The Autism Revolution

Publisher's Summary

Move beyond conventional thinking about autism....

After years of treating patients and analyzing scientific data, prominent Harvard researcher and clinician Dr. Martha Herbert offers a revolutionary new view of autism and a transformative strategy for dealing with it. Autism is not a hardwired impairment programmed into a child’s genes and destined to remain fixed forever, as we’re often told. Instead, it is the result of a cascade of events, many seemingly minor: perhaps a genetic mutation, some toxic exposures, a stressful birth, a vitamin deficiency, and a series of infections. And while other doctors may dismiss your child’s physical symptoms - the diarrhea, anxiety, sensory overload, sleeplessness, immune challenges, and seizures - as coincidental or irrelevant, Dr. Herbert sees them as vital clues to what the underlying problems are and how to help.

In The Autism Revolution, she teaches you how to approach autism as a collection of problems that can be overcome - and talents that can be developed. Each success you achieve gives your child more room to become healthy and to thrive.

Drawing from the newest research, technologies, and insights, as well as inspiring case studies of both children and adults, Dr. Herbert guides you toward restoring health and resiliency in your loved one with autism. Her specific recommendations aim to provide optimal nutrition, reduce toxic exposures, shore up the immune system, reduce stress, and open the door to learning and creativity - all by understanding and truly meeting your child’s needs. As thousands of families who have cobbled together these solutions themselves already know, this program can have dramatic benefits - for your child with autism as well as for you, your whole family, and your next baby as well.

A paradigm-changing book that offers hope and healing for the millions of families who have autism in their lives, The Autism Revolution shows that there’s plenty you can do every day to give someone you love the best possible gift: a life lived to the fullest potential.

©2012 Martha Herbert, Karen Weintraub (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“Martha Herbert’s book gives us a new approach to understanding how autism affects many different body systems. It is essential reading for learning more about sensible biomedical treatments.” (Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Way I See It)

Do Your Own Homework

Would you try another book from Karen Weintraub and Martha Herbert and/or Denice Stradling?

No. Having raised a profoundly autistic child, I heard nothing new from this book except that there was more information that had been gathered through the years about treatments I had already heard of. Those parts were somewhat helpful but when the book gave positive feedback to a group that I know to be greedy, takes advantage of emotional parents and fudges the truth quite a bit, I lost all respect for the authors.
I understand how confusing autism treatments are but I have no use for people who are scammers.

Would you ever listen to anything by Karen Weintraub and Martha Herbert again?

No.

Have you listened to any of Denice Stradling’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger, sadness, disappointment but also, gives me more avenues to think about in solving the mysteries involving autism.

Any additional comments?

Considering the conflicts about treatments and the high emotions that are often involved among parents, the authors navigated that emotional territory pretty well.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

A Different Approach to Autism

I have previously read about food allergies and their effect on the human brain, but this book presents an interesting view about what bad food can do, not only to the autistic brain, but to a neurotypical brain, too.
The whole body perspective should be read at least three times, so that all its information could be absorbed. It is very enlightening and informative.
The narrator had a good, not great performance. Sometimes I felt like sleeping while listening, and you should be very alert in order to really sink into this listening.
I really recommend this book for those parents / teachers who are trying to get informed, because there are things here that can be done by these people to improved the lives of those children in need around them.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great book for parents and health care providers

Dr Herbert does a great job explaining the whole body approach to autism that includes proper therapy, diet, medical interventions, and natural treatments. She is very open minded about her approach and recognizes that different kids will need different treatment. Her arguments are backed by research and scientific evidence. She also shares many individual cases (different ages, level and severity) to help the reader see and understand how this whole body approach works. For the seasoned "biomedical mom" this book might not offer anything new.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Relevant and up to date. Great Resource

What did you love best about The Autism Revolution?

The author is well researched and puts the complex subject of Autism into a format that is easily understood. She takes a ground zero approach and builds on the body from the foundation up. She looks for small victories that can be leveraged to help the child become better for themselves. At the same time it helps the parents give their child a chance to experience small moves in a positive direction where they can explore and express themselves. Thank you!

Which scene was your favorite?

When the teacher Judy with autism goes into a classroom. She sees a child disrupting the entire class. The teacher in to room tries to "control" the child. Judy steps in and sees the world from the childs perspective. She gets the child to a place where he is comfortable enough to begin to be a part of the classroom by jumping with him. This simple yet not fighting the flow approach helped everyone in the room. We need more of that. We need to get to the level of the "autistic" and learn from them, not FORCE them to be a part of our neuro-typical world.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Parallel Universe. The joining of two different views.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great knowledge as to what autism is and isn't and what should and shouldn't be done and attempt to improve the condition

Great information on any and all biomedical and behavioral therapies accompanied by what SHOULD and SHOULD NOT be tried!
Extremely valuable book from a highly experienced Harvard Pediatric Neurologist with a highly educated mind on the matter!
A must read for anyone seeking a clear path through a myriad of muddled options out there for medical, nutritional , biomedical occupational and behavioral therapy's offer through various doctors offices, hospitals, support groups and state regulated programs offered today!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A necessary read for any parent of an autistic kid

Real objective scientific looks at whole body treatment for autism. This doesn't push for unfounded approaches but really does a good job of a synthesized approach of treatments that have worked for some. The approaches recommended are backed with logic and worth trying within a scientific framework. This along with books about early intervention should be read by every newly diagnosed autistic situation.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A whole body approach to autism

This book is full of useful information-enough that I'd recommend it to anyone with an autistic child. My only critique is that it is a bit repetitive.

Mother's perspective

This is by no means an easy guide for parents, I would recommend 'diet intervention and autism' by Marilyn Le Breton for that which is a straight forward practical guide. However I listened to this audio book 3 or 4 times and it has helped me immensely. My son was only diagnosed 1 year ago and since implementing a GFCFSF diet and gaining insight and tips from this book as well as a book called 'Health nutrition secrets' by Dr Russell Blaylock, his and my life has improved dramatically. I don't usually spend/have the time to write reviews, but I felt the need to share this information in the hope that I might sway another parent to try this out... there is absolutely no harm in trying this. Don't take my word for it, if you haven't already done so watch 'Autism Made in America' and or 'Dr Blaylock Vaccines and Autism' both available on youtube. Hope this helps...Good luck!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Boring or not?

"Boring or not?"

The answer to this question is perhaps as ambivalent as autism itself. Whilst the subject is intriguing and interesting, I don't think the book lives up to its expectations. The author has some very helpful ideas about autism, one of the main trains of thought being 'what goes into a body will come out' - with emphasis on healthy eating, vitamin supplements, avoiding foods that are hard to digest, etc.

The authors have researched their subject and are very knowledgeable, albeit perhaps a bit narrow minded. The narrator's voice is irritating to say the least, mainly by being incredibly monotonous. I did check to see whether this was actually a person's voice or whether it was being read by a 'computer voice'.

This book is dry and borders on being boring. However, it does offer a different perspective -the question is whether what the authors had to say could have been said in half the time.

This is not the kind of book that will spark a revolution (there's no spark in it!), but it is well worth reading and has some interesting ideas.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Autism facts!!!

Excellent content, easy to understand and digest, really helped me understand behaviours and the importance of a good organic rainbow diet and how poor diet effects the whole body physically and psychologically