Book Review: Louder Than Words

I made the mistake of starting this book in public! I had to put the book down before I started crying! The first part is heart wrenching. I do highly recommend this book to everyone. Those with ASD kids and those without. Just take a box of tissue, be prepared for some bad language and realize she isn't a Christian. I would have rather she didn't include the language and I didn't agree with all her beliefs and the tarot card thing, though spooky cool in a way, was not my favorite part of the book.

Beyond that, she is a great voice for ASD. I hope that her voice is heard and it brings some attention to ASD and treatments that work! The book is short and easy to read (well, other than the language and the heart wrenching stuff!). I hope that it helps those with an ASD child to relate and to maybe find some support and answers. For those that don't, maybe it will help them be just a little bit more understanding of what those of us who do go through.

Jenny tells the story of how she came to find that her son had Autism, how she fought like crazy to get him help and their journey to healing. Her journey is different than mine, her son was much more severely autistic and we, thankfully, never had to deal with seizures, but I could relate. She is candid about the struggles and how hard it is. But, I know that this book only scratches the surface of how incredibly hard the struggle was for them. Especially with the new treatments and the detox and die-off and withdrawal symptoms. She mentions it, but not in great detail.

Some quotes I want to share:

"When your child is diagnosed with cancer, neighbors stop by your home bringing precooked meals, hugs, and support. When your child is diagnosed with autism, families who see you in the supermarket will slip away down another aisle." -David Feinberg

"Figure out the cause for all your kid's issues, and don't settle for the doctor's Band-Aid. " and
"...don't give up hope, and remember that acceptance of your child's condition does not mean giving up..."

Amen. She talks about how it's our job to find out why our kids are having problems and how we can fix the problems. That behavioral issues in ASD children are often caused by major health issues and pain! She does say that not all treatments will help all kids. She never claims to have all the answers. But that we need to advocate for our children and be willing to never give up.

I also SO related to the part about finally telling her son to be quiet for 5 minutes! I remember that. I remember needing to tell my now verbal child to be quiet and yet feeling bad because it hadn't been that long ago that she hadn't been able to talk. I also remember the ST saying it was not her job to get her to be quiet, it was her job to get her to talk. LOL

She also goes into the huge cost of autism treatment, and the lack of funds. How the rate of autism is growing so much and yet the funds are not there, compared to other diseases with lower rates. The medical community needs to wake up.
The back of the book has some great resources. She calls it her "I am sorry your child has Autism, here's what to do now." pamphlet. The one no one handed her. There are some sites that I didn't know about and have now bookmarked. Some great resources.

I was expecting more of a technical book. I guess something like Children with Starving Brains. Something to help guide me through our new journey of biomedicine. That is not what this book was. Thought it did direct me to some things that might do that and I think I may need to reread the Starving Brains book. It is a story of a mom who has walked the path of having an autistic child and who's desire is to help us find our way toward pulling our kids through the "window" and out of their autistic world.
(Review written Nov 2007)