Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2011-2012

Introduction by Rita Shreffler

Afterword by Teri Arranga

The parents of children with autism know that research is a full-time job. For parents with limited time, ability, or resources to do this, Ken Siri and Tony Lyons have compiled the latest in autism research and treatment. Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism contains contributions from more than eighty experts on a variety of therapies, models, and multifaceted evaluation and treatment centers. Each contributor provides readers with an easy-to-understand description of the topic, including its scientific rationale, development, risks, and benefits. Siri and Lyons include the therapies of the future, focusing on current clinical trials, ongoing research, and the researchers who are striving to better understand autism and find new treatments.

Revised and updated to reflect the new developments in the last year, the 2011–2012 edition explains possible causes of autism, including food allergies and gastrointestinal diseases in children. An extensive variety of therapies is discussed, from dietary interventions that reduce sugars and remove gluten to animal assisted therapies that place a dog or cat in the care of the autistic individual to help enhance social and developmental skills. Filled with numerous case studies and more than seventy distinct subjects, Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism is a detailed and informative guide for anyone affected by autism.

Rita Shreffler

Rita Shreffler is a founding board member of the National Autism Association and has served as Executive Director since 2006. She has spent the past eight years working to build public awareness of the relationship between increased toxic exposures to children and the development of neurological disorders such as autism and ADHD, lobbying at state and national levels for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Rita has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Redbook, and has provided background research for Meet the Press and In These Times. Rita and her husband Arnie live with their two children, Andrew and Mary Kathryn, near Springfield, Missouri.