Mary Barbera

Turn Autism Around

This practical guide for parents of young children with autism or developmental delays outlines simple and effective practices for developing communication, social and behavioural skills. Developmental delays and signs of autism usually show up before 18 months of age, yet children are often not diagnosed until they are four or five years old. In Turn Autism Around, Dr Mary Barbera explains why parents can’t afford to worry and wait in long lines for evaluations and treatment while not knowing how to help their children. She empowers parents, caregivers and early intervention professionals to regain hope and take back control with simple strategies to dramatically improve outcomes for their children. Dr Barbera has created a new approach to teaching kids with developmental delays that uses the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) married with a positive, child-friendly methodology that any parent can use – whether or not their child has delays. This approach teaches communication skills and socialization strategies, as well as tackling sleep, eating, potty training and behaviour challenges in a positive, effective and lasting way. Turn Autism Around is the first book of its kind that calls attention to an important fact: parents can make a tremendous impact on their child’s development through behavioural practices taught at home, in as little as 15 minutes a day. This programme shows that developmental delays can be remediated, and in some cases, delays can be caught up altogether, if parents intervene while the child is young. This book is for parents of young children aged one-to-five years who are passionate about helping their child as well as learning how they can change the trajectory of their child’s and family’s life.