Because of this book, I garnered the strength to look into educational intervention for my first autistic son in the way of a "home program". I didn't know anything about what a "home program" entailed until I read this book. I didn't know that the optimal time you must devote to a program such as this has been set at 40 hours a week! I didn't know that there wouldn't be any trained therapists available--I had to be trained myself, in fact! I found babysitters, one high school girl, you name it--at one point I was so desparate I dissolved in tears and said, "I CAN'T DO THIS! " But you have to. YOU JUST HAVE TO. And you will, too, because you must.

As my supervisor said to me when she "okayed" us for the program, "Look at it this way--two years of your life will make such a difference." And it did. Not the sucess story the author had, but at least a sense of control over things and an awareness of my son's potential.

This book gave me something to hang on to. I realize now, especially after having a second autistic son, that not all things go as planned, and not all "programs" turn out as ideally as Maurice's did. On the other hand, you must have hope when you are an autistic parent. This book gave me that. And it gave me an understanding of an invaluable way of teaching young autistic children that is still the primary way they are taught most sucessfully (it is called Applied Behavioral Analysis now)that I needed, just to get started in the right direction. Buy it and read it. Use your brain when you read it and accept the fact that all these kids are different and you are not this woman. But be thankful. She wrote THE GROUNDBREAKING BOOK on this type of intervention.

best wishes, Jean

36 of 37 found the following review helpful:


Fabulous!!  Jan 08, 2002
When I read some of the comments about this book I was really saddened. I can agree that there is no "cure" for autism, but I must also note that Applied Behavioral Analysis, being the therapy of choice for the Maurice family, has given my child a new life.

This book is different because it offers parents hope: It clearly describes the trials a family endures as they struggle to bring their autistic child into their world. There is absolutely nothing wrong with fighting this disorder. After all, we should all want the very best for our children. We should all want our children to be able to function normally in society.

I have patiently read through every review and wish to make a few comments of my own, having implemented an ABA program with my now 3-year old son, for nine months. ABA is rigorous therapy. It requires time and effort on everyone involved. But, it is worth every struggle, be it financial or otherwise. In no way has ABA therapy, as described in this book, harmed my child. I have not met anyone, nor have I heard of a family, who was not thrilled with the progress made by his/her/their child through ABA therapy. Our child has gained two years worth of development within a six-month period of having ABA therapy. In fact, my child scored a 37.5 (a half point above severely autistic) on the CARS (childhood autism rating scale) and is now considered to have "no autistic symptoms." We are also advocates for the Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Dietary Intervention; both ABA and dietary intervention are responsible for our son's miraculous progress...backed by lots of prayers.

My husband and I cannot technically "afford" ABA therapy. We cannot afford to hire endless nannies and therapists. But I'll tell you what we have done, we have FOUND a way to do this therapy. Where there is a will, there is a way. We took out a home equity loan, got a newspaper article, had fundraisers, sold our cars, did craft shows, bake sales...and we're still pursuing our insurance companies. We even asked our families for help. We pay our bills week-by-week. And we do it for our son. We cannot put a price tag on his future. This therapy takes some getting used to, but it is worth any effort one can give. Our child hasn't had 40 hours every week. In fact, he's made steady progress with 20-32 hours every week. Don't make excuses for your child's autism when you can do something about it. The progression of autism CAN be reversed. There are many ways to cut costs and do this therapy. But it does require effort, dedication, consistency, and time.

I love this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a true account of what it is like to see one's child break out of autism. You may decide that the therapies implemented by the Maurice family are not for you...but that should not hinder you from at least pursuing the possibility of implementing ABA therapy. Read the book. It is a great reference, and if you wish to do the therapy, good for you. Your child will thank you one day.

48 of 55 found the following review helpful:


An extraordinary book.  Mar 17, 2000
Six months ago my 3 year-old son was correctly diagnosed as having PDD. The experts that examined him told us that there was no cure for it, and the best thing we could try would be play therapy. I read the books that they recommended on that subject, but I was not convinced by them. Fortunately, via the internet I found this book and the other one by C. Maurice, that is, "Behavioral intervention for young children with autism". Everything looked so convincing that I decided to try ABA right away. I did not hire any therapist, but started to work with my son several hours a day following the suggestions of those two books. My son made an extraordinary progress. In six months all the signs of PDD were gone, acording to new evaluations, and in some areas he is above average, like in cognitive skills. Thank you Catherine Maurice. Without your books I would probably have lost my son forever.

32 of 38 found the following review helpful:


Autism is not a "fate worse than death"  Mar 27, 1999
This is a well-written and interesting book. Catherine Maurice's devastating criticisms of the fraudulent therapies which attempt to make mothers feel guilty for their children's autism would alone make the book worth reading.

However, I have three very major concerns about the book.

The first is that Maurice presents Lovaas's version of ABA as the only possible option, ignoring the fact that there are other educational methods (such as TEACCH, Greenspan, or the various other techniques within the behavioural field such as the Koegels' modifications of ABA), which also have solid scientific evidence backing them.

