Friday, September 14, 2007

General Explanation of ASDs in Spanish

We've been working on expanding our selection of Spanish-language autism titles in the bookstore, but we've been finding that there aren't all that many out there, or at least, not very many accessible to us here in the US. Therefore, we are always thrilled when we find a new one.

Our latest addition is El niño autista: Detección, evolución y tratamiento. It provides a general overview of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), with good explanations of the kinds of behaviors, language delays and/or disorders, and cognitive differences associated with autism. It also provides information on how caregivers can spot signs of autism, and where families can go for diagnosis and treatment.

This book seems particularly valuable in our Spanish selection because it does offer this nice general overview. Many of our other books focus on specific tasks, strategies, or only Asperger Syndrome, as opposed to ASDs as a whole. It offers a good place to start for newly diagnosed families, or teachers and other caregivers who would like to know more.

However, for those Spanish-speaking individuals who are ready for a lot more information, we do have another book to offer: Los Trastornos del Espectro de Autismo de la A a la Z. Presented in an easy-to-read format, the comprehensive information and strategies included in this handbook will help families, teachers, and other professional staff support individuals with ASD through the lifespan to achieve the best possible outcome. The two authors have a great deal of experience between them; Emily is the mother of a young man with ASD and an educational advocate, and Barbara has been a professional in the field of special education for more than 32 years. They decided to translate their original English version of this book into Spanish to help Spanish-speaking parents overcome the feeling of "double isolation," first due to the ASD diagnosis, and also because of the lack of information in Spanish about the disorder. The Spanish version won the 2006 Autism Society of America "Outstanding Literary Work of the Year" Award.

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