Knospe-ABA Bookstore

“Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism” is commonly the first book recommended to others by its readers. Specifically written to share the benefits of the most modern and advanced procedures of Applied Behavior Analysis, “ETR” offers a clear and well-developed insight into the “how” and “why” a child with autism is best served by the Verbal Behavior approach to ABA.

Do not let the name fool you. Educate Toward Recovery does not suggest that the concept of recovery is attainable for every child or even necessary for a child's happiness. However, it does discuss what recovery is (as opposed to the term "cure") and why certain procedures common in traditional ABA programs might be teaching a child discrete skills but not necessarily teaching him in the direction of recovery.

Although extremely beneficial for professionals as well, parents are the true winners when it comes to the information of this book. ETR is overflowing with real world examples of how you can better understand your child while teaching him to better understand the social world. A child's interactions are never neutral. They are learning experiences that either teach him closer to or farther away from the concept of recovery. Understanding the principles of ABA and the procedural recommendations of Verbal Behavior can quickly allow you to turn the table on autism's effects.

Through Chapters dealing with The Possible Purposes of Behavior, Increasing Positive Behavior Choices while Decreasing Problem Behavior, Teaching the “Control Child”, The Ins and Outs of the Discrete Trial Teaching Method, Teaching with Motivation, The Benefits of Errorless Learning, Natural Environment Teaching, Teaching Non-verbal Children to Speak, Increasing Functional Language, Toilet Training, ABA/VB and the Public School System, The Ethics of ABA, How to Become your Child’s True Expert, and much, much, more, ETR can teach you how to guide your child’s education with the use of commonly accepted, scientifically validated, principles and procedures.

For anyone considering ABA or wondering if they should upgrade their current ABA program to incorporate the Verbal Behavior approach, Educate Toward Recovery is an invaluable source of information and insight.

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1. Families for Effective Autism Treatement - Ontario (www.feator.org)

2. Jan Palmer, Secondary Resource Teacher, Canada (www.Janpalmer.ca)

"I have received your book from Lulu and have finished reading it cover to cover. During the last three years I have taken every course offered here on ABA/VB and your book would have speeded up the learning process infinitely. The handouts that we received with the workshops presented by Carbone and others were (and are) very beneficial but most individuals that I have spoken with that only attended the introductory workshop found that they did not understand ABA well enough to be able to apply VB concepts. Your book provides those basics at a level that is simple enough for someone with very little knowledge and yet provided enough detail and examples that I found it very engaging. As a secondary school teacher I have very quickly learned that to have instructional control, my students need to want to be with me to learn and that using escape extinction with a 16 year old young man is very difficult... We have been using your "Seven Steps to Instructional Control" for the last two years and it has made a big difference in the abilities of support staff to teach and students to learn. Thank you! I am going to post the information about your book on our school district resource page and hope that other teachers will purchase it as well."

3. Michele L. Anderson, M.A.,BCBA - Director: Anderson Behavior Consulting Inc. (http://www.andersonbehaviorconsulting.com)

"In writing "ETR", Robert has developed an important book for the future of Verbal Behavior and ABA. This book provides an educational window into VB that allows any reader to have a deep understanding how it should be used in programming for children with autism. I personally have used Robert's book in my own Behavior Consultation Practice and suggest it as reading to all my clients, and employees. "ETR" is a wonderful contribution to the VB/ABA literature and a step forward for promotion of VB Programs world wide. Thank you Robert for this incredible book!"

4. VB Teaching Tools (www.vbteachingtools.com)

5. Cherish Twigg, MS, BCBA and Holly Kibbe, MS, BCBA - CEO and COO of Establishing Operations Inc. - (www.establishingoperationsinc.com)

"Robert Schramm has written a book that is a must read for parents, therapists, and teachers of children with autism. This book is clear, heartfelt, informative, and provides behavioral terminology in a way that is applicable and easy to understand. He has beautifully explained Applied Behavior Analysis as an effective, scientifically validated treatment for autism. Robert’s book offers realistic hope in a world where it is needed most. We personally recommend this book to every parent or educator of a child in need."

