As a mother of child with autism, I had been anxiously waiting to get my hand on a copy of Jenny McCarthy’s new book, Louder Than Words. I have read many books on autism and biomedical treatments, but there was such a buzz and hype about this book that I really wanted to read it.
This book may be a bit different then what you are expecting. From her appearances on tv shows like Oprah and such, I thought this was going to be basically a book about the biomedical treatment side of autism. Examples of this would be the gluten free/casein free diet, vitamins, supplements, chelation and yeast treatments.
Although this is partially true, this book is more of a well-told story about a mother receiving the diagnosis of autism and her struggle to find hope and help for her son. This very personal book will take you back to the days before Jenny received her child’s autism diagnosis and what led up to it. After this point, she will tell you what therapies she tried, what type of doctors she went to, diets she tried and the vitamins and supplements used.
This book will also bring to life the emotions that overcome a parent of a child with autism. Jenny does not sugar coat anything in this book. She tells stories of mothers who are willing try absolutely anything to help their child overcome some of the difficulties that come along with autism. She also gets very private and explains how her already failing marriage fell apart even more after her son’s diagnosis. She also explains the feelings that come along with being a single mother of a child with autism.
Another big focus of Louder Than Words is why is the information on alternative therapies not being told? Most of us parents are trying many of these things yet we found out this information on our own. Why aren’t the doctors telling us this information? Why isn’t this information on the news? The changes in children form these type of treatments can range from not much at all to huge. So if it can even help a few children we should be told this information why the child is still young and the most likely to make progress.
With Jenny McCarthy being a celebrity, there comes along the fact that yes, she has more money to find her son the best doctors, to afford special diets and special vitamins. However, her heart really comes through as she acknowledges this fact several times. She knows that not everyone has the money to afford these things and how she prays for all families of children with autism.
In Louder Than Words Jenny McCarthy does not claim any miracle cures for autism, as the media would like you to think. She knows that she is one of the lucky ones. She knows of families who have tried the same treatments that she has with little or no success. What she does promote is that doctors and the media look more into the biomedical side of autism. Not so much as pointing a finger at what causes the autism, but finding out what is different in their bodies and then trying to balance it, which in many cases will help with symptoms and in a few extremely lucky cases, almost a recovery.
If you are a parent of a child with autism, I highly recommend this book. This book will probably sound all too familiar to your life. There were times when this book brought back so many memories that I had to put it down to recollect myself. This book is also good for anyone in general who wants to learn more about autism and what life is like for a parent who is raising one of these children.
One of the greatest things in this book is the last chapter entitled “What To Do Pamphlet”. Jenny is correct in her book that many doctors will give you your child’s diagnosis and that is it. I experienced this first hand myself. My doctor basically said, “I’m sorry your son has autism”, and that was it. They will make you feel as though you have no hope and that there is nothing you can do to make a difference for your child. You will hear the same story from countless parents. Most of us learn from other parents of autistic children and from the information we find online. She is right, it’s a shame that doctors don’t help us find this information.
In this last chapter, she will give you a lot of information. Basically where to start if you child has the diagnosis. She will give you the name of her doctor’s and where she took her son to therapy. She also lists many great websites where you can find additional information that you may need. She also tells you about how you can get your child Methyl B12 shots if that is what you are wanting and the yeast medicine that she found online for her son. This last chapter is a wealth of information.
McCarthy says in her book, that she believes this is the book that she was meant to write. I have to agree with this. On one hand, it is a shame that it had to take a celebrity to bring it out in the public more, but at the same time I am glad that someone was able to do it. Her public appearances are really helping to get the word out about autism.
Not even celebrities are immune to autism and this is exactly what Louder Than Words is about.
