An Early Start for Your Child with Autism: Using Everyday Activities to Help Kids Connect, Communicate, and Learn

Here's the deal about this book—it's practical to the core. I mean, the authors are like these super savvy guides who just get that I'm trying to juggle life while also providing the best for my child who's on the spectrum. They've crafted this gem that's all about slipping therapy into day-to-day life without making it feel like, well, therapy. Imagine turning snack time into a chance to bolster your kiddo's communication skills, or transforming a trip to the park into a social skills bonanza—that's the kind of stuff we're talking about here. It's all about seizing those little moments that life throws at you every day, those moments that might seem mundane, and turning them into golden opportunities for learning and connecting. What's super cool is that these authors aren't just talking out of their hats. They're slinging bona fide research at you left and right. They're like those trusted pals who read all the fine print, so you don't have to. You can sense they've poured their expertise into these pages, and they're doling out advice that's backed by solid evidence. But don't worry, they're not bludgeoning you with science; they're serving it up with a side of "you got this." The book doesn't skimp on the feels either. It’s reassuring without sugarcoating the challenges. The tone? It’s like a blend of your favorite motivational coach and that teacher who never gave up on you—uplifting, empowering, and real. But let's get down to brass tacks. Will this book solve all your problems? Nah. But it's a powerhouse of ideas and strategies that are doable for parents like you and me who might not have a PhD in Child Psych but who are trying their darndest to give their child that early advantage. I can't say that every strategy will be a slam dunk for every child, because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that each kiddo on the spectrum is as unique as a fingerprint. But "An Early Start for Your Child with Autism" tosses you a treasure trove of options to trial-and-error your way through until you hit on the winning combo. In the end, this book is kind of a life raft in the sea of autism resources. It's a practical, no-nonsense guide that's steeped in science but served with a big ol' scoop of heart. So if you're looking to roll up your sleeves and dive into some DIY developmental play-slash-therapy that you can weave into the fabric of your daily chaos, you might just want to snag a copy.

Essential reading for parents of autistic children. Has transformed our home life and the relationship we have with our child. He's shown tremendous progress since we've implemented the steps from this book and joined an ESDM school.

This book should be read by every parent who has a child on the spectrum, and without skipping any chapters! My boy began behavior therapy at about 18 months old. Unbeknownst to me, it was discrete trial training, and it taught him mundane tasks by forceful play which did not improve our lives and caused my child to regress in every aspect of his life. I stopped therapy and read several different types of curriculum. This is, by far, my favorite one. It is child-led, friendly, teaches multiple skills at a time, focuses on communication, interaction and engagement. I wish I had read it before my son began his therapy, as it gives advice to parents on questions to ask the pediatrician, the behavior therapy team (inquiring into type of behavior therapy), and how to teach your child through everyday interactions. It makes for a happier child and an easier life. Within a month of reading this book, my son has gone from communication at 4 months to about 12 months--using the methods in this book made his non-verbal communication skills skyrocket in a matter of weeks. And even if your child is not able to obtain the Early Start Denver Model for behavior therapy, you are still able to incorporate these methods into your everyday lives, which is what I'm doing. Absolutely amazing curriculum.

Haven't received a proper diagnosis yet... Still I found this book to be full of suggestions that I can employ with my son to engage him. If he is on the Spectrum we'll have a head start. If he isn't .... These activities and approaches will simply help his development and give 'quality' to our playtime. Good book.

This is a very helpful book and easy to follow. We have a 27 month old boy who just got diagnosed with ASD. This book is walking us through the first few weeks while we are waiting to get professional help. I highly recommend this book for people who just learned that they have a kid with ASD. This book will help you get started with concrete steps that way you are not feeling hopeless while waiting for professional help. Thank you to the authors of this book!

I strongly recommend this book to any parents of young children with an autism spectrum disorder. It's a great, parent-friendly guide to techniques to use to increase some early nonverbal and social reciprocity skills. It uses naturalistic ABA techniques, but puts them in context of what parents can easily do in their own homes. I work in a clinic, and we make this book recommendation for parents of young children-- especially as a way to begin working on skills before other therapies have been started (or at the same time). The book is set up with an introduction section in the beginning for 3 chapters, and then quite a few chapters of "instruction." Each chapter offers lots of real life vignettes to show the practice skills in use, and goes over the ways to practice certain skills to increase interaction skills. For example, the first chapter of instruction is about increasing eye contact. Techniques to do this are explained, then shown in the vignettes, then ways to expand the skill and take it future are indicated. Each chapter also includes a checklist of things to make sure you are doing and a "refrigerator list" of main points to post somewhere so you can remember the focus. I work with a number of parents and help them through this book, and they have all had very positive things to say about the book.

This book is great! It gives you real-world practical guidance on how to better connect with any child. My 18 month old isn’t diagnosed with ASD but I was looking for ideas for games and things we could do to help him connect more and build his language skills. We’ve had more fun in the last week after I started using this book than we have in the past 17 months. Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but it’s amazing to see how much he’s blossomed. The changes were almost overnight. He’s picked up 3 new words and is so much more social at daycare that even the teachers noticed. All from simply understanding how to engage with him, build his confidence and creating opportunities for learning in our daily routine. Ever kid should come with this book as the instruction manual. It’s made me a better father.

This book was very helpful for me in a time of uncertainty as I had concerns about autism for my child and was awaiting an evaluation. I used these tips from age 7 months- 18 months. I also did 1:1 virtual appointments once a month with Melissa Burkhardt at Early Start who is certified in ESDM. By the time my daughter was evaluated for autism at 17 months, she was doing amazing and did not meet the diagnostic criteria. If you’re worried and waiting for an evaluation I highly recommend this book. The book alone is excellent. The virtual appointments with Melissa were just the icing on the cake as they really helped me do ESDM techniques effectively. This book helped me to feel like I could connect with my daughter while we waited. Also, this book has helped me with my other children! It’s just a great book on engaging play and promoting positive behaviors and communication! Highly recommend!

Awesome guide on navigating the world of autism. Provided me with invaluable references and gave me a better understanding of my child's behavior.

De gran ayuda para facilitar la capacidad de desarrollo de habilidades. Esta escrito de manera clara y con ejemplos. Es de gran ayuda para padres, terapeutas y maestros.

Wonderful book

Please, please, please give this book a read. If you have any nagging thoughts that there’s a chance your child might be on the spectrum, start implementing this now. It can only do good things for communication and language if nothing else. My son made amazing progress when I started putting this into practise, and it makes complete sense. It’s not harsh, it’s not tough love, it will simply teach you to engage with children, especially those that may be harder to reach. My youngest is 15 months younger than him and neurotypical, and it helped him progress with language and play too, as well as helping get involved with his older brother. It will take a few goes to get used to ‘narrating’ and ‘hamming’ up activities, but it will become second nature I promise.

This book was a lifesaver after my daughter was diagnosed with autism. Between diagnosis and accessing services (OT, speech) there was a substantial waiting time and this book really helped me understand what was ahead & how I could help.