6. Roxanna Neely and Autism Spectrum Kids (www.askaboutautism.org)

7. Mariah Spanglet and Foro de Autismo (http://foros.emagister.com/tema-comportamiento_verbal-13825-350496.htm)

8. Dr. Suzanne Jacobsen (www.abacentre.ca)

"I run a clinic in Vancouver Canada with 120 families, 3 group aba preschool programs and now, a new independent school for children with autism. I love your book and recommend it to all the professionals who work with me and all people who take the vb workshops that I present... I always follow your posts and will continue saying that your book (ETR) is the best VB resource there is for professionals. Thanks for all your great work."

9. Jennifer Donnelly, BA, BCABA - Associate of Establishing Operations Inc. and the Shining Through Centre for Children with Autism

10. Shiri Bartman, M.A., BCBA - Clinical Director - Shining Through Centre for Children with Autism (http://shiningthrough.ca)

“Educate Toward Recovery” is a terrific book for both parents and professionals. It is clearly written and describes concepts and teaching strategies in an easy to understand style. Learning about Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior can be overwhelming at first for many – this book allows all of us working in this field to benefit from a cohesive and much needed resource. A wonderful tool!

11. Mary Gusman, Special Needs Educational Consultant - Teaching Children with Autism.com (Http://www.TeachingChildrenWithAutism.com)"Helping You Put The Pieces Together"

12. Parentbooks - Toronto (http://www.parentbooks.ca)

13. Early Intervention W.A. (Western Australia) - www.earlyinterventionwa.com

"An excellent description of the techniques behind a quality ABA program, with particular focus on the Verbal Behaviour (VB) approach."

14. Amy Wiech, M.Ed, BCBA - Autism Behavior Consulting Group, Inc. ~Educational and Behavior Consulting Services~ www.AutismBehaviorConsulting.com

"I purchased 10+ copies of your book (which we provide to each new parent who we provide service to here — and use it as a training resource for our new therapists/trainers and consultants). I have to say that I love your book. The way you make the language so easy to understand, especially for the parent of a newly diagnosed child. I love the title too. Aloha and Mahalo."

15. Juliet Burk (producer of the DVD "The Early Learner At Home") www.autismteachingtools.com

"This book was written by one of the most sensitive and compassionate behavior analysts I have ever known. He used his years of experience and wisdom to explain ABA and particularly verbal behavior to parents in clear words and easy to follow examples. Robert has included a chapter on "Control Children"--those children deemed resistant to typical ABA methods. That chapter helps make this book solid gold and a great value for parents. A great buy if you want to really understand ABA rather than just blindly use procedures that have worked for other kids."

16. Meredith Sterns Parker, MS, SLP and special needs parent (sternsmk@hotmail.com)

"I received this book several days ago and I can't endorse it enough. Your book is full of wisdom and terrific rationale. I posted a VERY long post on the message board tonight because I was so inspired... I just had so much to say and share that I had to get up in the middle of the night and write it. "Educate Toward Recovery" is the best I have read and the best on my shelf for PARENTS to read (professionals, too, but especially parents). It is an easy-to-understand text, and the chapter on RDI and ABA explains a rationale for how the two approaches can co-exist. This book summarizes, in an easy read, much of what has taken me a whole year to synthesize from other sources and LOTS of research, workshops, and learning on my own. It is also VERY supportive of parents being their child's teacher. I can't thank you enough for your book.

17. Steve Ward, MA, BCBA of Whole Child Consulting, LLC

"Robert clearly understands motivation and appreciates the importance of learners doing the right thing for the right reason. His book is easily understood by people without behavioral backgrounds, yet offers insights to experienced behavior analysts."

18. Melinda Poist - President, Dayton Area Families for Effective Autism Treatement(DAFEAT). www.dafeat.com

"I heard about your book on the VB list — someone recommended it to another parent who wanted to maximize their ABA dollars and spend wisely. I am very grateful for the tip. It is one of the best manuals I've seen to date. I absolutely love it. I sent out a post to our listserv in Dayton, OH. urging everyone to get their hands on a copy. You are a wonderful writer and I relate to your journey as a parent AND a special ed teacher."

