How many times have you heard that people with autismlack creativity? That they reject affection or suffer frommental retardation? As the number of children diagnosed withautism surges, researchers and educators are racing to definethe amorphous nature of this spectrum disorder and its widerange of symptoms. But in trying to characterize this widelyvarying group, people often perpetuate a host of limiting andpotentially damaging misconceptions in the media, in academicjournals and even in textbooks. These myths don''t holdup when examined, and they don''t reflect Jonathan Alderson''sexperience working with more than 2,000 children and familiesover two decades.

Provocative and meticulously researched, Challenging theMyths of Autism looks at the most prevalent fallacies, explainshow they developed, examines why dispelling them mattersand, most importantly, sets out a new understanding that willchange the way parents and professionals view autism. Withexamples from his own practice, Alderson charts a whole newrealm of possibilities for treatment and research.

Visit the website: www.challengethemyths.com

JONATHANALDERSON is an autism treatment specialist and Founder/ Director of theinnovative Intensive Multi-Treatment Intervention Program. A graduate ofHarvard University, with experience as a Curriculum Specialist Coordinator withTeach For America, he has trained at the Son-Rise Program in Massachusetts,where he worked as program administrator and a senior therapist trainer. Nowbased in Toronto, Jonathan is a sought-after speaker and instructor workingwith children and families around the world. He is the author of Challengingthe Myths of Autism, winner of the 2012 International Book Award for parentresource. In 2010, Jonathan was named nominee for The Globe and Mail's 25Transformational Canadians.