‘Is My Child Autistic or Delayed?’ calls on the author’s vast experience as a school psychologist and assessment of over a thousand children with autism and developmental delays. Written to assist anyone’s understanding of the educational assessment process of autism concerns and developmental delays in children, the book is resonating with readers from coast to coast.

Las Vegas, NV -- (SBWire) -- 04/23/2013 --While one in six (source: CDC) children in the United States have one or more developmental disabilities, recognizing and adapting to them is no small task. However, a new book by a leading U.S. school psychologist is helping thousands of parents and professionals properly assess autism and developmental delay concerns in children.

‘Is My Child Autistic or Delayed?’ is written in an easy-to-understand format, to help adults quickly address any concerns for their children or the children they meet on a professional basis.

Synopsis:

Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? is a book written for parents and professionals to explore autism concerns and developmental delays in children. The book is parent friendly written in easy to understand language. Parent concerns in the areas of communication, stereotyped behaviors, social interaction, unusual behaviors and daily living are presented with a school psychologist’s perspective of the concern.

The book is also geared to help professionals as it gives an overview of autism characteristics. Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? even discusses the ‘wrong reasons’ a parent may want a diagnosis of autism for a child. The multidisciplinary team approach is discussed in the decision making process of whether a child is delayed or has autism characteristics.

Parent concerns in the book include topics such as the type and timing of a referral, cultural issues related to autism, inconsistent living patterns and medical concerns of the child. There is a look at the child’s ‘purposeful behaviors’ to understand delays or autism characteristics. Professional concerns examined in the book include the type of training of the professional, the type of autism assessments and the types of information and behaviors reported that may influence the decision making process of whether a child is autistic or delayed.

As the author explains, her book is the perfect first resource.

“I wrote the book as a vital resource for parents and professionals beginning the process of an educational assessment for possible autism concerns and developmental delays,” says Peterson, who has closely assessed over a thousand children during her career.

She continues, “There are many books written on autism, but few are equally valuable to both parents and professionals. This is a vastly interchangeable resource that is already being used around the country.”

Through her practical assessments, Peterson became aware of the growing need for a multi-faceted approach to assessment.

“I quickly realized that professionals can have different perspectives and training related to their opinions about autism. At the same time, parents struggle with questions of autism concerns and delays from information they receive from professionals with different training experiences. This book addresses the issue from both perspectives,” she adds.

With the book’s popularity increasing, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.

‘Is My Child Autistic or Delayed?’ is available now: http://amzn.to/ZZPHYU

About the Author: Susan Louise Peterson
Susan Louise Peterson has worked professionally as a school psychologist, college faculty member and public school educator. When she started her educational career she had not even heard the word ‘autism.’ Over the years, Susan worked as a teacher of early childhood students and later became a school psychologist working in an early childhood diagnostic center where autism concerns were presented on a daily basis. Susan is the author of books in the areas of child behavior, education and research. Susan has lived in Las Vegas, NV for over 20 years. She spends her free time with her twin teenage daughters and husband.