My Top 5 Book Recommendations
My Top 5 Books to Get You Started on Your Journey of Helping Your Child Overcome Challenges and Improve Quality of Life
I am so glad to share with you some of the amazing book resources I have used and still use in my own personal journey to help my son overcome his challenges and improve his quality of life. My son has autism, but these books are still super helpful for children with ADHD, sensory processing disorder (SPD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and other related conditions. I have these books in order of the ones I believe to be most important and therefore how I suggest them to be prioritized with implementing.
Autism Breakthrough by Raun Kaufman
This one is my favorite! It was the first game changing piece for our family. It not only helped my son overcome challenges, but it also changed me as a person to have a positive mindset around autism while still fighting to help my son.
This book is all about the Son Rise Program and serves as a beginner’s guide to start implementing the Son Rise Program strategies at home. This parent led program was developed initially by Raun Kaufman’s parents, Barry and Samahria.
At a very young age Barry and Samahria’s son, Raun, was diagnosed with severe autism. After exploring treatment options and being mortified at how they saw children being treated by therapists, they decided there had to be a better way and it started with Samahria staying home with Raun full-time. She observed that when she joined him in his stimming behaviors (what the program calls “isms”), her son gave her full contact for the very first time. This was the beginning of her realizing that connecting with Raun in his way while accepting him the way he was was the start of bridging the gap from Raun’s isolated world into a more interpersonal world with his family. By five years of age, Raun no longer exhibited any signs or symptoms of having autism. He is now a world renowned speaker helping people all of the world.
Over the years, the Son Rise program has been even further developed by many dedicated and loving adults. The staff at the Autism Treatment Center of America have been helping thousands of children all over the world for the past 50 years! They offer an on site Start Up Course for beginners that lasts 5 days in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. They also have advanced courses to help families really master the art of Son Rise techniques. An online version of the Start Up course is also available!
The Son Rise techniques are designed to shift your mindset and attitude and help you better understand your child with challenges. For example, that stimming (or “isming”) is a way for your child to cope in a world that feels like chaos they are unable to predict or control. You will learn that connecting with your child in his or her way builds trust and decreases their chronic state of fight or flight. You will learn how to use your child’s interests to appropriately challenge him or her.
Audio Version available here: https://a.co/d/gW9JCRc
Hardcover available here: https://a.co/d/d3LTHGW
In my private facebook group, I have done discussion videos over each chapter. If you would like access, you can join my group here! www.facebook.com/groups/faithandautism
Simply, type “son rise” in the group search to easily find all recorded videos! 🙂
A movie based on Raun’s life was made in 1979. You can watch for free here! https://youtu.be/9auYQOlUKo4?si=MHJA0anuqvHizITr
Here is the website for the Autism Treatment Center for America for more exploration of what they offer: https://autismtreatmentcenter.org/
2. Autism Language Launcher by Kate Wilde
Author, Kate Wilde, is on staff at the American Autism Treatment Center of America and has played a role in further development of the Son Rise program.
Using Son Rise strategies, Kate takes a more in depth dive to help parents advance their child’s language. If your child is only currently non-speaking, babbling, saying one word phrases, only communicating immediate needs and wants or even if your child is highly verbal, but not appropriately conversational, this book gives your strategies to help your child reach his or her full language potential!
Hardcover available here: https://a.co/d/05Pu38u
3. Autistic Logistics by Kate Wilde
Another favorite by author, Kate Wilde! This book is all about using Son Rise strategies for specific functional tasks and handling challenging behaviors. Kate covers the following topics in this book:
Understand your child’s experience
Creating clear and strong boundaries
Believing in your child’s ability to learn
The motivation principle
The power of explanations
Button pushing
The tantrum rescue
Hitting and intense energy
Toilet training
Sleeping
Self help skills
Introducing new foods
Hardcover available here: https://a.co/d/2leBML3
4. Fat, Stressed and Sick by Katherine Reid, Phd with Barbara Price, PhD
Okay, so in case you have not found this out about me yet, I am a firm believer and supporter of the impact a poor diet has on wreaking havoc on our children’s body’s organ systems.
This book is all about the toxic effects specifically of the imbalance between glutamate and GABA as a result of eating processed foods and other high inflammatory foods. Glutamate tends to be higher in our kids and acts as a neurotoxin driving up systemic inflammation in their body’s. If you have a child with high sensory needs and really struggles with intense and challenging behaviors, glutamate is a very likely culprit.
At around 3 years old, I came across Dr. Katie Reid and learned of her story, how she helped reverse her daughter’s severe autism symptoms using diet and herbs. Since I had already learned about diet and desperately needed help with my son’s picky eating, I decided to book an appointment with her. Yes, she still does consultations! And at an affordable price compared to others!
Read our picky eating story here! https://www.faithsandoval.com/blog/our-picky-eating-story
Listen to Dr. Reid’s TED talk here! https://youtu.be/iL4SD5f2toQ?si=qcPDBWf-WBQgU6t6
Explore her website more here: https://unblindmymind.org/
To get her book, you can find it here! https://a.co/d/2jaLv2e
5. Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo
Eventually in our journey, I came across the Brain Balance program at a homeschool convention. I attended a lecture and later visited their vendor’s booth. I was fascinated by the science between brain hemispheres and how functional disconnection syndrome between the two are contributing to my child’s challenges. Since I am a total science nerd and with my background as a physical therapist assistant, these methods just made a lot of sense to me. My first step was purchasing this book and then I decided to move forward to give the Brain Balance program a try. Another game changing piece in our journey! Read our story here! https://www.faithsandoval.com/blog/our-brain-balance-story
This book is about the disconnect between the right and left brain hemispheres. It explores the science of neuroplasticity and how our brain has the ability to be rewired and heal. Dr. Melillo offers parents a way to assess hemispheric imbalances and then shares multi-sensory techniques and exercises for a parent to utilize at home. He even has a chapter on his dietary opinions that impact the brain.
Check out the book here! https://a.co/d/cqz01Xl
To learn more about Dr. Mellilo, check out his website here! https://www.drrobertmelillo.com/
This wraps up my top 5 book recommendations! All have played huge parts in helping my son to persevere and overcome. This is how I prioritize my favorites!
Mindset/Attitude and Connection - All 3 Son Rise Program strategy books
Diet - Dr. Katie Reid
Hemispheric Brain Exercise - Dr. Robert Melillo
Let me know if you found this information helpful at faithandautism2022@gmail.com
