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AUTISM IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE
by author Claudie Gordon-Pomares, also developer of the MAPS treatment programme for autism
 
Autism Book
 
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Table of Contents

PREFACE

1

INTRODUCTION

4

Chapter One: DEFINING AUTISM

9

    Autism from the child’s side of the mirror 10
  The uncomfortable difference 12
  Autism as the family lives it 13
  Autism: legends and truth 13
  Autism as defined by the Pediatric Memento 16
  Autistic without autism 19
  Sensory catastrophe 21
  Speech and communication 23
  Language specifics 29
  Autism and play 35
  Self-inflicted wounds 37
  Socialization 38
  Symptoms and variations on a theme 38
  Difference and discomfort 39
  Babies with autism 40
  What to look for 41
  Easy symptoms to check for 42
  Another autistic child? 45
  Now what? 46

Chapter Two: ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED

47

  The why, what, and how of autism 48
  Serotonin: The ultimate component of autism 51
  How does Serotonin work? 56
  Serotonin, the ultimate regulator 56
  Serotonin and peace of mind 57
  What is stress? 58
  Autism’s first enemy: Cortisol extremes 63
  Cortisol’s principal physiological actions 63
  The stress response 64
  Knowing your child’s cortisol level is very important 66
  Stress is the worst enemy of the child with autism 67
  Laura -- Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder -- acquitted! 68
  Dopamine, pleasure and willpower 70
  Norepinephrine, a cousin of dopamine 73
  Short story - James 73
  Autism is not a life sentence 75
  Symptoms are the visible signs 75
  Genetics 77
  Photos of dysfunction: brain imagery 79
  Symptoms are only consequences 80
  Happy parents and children 85
  Words for despair or for hope 86
  What and how? 87
  The self-repairing human 88
  Simple math, plain knowledge 91

Chapter 4: THEORY OF THE BRAIN

92

  How does the brain work? 93
  The central nervous system 94
  The peripheral nervous system 94
  The cerebral cortex 94
  The limbic system 99
  The hippocampus 100
  The amygdala 101
  Other cortical structures (which you might want to know about) 102
  Teamwork at a fundamental level 103
  Neurons: the mutable cells 104
  Where and why repair happens: Characteristics of synapses and of the synaptic button 105

Chapter 5:  MEETING THE PARENTS

112

  Sheila 113
  Max 114
  Conrad 116
  George 119
  Kaleah 122
  Jerry 126
  Brody 128
  Keith 130
  Ryan 134
  Dennis 136
  Mitchell 140
  Noah 145

Chapter 6:  TREATING THE CAUSE, ERASING AUTISM

147

  MAPS 148
  Daily reality 151
  Treat through pleasure 154
  Is love part of the treatment? 157
  Love is a key player in the success of the treatment 159
  The answer to the question: HOW? 162
  MAPS: Pleasure for brain repair 162
  Stop and smell the roses 164
  Smell and taste 166
  An infinite line of pleasures 167

Chapter 7: MAPS, A REALITY IN THE HOME

170

  Parents as therapists 171
  Being a parent is difficult 177
  Committed and serious 178
  How fast will your child recover? 179
  What will prevent MAPS from working? 181
  Let me offer you the first step to recovery for your child 185
  MAPS One explained 187
  MAPS One 190
  Something so simple 192
  Where to find MAPS to start the program 193
  No more details 195

CONCLUSION

196

BIBLIOGRAPHY

199

USEFUL RESOURCES

211

  Web 211
  Books 212

NOTES

214

Practical Books
 
     
     
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