19. Reg Reynolds, Ph.D., C.Psych

"This is the best book on the Verbal Behavior approach to ABA that I have seen. If I was going to recommend only one book to either the parents of a child with autism or to anyone who is trying to help a child with autism, this is the book that I would recommend. It has a lot of important information that I wouldn't expect to find anywhere else. I would give it five stars out of five."

20. Mary Childerston, MA (Montessori teacher and autism instructor)

"Robert Schramm’s book, Educate Toward Recovery, revolutionized my work with children both young and old. I gratefully and highly recommend this book to all Montessori teachers whose hearts ache for every student they have had to send away from their classrooms, due to behavior problems and academic, communicative and social challenges these teachers did not understand. Thanks to the practices and procedures so aptly described in Educate Toward Recovery, Montessori educators can now both reach and teach students challenged by autism... Mr. Schramm has accomplished a remarkable feat in writing and publishing this manual. Like so many professionals committed to children with autism and their families, this author and professional truly walks on the side of angels.”

21. Lindajeanne Schwartz, MS, SLP, TSHH, BCBA - Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (LindajeanneSchwartz@hotmail.com)

"I have just ordered my second copy of this wonderful book! My first was used so often that the pages have begun to come undone, so for my personal library I have treated myself to a second copy! I use this as a tremendous resource for family and staff trainings. You are so easy to understand that I can gear the training to any audience with this book as the backdrop. Thank you for putting what I do everyday for the past 6 years (since learning about skinner's analysis of verbal behavior) into everyday plain english for all to finally better understand!

22. Diana Luckevich - Author of the very popular VB management resource, "Learning Targets to Teach a Child To Communicate" (http://www.talkingwords.com/languagehome.html)

"Robert's book helps you understand how every interaction you have with your child is an important teaching experience. Children can and should learn day and night in all environments. One of the best messages that this book sends is that everyone in a child's life can be a teacher and can make a difference. Parents should read this book to become empowered to help their children and not wait for someone else to rescue them."

23. Sharon Watts, M.S. Speech-Language Pathologist

"I just wanted to let you know that your book is making its rounds through all the parents of the students in our classroom. The first mom was very thankful for us loaning it to her and she is going to buy a copy for herself. I think the narrative and clear-cut way that you relayed the information in your book helps them understand how to get control back in their lives. Thanks again for writing such a tremendously helpful resource."

24. Dianne Verstappen (clinical Director) ~ Aspire Early Intervention - www.aspireearlyintervention.com

“Robert’s book “Educate Toward Recovery” is a manual that I recommend to all parents, beginning and experienced, as it is a comprehensive book that describes Verbal Behaviour in clear terminology. It shows clearly that ABA is effective and that it should be fun for the child! Unfortunately there is no magic cure for Autism Spectrum Disorder but dedication, persistence and using the principles in Robert’s book will go a long way! There is no book around that is as clear, complete and comprehensive in describing ABA than Educate Toward Recovery.”

25. Dr. Paul Strand, Professor - Washington State University

"You have written a wonderful book. The title of my class is Self Control. Chapter 7 of your Book "ETR" is required reading in the class for two reasons. First, it discussed the higher-order construct, social control, within the context of the basic ABA constructs. Second and relatedly, you were so clear with respect to discussing a controversy—namely that involving the acceptance of social control as a legitimate construct for behavior analysis. Your acknowledgement, discussion, and justification of why social control is controversial are excellent. I am hoping to one day teach a class on ABA or autism so that I can adopt your book for the class. Thanks for a great book."

26. Joy Deffinbaugh - Timberdoodle Books (http://www.timberdoodle.com)

"I have recently finished reading your book, and really enjoyed it. We are very eager to make it available through Timberdoodle. I have read extensively in the autism field, and have yet to find any book that I feel is as systematic, readable and practical for the families. Timberdoodle is about to launch an online autism resource center, having been in the educational market for over 20 years. We have spent a great deal of this last year working with a child with autism, and are anxious to offer resources to families who are in similar situations. Your book meets our need for a family friendly, practical, ABA-based book."

