Turn Autism Around: An Action Guide for Parents of Young Children with Early Signs of Autism Paperback – March 29, 2022

This book has been so helpful for my husband and I when we found out our little guy might be autistic. Once we learned he may have ASD we felt helpless in knowing how to help and were months away from getting an official diagnosis/professional services. We understood how crucial it was to start working with our son to start closing his learning gaps ASAP, and this book offered great suggestions and insights on where to start. For any parents wanting to know what you can do while waiting for diagnosis/services, I can't recommend this book enough. Know that in order to implement many of the interventions you may need to purchase cause and effect toys and some other simple supplies, which were absolutely worth it in my opinion. My son has already made progress with this program in many areas. During the self evaluations we determined our son's skills to be at the level of around a 36 month old (he was 46 months when I did the self assessments). We just got his official diagnosis of ASD this week and the evaluators determined that his cognitive abilities/skills were that of a 35 month old. I was fascinated that the book self assessments was so similar to that of the professional evaluation, which reinforced in my mind that we were on the right track. We are still on waiting lists for professional services, but feel good knowing we can continue to implement the program outlined in this book until we can integrate it with those professional services when available.

I learned about Dr. Barbera after her YouTube videos showed up on my home page after I had searched for videos to help guide me after my toddler’s Autism diagnosis. Despite early intervention, I still felt like I was lost. I learned a lot of information from those videos and I was excited to learn there was a guided online course, which I took and found incredibly helpful. I feel this book works as a syllabus for that course and I feel that both are invaluable.If your child has speech delay or any developmental delay, it is imperative you get this book. Even if you already have a diagnosis and are getting services, this will help you better understand what is going on and how you can supplement those services at home. As mentioned in the book, this is not a one-time read. This will become a reference for you as your child ages. I just finished the book and I already know I will be reading it again as I continue to implement the strategies taught.After my child’s diagnosis, I felt so lost and discouraged about my next steps because there are so many resources that you can be overwhelmed with the information. This book is exactly what I needed as it charts out a course for you. Please make sure you check out her website as well, MaryBarbera.com.

As a mother of a son with Autism, my journey started one and a half years ago, and it was through one of the youtube videos of Dr. Mary Barbera that I began to think about this diagnosis. I did the toddler course of Mary Barbera. Currently, I do not have this subscription, but she also offers a lot of free resources on is her weekly post, which I follow. I bought his book as soon as she published and I am pleased with this purchase is a comprehensive guide for a parent to follow; it is not a book that you read one time; it is a book always to go back and review., and I mention this because you can apply to any age. I also use alternative treatment for my son, but this book is one of the resources that has been essential in my son's progress. My son did not have words when I started and now is communicating in two-three words phrases and simple sentences. This progress would not be possible without the guidance of this book.

This book is absolutely amazing. We desperately needed help and this book was just the help we needed. Our situation is complicated. Our child was adopted internationally as a teenager with no education prior to joining our family. The previous trauma, a serious and rare genetic condition, the lack of education, being non-verbal, all mixed with the many transitions was the making for a disaster. We don't fit the typical blanks on medical forms. Because we had an older child it was much more difficult to get medical help. Therapists would change and we would have a setback. Progress was being held up due to the long wait lists to get specialized help. We don't have the time to wait. This book has given us the tools to help our child now, in our own home. I am only half way through the book but already our child is doing a lot more vocalizing and we are seeing a huge improvement in behaviors. Dr. Barbera explains some sequential learning that have been "aha" moments for us. We are so thankful for Dr. Barbera sharing her wisdom with us. The book is concise yet packed full of practical and encouraging help for parents and professionals.

I feel this book is helpful but wish it spent more time on food adversions however very good book whether your child has autism or just delays