The Miller Method (R): Developing the Capacities of Children on the Autism Spectrum

This informative and practical guide to the Miller Method® presents an entirely new and dynamic perspective on advancing the body organization, social, and communicative skills of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Working on the premise that children with ASDs learn more effectively when their whole bodies are involved, The Miller Method® covers major issues such as communication skills and social play, as well as day-to-day behavioral issues including tantrums, aggression and toilet training. Part of Miller's method includes guiding the child on to The Elevated Square, a device that gets the child off the floor and markedly diminishes toe-walking, hand flapping and aimless wandering. By creating a highly defined reality that requires the child's rapt attention to traverse it, the Elevated Square helps counter some of the significant challenges these children confront. Another feature of the method entails the carefully gauged disruption of everyday routines. This may include deliberately 'messing up' the classroom so that the children experience putting it together and learning that they can cope with disorder and change. This practical resource is essential reading for parents and professionals living and working with children with ASDs.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Diane Twachtman-Cullen. Foreword by Stuart G. Shanker. Preface: Beyond Compliance. Part I About Children's Systems. 1. What Makes the Miller Method® Unique? 2. Children as Victims or Masters of Their Systems. 3. Searching for Capacity. Part II Treatment. 4. Getting Started with the Miller Method®. 5. Elevating the Special Child: Creating an Enhanced Reality. 6. Exploiting Systems to Develop Social Capacity. 7. Prelude to Communication, by Kristina Chretien. 8. Becoming a Child Who Communicates. Part III Education. 9. Teaching the Child to Cope. 10. Teaching to Children's Reality. Part IV Research. 11. Research and Applications of the Miller Method®. Appendix A Glossary. Appendix B Miller Diagnostic Survey for Children with Developmental Issues. Appendix C Sam and the Boys. Appendix D The Language and Cognitive Development Center. References. Index.

About the Author :
Arnold Miller, Ph.D., was a clinical psychologist and Executive Director of the Language and Cognitive Development Center of Newton, Massachusetts. He was also Affiliate Professor of Psychology at Clark University, Massachusetts. Kristina Chrétien, M.S. works as cognitive-developmental therapist at the Language and Cognitive Development Center of Newton.

Review :
If I were Dorothy, I'd say that Dr. Miller is like the symbolic Wizard of Oz-the person to whom those of us with autism go to find our hearts, our brains and our courage to find our way back "home" to a better life experience. `If you work with children with autism then read this book. It presents an enlightening perspective into their world that will help the reader to better understand and engage more meaningfully with them. The emphasis is very much on the practical, with step-by-step examples of intervention procedures and case studies, providing you with lots of ideas that can be incorporated into your own practice. The writing is simple, largely avoiding unwieldy jargon, and each chapter is broken down into bite-size sub-sections, with a useful summary at the end... Definitely a worthwhile resource.' `Drawing on 40 years of research and work with children on the autistic spectrum, Miller and his late wife developed the Miller Method, which is currently being used in schools and clinics. In this technical volume, Miller teams with Chrétien, a developmental therapist, to make the system accessible to parents and therapists who are interested in trying it in their own homes or practices. Miller begins with a description of his method and his view of children's systems before discussing treatment and how the Miller Method works. Later sections focus on education and research and application of the method. Appendixes are included, e.g., the Miller Diagnostic Survey for Children with Developmental Issues, which would be helpful to parents and therapists alike in evaluating their children and students. Recommended for academic and large public libraries with a developmental disabilities collection.' I believe that the Miller Method; which is built around cognitive-developmental systems theory, is a very cohesive and sound system through which counselors, parents, and teachers can help children on the austism spectrum to develop cognitive, linguistic, and social awareness. Simply stated, this is a very good book - the kind of book that will make you feel more knowledgeable about autism behaviours, and most importantly, better prepared to help children with autism'. This is very useful book for educational psychologists working in the Early Years setting as it gives many valuable interventions, use of special apparatus and ideas. The author mentions research that showed the effectiveness of the Sign and Spoken Language Programme as well as the positive effect of the symbol Accentuated Reading Programme for children with ASD and learning difficulties. The Miller Method is undoubtedly a useful tool in developing the social and communication skills of the difficult-to-reach child with ASD.