AutismWeb Forum

I had great expectations for this book, but I was disappointed. It's a highly self-congratulatory, indulgent, lyrical book. If you're looking to find out more about what therapeutic treatments help children with PDD-NOS, you're not going to find it in this book. There's nothing here about IEP meetings or battles with a school district. It's not that kind of book. The book is more about the mother, her feelings, her patience, her intuitive parenting style, her dedication...rather than her son and his disorder at the time (he eventually recovers from PDD-NOS). This book is more about her spiritual journey and her discovery of herself.

The author chose to ignore the advice given by professionals and instead puts her son (who is quite high functioning and age appropriate in speech at age 2) in a preschool program with typical peers. She believes his large imagination and wonder at the world will be stifled being in an autistic school or in some other setting. The biggest problem she seems to face is that he likes to wear a large green hat all the time. If only the problems of other parents of children on the spectrum face are as "bad". I still am not exactly sure what she did with her son to achieve his remarkable progress. There isn't much in this book about occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral therapy, social skills classes, nutrition or special diets. She doesn't seem to believe much in any of those things that most parents on the spectrum do. All she seems to have done is to trust her instinct to put him in a small but typical preschool with typical peers and just like that he just blossoms.
I think this is an interesting book but I can see how it can be depressing for some parents. This child is most definitely not like other kids with PDD-NOS. Most children with the disorder take much longer to recover. What Kephart achieved, without much professional help, is a miracle and she's very lucky.