Autism Heroes

Autism Heroes

Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge

Barbara Firestone, Ph.D.
Forewords by Teddi Cole and Gary Cole and Catherine Lord, Ph.D.
Photographs by Joe Buissink

Hardback: £19.99 / $34.95 add to cart

2007, 244mm x 279mm / 9.5in x 11in, 240pp
ISBN: 978-1-84310-837-5, BIC 2: VFJD AJCP

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Bronze Medal Winner in the 2008 IPPY awards

Bronze Medal Winner in the 2008 IPPY awards

"Few have the combination of compassion, rigorous knowledge, passion for the field, and accomplishments in helping literally thousands of children with autism spectrum disorders as does Barbara Firestone. She is also an extraordinary listener, and a great observer of people, making her perspectives and collection of family stories coupled with Joe Buissink's photography extremely rich, inspiring, and instructive."
Michael O'Hanlon
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Parent of a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

"Autism and Asperger's syndrome have many faces - with this wonderful book, we get to see 38 of them. Readers are treated to a showcase of different aspects of living with autism through short vignettes (organized into sections titled 'Dignity', 'Hope', 'Opportunity' and 'Love') and brilliant photographs by Buissink. Firestone is the president and founder of the Help Group of Los Angeles, which serves children with a variety of special needs, including autism. The book is closely tied with the group; all of the families featured come from Southern California, including actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Cole and baseball pitcher Jim Gott… An excellent entry in the literature of autism and disability; strongly recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with disability studies collections."
-Library Journal

Intimate, bold, and inspiring, Dr. Barbara Firestone's Autism Heroes provides a compelling and sensitive account of the experiences of 38 families from different walks of life confronting the challenges of autism spectrum disorders with courage, tenacity and love. With empathy and expertise gained from her three decades of leadership of The Help Group and commitment to children with special needs, Dr. Firestone engages the families in powerful and deeply affecting conversations about their lives. The family narratives are set against the backdrops of her insightful essays about the dignity, hope, opportunity and love that are so fundamentally important to all families living with autism.

The families offer their experiences openly and honestly, sharing their challenges, triumphs, and hopes. Their candor helps demystify and destigmatize autism and embraces other parents just beginning or already on the journey. Their reflections chart the course through the many stages of coping with autism and seeking solutions for their children, and they offer a lifeline of support, insight and encouragement and hope.

Fully illustrated with stunning and evocative photographs by Joe Buissink, Autism Heroes is an invaluable resource for families as well as educators, clinicians, researchers and policy makers.

All book royalties are being donated to The Help Group in support of its efforts on behalf of children with autism spectrum disorders and their families.