Ten years since its initial publication (1998), Targeting Autism is in its third edition, a testament to the book’s importance and author Shirley Cohen’s excellent writing. I about cried with relief when I saw this book on the store’s shelf back in 1998. I needed something to help my extended family understand autism and what we were dealing with. I also needed something for myself that would give me a better picture of what to expect for my son’s future. Targeting Autism addressed both of those needs and more.

My first-edition copy is dog-eared and filled with underlined passages. It certainly made the rounds among my family and friends during the early years of my son’s diagnosis! I took a look online to see what changes had been made to the later edition, and it appears that Cohen provides specifics about new developments in the world of autism (including an appendix listing diagnostic criteria for Asperger’s, which was not widely known when the book was first published). Aside from those additions, the book still follows its original outline, starting off with a general description of autism and how the manifestations of it are so varied. It mentions hyperlexia (which my son exhibited) and other unusual abilities, and also compares autism to disorders such as Landau-Kleffner syndrome, Fragile X, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The next chapter features insightful quotes from autistic individuals who describe what it is like to be autistic and how they felt growing up, fearful and unable to communicate, and later learning about emotions and social expectations. Following that is a chapter about how development progresses at various stages of life: infants and toddlers, preschool, middle childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. It discusses behavior patterns, sensory issues, echolalia, and language development, among other subjects. Here, Cohen inserts many quotes from parents about their autistic children at various ages and levels of severity, which is quite helpful. The next chapter specifically addresses family issues: the stress on parents and siblings and the importance of a support network. 

Part Two discusses treatment. The first chapter highlights the Lovaas treatment: intensive, 40-to-60-hours-a-week behavioral therapy once thought to be the road to recovery. However, as Cohen ends the chapter, “A distinguished psychiatrist . . . replies that in his contact with over eight hundred individuals with autism he has never seen a person who has recovered. What he has seen is symptom remission with near-normal functioning.” The next chapter mentions other types of less extreme behavioral and nonbehavioral treatments, such as mirroring and reciprocal play. It gets a bit technical while discussing the various intervention therapies and educational programs, including TEACHH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children) and how it compares to the Lovaas method, but it is essential for parents wanting to know what is out there, so that they can continue to do their own research. The following chapter addresses the issue of treatment availability and funding, and the general topic of advocacy, and the last chapter of this section discusses various alternative therapies, such as supplements like B6 and magnesium and GF/CF diets, auditory integration training (AIT), sensory integration, and facilitated communication.

Part three begins with an interesting commentary on recovery and the different ways it can be interpreted and defined, including a discussion about the Son-Rise program. The final chapter of the book, Moving Toward Better Answers, discusses the future of autism research, treatment (including medication), and public resources. Overall, Targeting Autism is an impressive proponent of advocacy. Cohen ends by stressing educational planning on an individual basis, especially to meet the needs of adolescents and adults so that they may lead productive and satisfying lives.

I highly recommend this book. Even ten years after I first read it, I still pick up something new and valuable each time I reread it.