Healing Our Autistic Children: A Medical Plan for Restoring Your Child's Health by Julie Buckley, Jenny McCarthy (Foreword by)

Synopsis

Every 20 minutes a child is diagnosed with a disease on the autism spectrum--including ADD, learning disabilities, Asperger’s, Autism, and PDD--making it today's most common childhood disability. While the medical establishment treats autism as a psychiatric condition and prescribes behaviorally based therapies, Dr. Julie A. Buckley argues that it is a physiological disease that must be medically treated.

Part personal story of her battle to heal her autistic daughter, part guide for parents, Healing Our Autistic Children explains simply and accessibly the new treatments and diets that have already proven effective for many families. Told through the case studies of her patients, the book is divided into four typical visits to Dr. Buckley’s pediatric practice so that parents can see the progression of initial treatment. Written in a warmly engaging voice, parents new to the diagnosis will:

• learn about clinical treatments that work
• understand how different foods affect the body and how to begin implementing diets
• learn to navigate the medical system and advocate for their child
• bridge the communication gap with their pediatrician
• discover that recovery is possible

Library Journal

As the mother of a child with autism as well as a pediatrician, Buckley is especially qualified to speak to the efficacy of medical treatments for autism. Here, she explains different options and how they work for the parents of children with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD). The book is set up in six chapters, each representing a visit to the child's doctor as a way to walk readers through beginning treatment and managing ongoing treatments. Buckley also includes anecdotes of her own patients and their health when they came to her, and she updates their progress throughout. Also included are "Action Lists," resources, and references for further information. VERDICT This reviewer wishes she'd had this clearly written book 12 years ago. Essential for parents of newly diagnosed children as a way to learn about medical treatments or as a guide to start treatment. It would also benefit pediatricians who are encountering more and more patients with ASD and have parents with questions about what can be done to help their child.—Lisa M. Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., KS

Biography

Julie A. Buckley, MD, FAAP, is one of the top autism doctors in the country. She is also the mother of a child overcoming autism. She cofounded Healing Every Autistic Life!, is a frequent keynote speaker at leading autism conferences, and trains other physicians in autism treatment. She lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

A highly regarded New York Times best-selling author, Jenny McCarthy's books include Belly Laughs, Baby Laughs, Life Laughs, Louder Than Words and Mother Warriors and her latest, Healing and Preventing Autism. She lives in Los Angeles.