevant information to construct an effective IEP. It also encourages collaboration between home, school, and the community for the life span success of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Author: Jenny Clark Brack
Publishing Info: 2004
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Author Jenny Clark Brack has written an excellent resource for providing best practice occupational therapy services in preschool and early childhood settings. Ms. Brack is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 14 years of experience in school settings. The knowledge she shares in this book will provide anyone working with young children in early childhood settings how to implement a sensory integration program.

Author: Judith Coucouvanis
Publishing Info: 2005
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Super Skills is a social skills program designed for children ages 7 to 11. Author Judith Coucouvanis, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and behavior specialist, brings a wealth of experience and understanding to the creation of this user-friendly program. Groups of 4 to 8 participants can be lead by any professional such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, nurses, teachers, social workers, counselors or parents. One leader can run a group although it is preferable to have a co-leader is if the leader is a novice. Leaders should have an understanding of children with ASD's, be flexible because the pace and activities may need to change during a lesson, have enthusiasm for teaching these children and a sense of humor.

Author: Carol Stock Kranowitz
Publishing Info: August 2006
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

Carol Kranowitz, a former preschool teacher, made us aware of sensory integration dysfunction in children in her first book "The Out Of Sync Child". After the success of that book, she then came up with hands-on ideas to help with sensory integration dysfunction. The result is "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun", packed with interactive games and activities to help integrate the sensory system for children ages 3 to 12. 

Author: Pat Crissey
Publishing Info: December 2004
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Teaching personal hygiene to young people with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities can be a difficult task because they do not always see the need to develop good hygiene habits. Special education teacher Pat Crissey has created a curriculum to teach personal hygiene to young people ages 8 to 14 that helps them understand the social implications of neglecting personal hygiene. 

Author: Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsey
Publishing Info: 2005
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

TEACCH teachers Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsay published their third book in the Tasks Galore series this summer and it is another gem of a book. Anyone who has used the previous two Tasks Galore books will know these books are full of visuals, ideas for functional learning, and room for adaptation of tasks. Tasks Galore - Making Groups Meaningful is about making group interaction both meaningful and successful. Geared toward the elementary level, the ideas can be used in the contained classroom or in an integrated setting; however, with some adaptations, these ideas could be used with older students. The concepts can be employed with students who have any disability that relies on visuals for teaching. Having been a teacher myself for a number of years, I would not hesitate to use these ideas for structuring primary grade group activities no matter what the ability of the students. Young children need visuals to reinforce learning as most are just beginning to read and comprehend text.

Author: Polly Godwin Emmons and Liz McKendry Anderson
Publishing Info: 2005
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

Sensory integration is the organization of sensory information from the body and the environment. Healthy social and emotional development is linked to sensory integration. When a portion of the process of sensory integration is not functioning effectively or efficiently, sensory dysfunction occurs. Sensory dysfunction, sometimes referred to as the "hidden disorder", can be a puzzling aspect of many disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, learning disabilities and bipolar disorder. Learning, development and behavior will be affected when sensory dysfunction occurs.

Author: Kimberly A. Henry
Publishing Info: 2005
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Teaching young children on the autism spectrum presents special challenges. Kimberley Henry, special educator, recognizes these learning challenges and addresses them in her new book How Do I Teach This Kid? Visual Work Tasks for Beginning Learners on the Autism Spectrum. Over 80 teaching tasks, designed to increase independent work skills, use a visual and hands-on approach. The visual work task system can be used by anyone teaching a child to become more independent such as teachers, parents and home-based therapists. The teaching tasks can be used with preschoolers to adolescents, depending on their developmental skill level, and can be incorporated into the inclusive classroom. Using the visual work system allows students to work independently for a sustained period of time. 

Author: Alex Durig
Publishing Info: 2004
Reviewed by Maureen Bennie
Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

Autism is now described in great detail as a result of scientific research. Though we can identify the details of autistic perception and behavior, an understanding of these aspects of autism is critical to create a philosophy of parenting and teaching to avoid frustration and alienation. Social psychologist Alex Durig has found a straightforward way to explain the phenomenon of autism without having to have a background in psychology or science to understand it.