"The authors’ examples are appropriate for a wide range of children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders. Disability studies collections will benefit from this accessible primer.
This latest entry in Woodbine’s series helps parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) overcome every day challenges (e. g., getting dressed, tooth brushing, behaving in public). Bondy has more than 35 years’ experience working with adults and children on the spectrum, and Frost is a certified speech/language pathologist; their latest collaboration (see also A Picture’s Worth) draws on Bondy’s Pyramid Approach that emphasizes interaction and functional communication, a frequent deficit among children and adults with ASD. Particularly useful topics include verbal prompting to encourage conversation, breaking down activities into component tasks, and using reinforcing actions to reward good behavior. The authors also discuss the danger of becoming reliant on prompts and cues."
Library Journal Xpress Reviews, February 19, 2008
"Autism 24/7 is a great resource for both professionals working in the autism field and caregivers of an autistic child. In fact, it is a must read for caregivers, and all professionals should recommend it to parents.
The authors Andy Bondy, PhD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC/SLP, come across enthusiastically in the text, showing that learning skills can be managed in the home as well as in the classroom. They make wonderful suggestions which can be readily carried out, and the text demonstrates word for word how to teach each task. The authors also show how early learning experiences lead to independence and successful adult living.
The reader is given examples and ways to use progressively learned skills, with an emphasis on common sense. The authors encourage participation in daily routine tasks at an early age to help the child both at home and in the community.
The authors support positive reinforcement and the use of natural rewards. They encourage caregivers to have a plan in place for each lesson to be taught. They also emphasize having a backup plan. The authors stress the importance of evaluating and measuring the strategies parents use and how these strategies affect the child’s growth and learning. Evaluating and reevaluating allows one to know if the skills should be changed and when to make the change.
As a professional and as a grandmother of a 5-year-old autistic child, I found the book enlightening and educational."
-ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners, July 7, 2008