27. Marc Goblot - Verbal Behavior Community UK (www.vbcommunity.org.uk)

"I found it (ETR) a great reference that consolidates all the core concepts of the VB approach and is written in a very intuitive and accessible manner."

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Note from the Author:

Thank you all for your kind words and support. Together we can continue to improve the way that children with autism see the world while improving the way the world sees our children with autism. –Robert-

The Connecticut-Families for Ethical Autism Treatment Summer Newsletter '08 is out and features a review of ETR. The following is a reprint of that article with permission from www.ctfeat.org.

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EDUCATE TOWARD RECOVERY:
TURNING THE TABLES ON AUTISM
by Robert Schramm, MA, BCBA

(Reviewed by Denise Buckenheimer)

Every once in awhile a book comes along that is so relevant to effective autism treatment, and so specific in the niche it fills within the scope of autism resources available to parents and teachers, that it makes the CT FEAT "Must Have" list. Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism, by Robert Schramm, is one. In that respect it reminds me of other books that changed the course of autism therapy, such as O. Ivar Lovaas’ The Me Book and Catherine Maurice’s Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) in autism treatment has changed quite a bit since those books were published. Early ABA protocols developed by Lovaas and others provided the framework of education and treatment programs for countless children. More recently, intervention strategies developed by James Partington and Mark Sundberg (Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities, 1998) and based on the specific principles of verbal behavior, have been acknowledged as highly effective in teaching language to children with autism and related disabilities.

Educate Toward Recovery reflects the evolution of effective, research-based autism intervention. It is a clearly written training manual aimed at helping parents and teachers understand and use ABA/VB in their child’s home and school environments. The book is also recommended reading for related service providers, care takers, family members and others who wish to understand the "why" and "how" of productively interacting with a child with autism, and for anyone out there who still thinks that ABA is all about discrete trial training.

Mr. Schramm suggests that our overarching goal is to keep our children moving toward improved social interactions — toward recovery from impaired social relatedness — and gives us excellent advice on how to effectively do that. The author, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a certified special education teacher, believes that "certain procedures common in traditional ABA programs might be teaching a child discrete skills but not necessarily teaching him in the direction of recovery."

"Recovery is the term for a child who was once labeled as autistic by the medical community and is now no longer deemed autistic because of a lack of those same diagnosable behaviors. This does not mean that this child is somehow a better or more complete person than he was before the label was removed. It also does not mean that the cause of the autism has been mysteriously eradicated. It merely means that as a team of caring supporters, we have found a way to educate this child to the point that the doctors have stopped calling him names."

This book outlines in simple terms why the principles of ABA and Verbal Behavior offer the best ways to address systematically the four deficit learning categories common to children with autism: behavior, general learning skills, communication, and social interaction. With regard to social interaction, the author also recognizes the benefits that Relationship Development Intervention® techniques and goals can play in a child’s ABA/VB program. He makes a clear case for why relationship intervention should be a part of a comprehensive ABA/VB program rather than a solo intervention, and he discusses how to draw from each of the tools with which to address your child’s individual learning needs. "If you are to teach toward recovery, you must teach to all of these deficits in any proportion they present themselves in the case of your specific child."

The all important chapters on understanding the purpose of behavior and increasing positive behavior choices while decreasing problematic behaviors are wonderful tools for sustaining a proactive approach. The focus is on teaching the child to make good choices, rather than only behaving positively when the reinforcer is good enough and readily available. Reinforcement is mostly to be seen as a free flow of positive items and experiences moving in both directions between you and your child. My favorite chapter was on "Teaching the Control Child ." Functional Behavior Analysis always deems behavior originates from one of three different areas: attention, escape, or self stimulation. The "control" child is the one whose behavior seems to have no reason except to make you miserable. These are the kids who may have elaborate routines (for sleeping, eating,or whatever) that cannot be interfered with. Does your child say words many times until you give in and repeat them back to him? Does your child need to keep things in a specific order or put things into a line and get upset when you interfere? There are many descriptions here on the subtle and not so subtle ways "control" children work. Many times, parents give in with these kids just to maintain the status quo. Or excuses are made, such as "lining things up makes him feel safe," or "he’ll only eat one food because of sensory issues." The chapter ends with the seven rules for interacting with a "control" child. There are also some very specific chapters on teaching, such as toilet training, errorless learning, and teaching functional speech through verbal behavior. Other chapters include discussions of ABA and VB within public schools, the ethics of ABA, and "How to Become Your Child’s True Expert."

