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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Bouchard   201/329-9636 First-Person Accounts of Autism in the New Book, Voices from the Spectrum “…At times easy to read and at times the kind of reading that leaves lumps in the throat and thuds in the heart.” --Lianne Holliday Willey, Ed.D. Author of Pretending to Be Normal

People with autism can be a mystery.  While they seem locked in their own worlds, they actually touch everyone around them.  A new book shares the perspective of their care-givers in VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with Autism, and Professionals Share their Wisdom (February 2006, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Paperback, $19.95; 1-84310-786-4; 272 pages) edited by Cindy N. Ariel and Robert A. Naseef. VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM presents personal accounts of the autistic child’s school and childhood experiences to parents’ and grandparents’ reactions to a diagnosis.  The contributors describe experiences of autism from the mildest to the most severe case, and share their methods of adapting.  They tell both the positive and negative effects of autism on individuals and families, and pose the question: is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum a puzzle to be solved, or something to be embraced and accepted?  Even the editors contribute essays sharing their own unique wisdom and experience.  Anyone who knows a child with autism will appreciate their stories. Robert A. Naseef, PhD is a psychologist, author, and father of an adult child with autism.  His highly regarded book Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Parenting a Child with a Disability has received international recognition.  Dr. Naseef’s specialty is working with families of children with special needs.  His essay “The Path of Acceptance for Families” tells how he learned to accept his son’s autism and how he helps other families do the same. Cindy N. Ariel, PhD is the co-founder and director of Alternative Choices, a group psychotherapy practice which includes a Special Families Resource Center.  She can relate to her patients because as a child she was extremely shy and had tactile and auditory hypersensitivity.  She tells about her struggles and how it helps her emphasize with her patients in her essay, “Closet Case: Finding the Way Out.” The editors are pledging all of the royalties from VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM to UNICEF. Jessica Kingsley Publishers specializes in producing accessible professional and academic books in the social and behavioral sciences. In 2007, Jessica Kingsley Publishers was named both the Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year and the overall Independent Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards in London. The prizes coincide with Jessica Kingsley Publishers' 20th year as an independent company. Jessica Kingsley books are available worldwide through distributors, local bookstores and online bookstores. The company has offices in London and Philadelphia. More information can be found at www.jkp.com.