Secondly, she also ignores the experts who have raised doubts about Lovaas's claim to have effected complete "recoveries" from autism, and who have pointed out that greatly improving a child's level of functioning, while vitally important, is not the same as a "cure". I've seen too many parents who read Maurice's book and immediately start to plan on the basis that after a few years of Lovaas treatment, their child will be completely normal. The overwhelming balance of evidence is that as a rule autistic children grow up to be autistic adults. We (I have high-functioning autism) may grow up to be independent, happy and successful adults, such as Dr. Temple Grandin, but we remain "different", and often experience great stress from the constant pressure placed on us by families and society to be more "normal".

Thirdly, I was worried by the way in which she constantly treats autism as a tragedy and a fate worse than death, and speaks of dragging her children kicking and screaming out of autism, forcing them to be "normal". Autism certainly doesn't make life easy (and I work with kids with severe autism combined with severe mental retardation, so I know just how difficult it can be), but nonetheless it's also part of who I am, not a "shell" in which there is a normal person hidden away. How would you feel if you found out that your parents viewed who you are as a tragedy to be cured at all costs?

ABA can be a very useful way of teaching, but I'm worried about people who use it not to teach children but to try to "force" them to be normal. There's a big difference between trying to help someone learn and function better and trying to "fix" them by turning them into someone else completely.

I'd recommend that people who read this should not make it their only book on autism - they should also read a more general account of autism giving information on the condition itself and on various methods of educating autistic children, and also a first-person account such as those written by Dr. Grandin.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:


a touching mother's story  Feb 02, 2005 By Monica J. Kern
My son has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (on the autism spectrum, but milder), and so I have read a great deal of books on autism spectrum disorders, some more of a scholarly textbook variety and others that were memoirs of raising an autistic or PDD child. This book falls into the latter category, and it is one of the more hope-inspiring such memoirs that I have read.

This book has many strengths. Perhaps the most important is its emphasis on seeking early intervention. If there is one thing that the literature on treating autism shows, it is that early intervention is absolutely critical. I would urge all parents who are harboring even vague suspicions that there might be something "wrong" with their child to initiate the evaluation process, speech therapy, and other interventions. The interventions that have been shown to be successful (the ABA behavioral modification approach highlighted in this book and Greenspan's Floor Time method) can, as this book shows, make an amazing difference in a child's social and intellectual outcomes. More to the point, they can't hurt... so even if your child turns out not to have a full-blown autism spectrum disorder, speech therapy and ABA can only help in terms of normal development.

A second important strength of this book is to point out the weaknesses in psychodynamic approaches to treatment of autism. Perhaps the most harrowing sections of the book were Maurice's description of the holding sessions conducted at the Mothering Center. I hate to think how many families have put themselves through such a self-defeating and pointless exercise, especially if it reduced the likelihood that they would try interventions that actually have scientific evidence in their support.

The part of the book that rang the truest for me was Maurice's description of the long period of doubts and the journey toward a definitive diagnosis. One of the most frustrating things about autism spectrum disorders is that they are not obvious at birth, nor does a simple diagnostic test exist. Instead, it generally takes several months or years of doubts first suppressed and then whispered to one's spouse, then voiced to a pediatrician, and ultimately to multiple specialists who are consulted. I know that in my experience, the year or so it took our family to go from "I'm beginning to worry that our son's speech and social development is a little delayed" to the official PDD-NOS diagnosis was a time of great stress, uncertainty, and fear. In retrospect, of course, it all seems so obvious--just as it did to Maurice. But we don't have the luxury of going through life with the benefit of hindsight and must muddle through as best as we can. Perhaps the greatest service this book can provide is to help other families deal with their fear and uncertainties as they face an autism spectrum diagnosis in one of their children.

Maurice's story of (apparently) full recovery in not one, but two, autistic children thus stands as a beacon of hope. But there is one sense that this can perhaps be considered one of the drawbacks of the book. Perhaps it should be accompanied by the disclaimer one sees in ads for weight-loss products: "Results not typical." The fact is that even the best clinical tests of the ABA method show only about 50% "success," defined as significant improvement of the child's social and linguistic behavior and placement in regular educational settings. Maurice's book may have the unfortunate effect of raising unrealistic expectations in parents and exacerbating their guilt when their child does not fare as well as Anne-Marie or Michel did. On balance, I do not view this as a serious weakness. Early intervention does help, and anything that inspires parents to try these techniques early on is a good thing, even if their children do not show the same degree of recovery. I would also rather parents try the interventions that have been shown to be effective than not try anything at all. Twenty or 40 hours a week of ABA may not result in a full recovery for your child, but doing nothing surely will not help.

This book is well-written and often moving. The passage describing the very first time Anne-Marie called out "Mommy" brought tears to my eyes. However, I would recommend "A slant of sun" by Beth Kephart, as an even more beautifully written and moving memoir. Maurice's book does a better job of describing the nuts and bolts of ABA and the advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic interventions for autism. But the Kephart book does a better job of capturing a parent's emotions--the raw grief and anguish that accompanies the realization that one's child has an autism spectrum diagnosis. I highly recommend both of these books. Lastly, for those parents who are contemplating reading this book because your child has just been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, or you are worried he or she might have one, I strongly recommend you read "Quirky Kids" as a scholarly reference on these disorders.

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