In Educate Toward Recovery, the difficult and tedious language and acronyms of the ABA and VB world are dispensed with. The latest research and most effective teaching methods possible are here for all to see, for the price of a very worthwhile book.

Robert Schramm's Recent Workshops and Presentation included stops in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Argentina, and the US. His 2009 Workshops include the following dates:

May 2009: Two Day Advanced ABA/VB Workshop Hannover, Germany
May 2009: Two Day Introductory ABA/VB Workshop Hannover, Germany
July 2009: Two Day Introductory ABA/VB Workshop Chicago, Illinois, USA
Aug. 2009: Two Day Introductory ABA/VB Workshop Quad Cities, IA, USA
Sept. 2009: Two Day Introductory ABA/VB Workshop Kaiserslautern, Germany
Nov/Dec 2009: ABA/Autism Intensive Oldenburg University Oldenburg, Germany.

To Schedule a Workshop or Presentation near you, contact Robert at knospeaba_robert@yahoo.com

Hello everyone,

We just had Robert Schramm present his 2 day intro ABA/VB workshop in the Chicago area and it was very well received - we had lots of positive feedback - many people are already asking about having a workshop #2! I would strongly encourage any parents and professionals () to attend this workshop...

Some of the parents we sent are so excited to be getting some control back in their lives - one parent commented that her son was able to eat at the dinner table for the first time and even tried two new foods!

Also many professionals that are just starting out with using ABA/VB have commented about how excited they are to be using this methodology and they can't wait to make changes in their classrooms and learn more! We also sent our support staff (psychologists, social workers, etc) and they were so glad they attended.

If you are a professional who needs parents to be more on board, or if you are a parent who needs a teacher/SLP to be more on board with using ABA/VB principles, this workshop is an excellent opportunity to achieve this!

Just wanted to share how excited we are in Chicago. If you can't make it to a workshop or there isn't a workshop in your area, check out his book - you can find a link from his website at http://knospe-aba.com. This is one of the first books we recommend to parents in our program.

Thanks,

Sharon Watts, MS, CCC-SLP

Hello Everyone,

I am a long-time teacher of students with autism, and currently facilitate services for students with ASD in Ascension Parish School System, Gonzles, Louisiana (near Baton Rouge).

This summer, Robert Schramm, author of Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism, presented his 2-day ABA/VB Introductory Workshop #1 to over a hundred staff members and parents from around our district.

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many people thanked me repeatedly for arranging for him to come, and almost every evaluation gave him excellent ratings in every category.

Now that we are back at school, I have had the chance to see what kind of impact the workshop has had on programming.

As you know, one introductory workshop is not sufficient training for teachers to create and maintain quality VB programs, but, I will tell you what I am seeing: a renewed energy, higher expectations for students and a better understand of the teacher’s role in creating success.

Some specific reasons I like Robert’s workshop:
He is very personable, and, as a former teacher, relates to school staff easily.
He explains ABA/VB in simple language using metaphors and “audience participation” demonstrations to bring home his point.
He doesn’t just explain, he shows the value and strength of ABA/VB through a wealth of video examples.
He offers his own original “tools”, such as “the 7 Steps to Instructional Control” and “the Teaching Arc” that are designed for teachers, not scientists…
Participants are provided “workbooks” as opposed to traditional handouts.
His book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to review principles or learn more…

Some comments I have heard recently from teachers and special education personnel:

“Before Robert’s workshop, I would have never believed it was even possible to gain instructional control in seconds, but by recognizing and taking control of one child’s favorite reinforcer, that’s what I did. “
-Teacher Coach and Curriculum/Behavior Specialist

“I think Robert made teachers aware that students with autism can acquire functional speech through the right teaching methods. You don’t have to automatically start thinking about AT devices…. “
-Speech and Language Pathology District Coordinator

and one of my personal favorites….

