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Autism Centre

Recommended Reading

Children who do not look you in the eye
Antonio Parisi

Whoever has to deal with autism, whether that person be a parent or a professional, has to be able to answer two questions: what caused the syndrome and how to deal with it.
Carl Delacato answered both these questions in a neurological perspective: what causes the autistic syndrome is a disorder of the central nervous system, due to a mild diffuse brain injury; he also suggested a sensorial-perspective neuro-rehabilitation to overcome the disorder.
Dr Delacato’s hypothesis is greatly different from the psychoanalytical therapies which treated the person affected by Autism as some one with mental disorders and thereby resulted in unjustly blaming parents and not being able to stop the natural course of the condition.
Since the 70,s, years during which Carl Delacato first announced his theory, the most sophisticated researches in the neuro-diagnostical field have conclusively and irrefutably confirmed his theory and scientifically demonstrated the validity of his neurological based rehabilitation method.
By offering professionals and parents a clear understanding, the author of this book Antonio Parisi, brings to light the connections between neuroscientists world wide, and Dr Delacato’s therapy.

A chapter by Anna Lisa Buonomo offers a biological based interpretation of autistic behaviour, the causes of which had seemed to be sought in vain.

 

THE ULTIMATE STRANGER THE AUTISTIC CHILD
Carl H Delacato Ed D

The exact count on the number of autistic children and children with autistic like tendencies is difficult to estimate – but the number is large! These children and adults baffle those around them with their withdrawal symptoms, their reactions to sounds, their movement patterns and their apparent inability to understand or respond to external stimulation. “Bizarre” has often been used to describe their behaviour. Generally speaking these children are characterized by severe withdrawal from their environment, lack of verbal communication, purposeless activity, and an obsession for maintaining sameness.

Following several years of observation of autistic children, Dr Delacato discarded theories that autism was the result of parental coldness. What he offers here is convincing evidence that autism is a neurological malfunction rather than a psychological or psychotic one. He believes that somewhere along the line, one or more of the five channels into the brain – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and /or touch – have short-circuited. He classifies the autisms as hyper – a hair trigger system that allows too much of the sensory messages into the brain, hypo – a sluggish sensation that allows too little of the message to the brain and white noise – a sensory system operating so inefficiently that it creates interference or noise in the system.

A good portion of the book is devoted to teaching parents (and teachers) to read the sensoryisms – in order to tell if the child falls into the category of hyper, hypo or white noise. Once this has been established, Dr Delacato then proceeds to describe a treatment plan that will (1) eliminate the sensoryisms and (2) change the child’s development enough so he can be integrated into society in so far as possible – both behaviourally and emotionally. Best of all, the book is written in layman’s language that parents and professionals can readily understand and use.

Dr Delacato has been long a recognized authority in the care, treatment and remediation of those who learn differently.

 

A NEW START FOR THE CHILD WITH READING PROBLEMS
Carl H Delacato Ed D

For decades, it has been well established that one child in five has serious reading difficulties. Many systems of special teaching have been tried. This book details a new revolutionary concept together with a new curative therapy.

To put the theory in its simplest terms, systems of reading and language difficulty show up when there is a conflict between one side of the brain and the other to gain language dominance. In the human brain the language area is usually located in either the left or right side of the brain. Likewise, man is usually either left-handed or right-handed. Normally dominance in the brain begins as soon as the baby learns to speak, and theoretically a skipping of any stage of development between creeping and walking and seeing and writing creates problems in reading.

Accordingly for the poor reader, the method in this book suggests re-imprinting the early stages of brain dominance by repeating in the brain the early steps in creeping and crawling and other physical exercises that develop the receptivity of the language area of the brain. Because such exercising could be done at home with the parents, this book contains questionnaires concerning reading ability and a manual to guide parents in helping their children

Theory of Mind and the Triad of Perspectives on Autism and Asperger Syndrome - A View from the Bridge
Olga Bogdashina

Inspired by the often uncomfortable interplay between autistic individuals, parents and professionals in understanding autistic spectrum conditions, Olga Bogdashina uses the concept of Theory of Mind (ToM) to consider these groups' different (and often conflicting) perspectives.

ToM is the ability to imagine and make judgements about what others feel and think; its absence in autistic individuals is called 'mindblindness'. This book addresses the 'mindblindness' of people united in their interest in autism but divided by their different angles and perspectives. Divided into four parts, the book first defines autism, then the views of the three main groups working with it - autistic individuals, parents and professionals - under the headings of classifications, diagnosis, causes, development, theories and treatment. By comparing and reconciling the different perspectives in this way, the book helps each group to understand and predict each other's responses and behaviours.

This enlightening and innovative book offers a unique way of 'stepping in each other's shoes' and is a valuable resource for all people living or working with autism.

Robin Burn
The Autism Centre
March 2005

© theautismcentre.co.uk 2005

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