The Book: Autism Conversations

Evaluating Children on the Autism Spectrum through Authentic Conversations

Where does the book title Autism Conversations come from?

Autism conversations refers to the approach of talking with parents and children during the evaluation process. Conversations with parents differ from clinical interviews because parents are encouraged to tell stories about their child and to describe positive qualities in addition to developmental challenges.

Conversations with children differ from traditional evaluation sessions because the evaluators encourage children to explore their areas of interest and to share their way of relating to the world.

Conversations among multi-disciplinary team members consist of discussing a child’s behavioral profile using a common framework and descriptive language.

Written conversations are evaluation reports that provide accessible and descriptive language about the child that links to the child’s behavioral profile with practical educational interventions.

In the course of my work with multi-disciplinary teams evaluating thousands of children suspected of having autism spectrum disorders, I found that more nuanced, descriptive and helpful profiles of children were obtained by using the “Autism Conversations” framework.

Who should read Autism Conversations?

Professionals who evaluate children will gain valuable tools to improve their assessment skills. Parents who suspect their child may have an autism spectrum disorder will learn to recognize the range of autism spectrum disorders and know what to expect when their child is evaluated by a team of professionals. People who want to learn more about autism spectrum disorders in an accessible way will benefit by reading this book. Anyone with an interest in autism spectrum disorders will gain knowledge reading Autism Conversations.

Where can I purchase Autism Conversations?

Western Psychological Services (WPS) is the publisher and the book can be ordered directly from their website. Contact WPS for information about group purchases.

Next page: The Evaluation Conversations