“Andrea, I realized this weekend that everything you’ve been saying is in Robert’s book….”
-Elementary School Resource Teacher

This list has been a great help to me over the years. I hope this information is helpful to others who may be in need of a presenter for school personnel.

Thank you again, Robert. Everyone wants to know when you’re coming back!!!"

Andrea Fleming
Facilitator of Autism Programs
Ascension Parish Schools
(225) 391-7282
fleminga@apsb. org

To whom it may concern:

I am Ray Pierce the current president of ABA Parents Association Switzerland. ABA Parents has now held three ABA/VB workshops (2 x Workshop I and 1 x Workshop II) in Zurich, Switzerland led by Robert Schramm all of which have been very successful and well received. He runs very professional workshops and he is given highest marks on our evaluations after each one by the participants. His knowledge of ABA/VB is extensive and his presentations always hold interest over the two full days. He is easy to work with and he keeps the organizational aspects clear and sîmple. We would recommend Robert Schramm to anyone interested in sponsoring an ABA/VB workshop in their area.

Sincerely,

Ray Pierce
Busenhardstrasse 16
8704 Herrliberg
Switzerland
041 44 915 37 58

Roussel, B. (2006) A Review of Schramm's (2006) Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism A Teaching Manual for the Verbal Behavior Approach to ABA (Schramm 2006). Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention Volume 3, (2), 265

A Review of Schramm's (2006) Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism -

Based on extensive experience teaching children with Autism how to learn, Robert Schramm, an acknowledged international expert in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), has written a comprehensive and indispensable book about Verbal Behavior (VB) in a clear, non-threatening way.

In his new book, Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism, Schramm offers many informative and practical examples to demonstrate key behavior principles that are essential to understanding how children with Autism learn. Schramm presents proven methods that “capture” a learner’s motivation to succeed. Although this book focuses on teaching children with Autism how to learn, most strategies are helpful for most children. A great read for parents, teachers, social workers and medical professionals.

Schramm takes a fascinating look at why children do what they do and offers a reliable method to teach new skills and decrease negative behaviors. Schramm highlights B.F. Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior in a way that it is easy to understand and shares the inside track to becoming a better teacher. Schramm puts forward a common sense approach to understanding Autism and ABA/VB in his descriptions of crucial concepts including reinforcement and prompting strategies. In fact, there is a multitude of effective teaching strategies for parents and teachers to use in their homes and classrooms.

Schramm is consistent with the current best practices framework when he recommends teaching to fluency, developing functional language skills, teaching all the meanings of a word, and teaching in the natural environment. He also provides some hassle-free strategies on toilet training, including how to determine when your child is ready to begin. Schramm informs readers about the core components of any good ABA/VB program which makes this book a must read for anyone who has a child with Autism, or who will be educating a child with Autism towards recovery. Further, this book aims to help parents be effective advocates for their child(ren) and addresses the importance of early intervention.

A first class piece of work and a necessary read for anyone who is involved with a child with Autism, personally or professionally. It is the first parent and educator friendly book specifically written for parents on the VB approach. This book has been well worth waiting for. Outstanding! A valuable, one-of-a-kind resource.

References
Schramm, R. (2006), Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism pro-ABA Http//www.lulu.com/knospe-aba

Brenda Roussel, M.Ed
137 First Avenue
Welland, Ontario
L3c 1y2
(905)658-7096

This review comes from Barbara Bucknam, MD. Barbara is both a family physician and a parent of a child who was diagnosed with autism 8 years ago. Barbara's intervention of choice has been ABA but has not yet incorporated VB into her program. In addition, to working with her own child, Barbara has written several reviews and book discriptions in the field. Here is her review preprinted with permission of the Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention:

Bucknam, B. (2006) A Parent's View: A Review of Robert Schramm's Book, Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism (Schramm 2006). Journal of Early and Instensive Behavior Intervention Volume 3, (2), 264

A Parent's View: A Review of Robert Schramm's Book, Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism -

Robert Schramm’s book, Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism, should become the first book recommended to and read by all parents of newly diagnosed children with autism. This book is about the science of Verbal Behavior (VB) and how it compares to Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), both in similarity and in its well-presented differences. It is written primarily for parents and therapists who lack any formal behavioral training; however, autism teachers and Board Certified Behavioral Analysts will also be well served by reading it. I have personally reviewed and read numerous books on autism, and as a parent-physician of a child with autism, I truly wish this seminal book had been available when I began the long journey toward recovering my son. This is a 275-page, soft back manual that easily communicates scientific behavioral terms into plain everyday language. It will be especially welcomed by parents at a time when they are surely feeling overwhelmed by all of the therapies touted to them for use with their children.

Three features of this book make it particularly valuable: 1) excellent lists of resources 2) key text in the margins, and 3) concise summaries at the end of each of the 21 chapters. The availability of this book in German is a wonderful plus, as are the fascinating real world examples given from eleven different children that Mr. Schramm has educated.

Robert Schramm is not afraid to address various controversies that exist in educating children with autism, and he devotes an entire chapter to the ethics of behavioral treatment. New material is presented in detail with several pioneering VB interventions that Mr. Schramm has successfully developed and implemented. I highly recommend this book and believe it to be one of the best written for parents who want to know how to effectively educate their child with autism.

Barbara R. Bucknam, MD
201 B Pence Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209

Balazs, T. (2006). Book Review-Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism (Schramm, 2006). Journal of Speech and Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis Volume 1,(2), 244

Book Review: Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism (Schramm, 2006)
Tony Balazs

Robert Schramm’s (2006) Educate Toward Recovery: Turning the Tables on Autism is a very well written, clear and concise treatment of up-to-date ABA approaches for teaching children with autism. The book describes the most important components of verbal behavior instruction, both theoretically and practically, and it does so in a comprehensible style. I was also particularly pleased with the compassion and humanity that the author of this book displays.

Some of the strengths of this book include its emphasis on teaching (versus treating) children with autism, warnings against captive learning and over-repetitive teaching, the inclusion of a detailed manding schema, a sensible approach to data collection, and the concept of using mini-consequences as a reflexive motivation to reduce non-compliant behavior.

The introduction to the book offers a refreshingly different way of describing autism. However, I personally wonder if the discussion of recovery as the ultimate goal of teaching is not overly optimistic for the majority of children who will benefit from ABA with an emphasis on verbal behavior instruction.

The book is filled with well-written chapters that address the important aspects of developing a quality ABA program. The best of these chapters discuss understanding behavior, earning instructional control, discrete trial teaching, using motivation to teach, Skinner’s behavioral classification of language, errorless learning, toilet training, VB teaching procedures and the ethics of ABA.

Three concerns surfaced for me as an ABA professional reading this book. However, each one is a non-issue when one considers the audience for whom this book is intended. For example, BCBA professionals may find the content of this book too simplified and non-technical. I particularly had some difficulty accepting the simplified definitions as listed "in plain English." However, this book is intended for beginning consumers of behavior analysis (e.g., families of individuals with autism, beginning therapists) and not for BCBA professionals. From that perspective, the information is pitched at a very appropriate level, and references are provided for those who wish to learn about ABA in greater depth. A second point to note is that the author invites application of learning goals from several sources, including commercial approaches such as RDI. However, he encourages parents to be appropriately critical of any unsubstantiated claims and to teach to these goals within the context of a good ABA/VB program. Finally, I felt that the inclusion of an additional chapter about teaching to the “control child” was not necessary to the discussion of earning instructional control. However, I can see that this is a useful way of explaining these important concepts to individuals who are new to ABA.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book very much and think that it will be an extremely useful addition to the canon. In a complex field such as this, there are always differences of emphasis and approach. In Schramm’s book I found these differences to be minor relative to mainstream ABA, and I would definitely recommend this book to others, particularly to parents and beginning therapists.

Tony Balazs, MSc, BCBA
Consulting Behaviour Analyst
1 Rothwell Street
London NW1 8YH
England
Phone: 44 (0) 207 916 7746
E-mail: tony@balazs.co.uk