Product Description

If someone you love is diagnosed with autism, LOUDER THAN WORDS is the first book you should read.

One morning, Jenny McCarthy was having a cup of coffee when she sensed something was wrong. She ran into her two-year-old son Evan’s room and found him seizing. In that moment, Jenny went from being the mother of an average toddler to being in the midst of a medical odyssey. Doctor after doctor misdiagnosed Evan until—after many harrowing, life-threatening episodes later—one amazing doctor discovered that Evan is autistic.

Though Evan finally had a diagnosis, Jenny didn’t know what to do next and she soon found herself alone without any resources except for her determination to help her son. Jenny eventually realized that she’d have to become a detective. She spoke with many doctors, parents, governmental agencies, private foundations, and essentially earned a Phd in “Google Research.” At last, she discovered an intense combination of behavioral therapy, diet, and supplements that became the key to saving Evan from autism. And, now in this book, she creates a roadmap for parents who are concerned about their own child.

Jenny does more than just reveal the winning formula that worked for Evan. Her story shares the frustrations and joys of raising an autistic child and shows how with love and determination a parent can shape their child’s life and happiness.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13116 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
"Jenny McCarthy takes us on journey of a mom dealing with her son’s Autism diagnosis and treatment. We learn what it is like to be a parent and have your dreams shattered. We learn about a disease and about how others dealing with similar circumstances can aid one another. We learn about alternative approaches that seem promising. We learn about healing, hope, and faith."
—David Feinberg, from the foreword, MD, MBA
Medical Director, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA

“Jenny has done an incredible job retelling the story of Evan, who also was forced to make the perilous journey through Autism. Autism is not a dead end diagnosis. It is the beginning of a journey into faith, hope, love, and recovery.”
—Jerry J. Kartzinel, from the introduction, MD FAAP

About the Author
Jenny McCarthy is the New York Times bestselling author of Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth; Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood; and Life Laughs: The Naked Truth About Motherhood, Marriage, and Moving On.

Customer Reviews

Mother of Son just diagnosed as ASD
As a mother of a little boy who was just diagnosed, I thought Jenny is right on with everything she says that she did to help her little boy in this book! I don't know why the first reviewer found this book so offensive because I found it be the very opposite of that. I found this book as a source of inspiration and hope-especially with a diagnosis that can leave you feeling helpless and alone. There is help and out there and you can get that help to help your son/daughter. I really loved Jenny's passion when talking about her son, and I could totally relate to alot of the things that she went through while searching through the medical community to find out what exactly was wrong with her son. I also loved the "What to Do Pamplet" at the back of the book so that she can try and help some of us who have just received our diagnosis and need to know where to go. All in all, this book was helpful and inspiring that I too can pull up my sleeves and help my child with as much vigor and passion as Jenny has with her son!! I give this book two HUGE thumbs up!!!!

Best Book I have ever read!
I finished reading Jenny McCarthy's book "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism" and I have to say it was one of the best books I have ever read and I am so glad I read it. I read it in a day because I could not stop. It was so good, sad, educational, and some parts were even a little funny because of course Jenny McCarthy can find a way to make you laugh even when talking about something as serious as her child having autism. Her humor is truly a gift. It helps lighten the mood when reading so it is not the most depressing thing you have ever read and you can get through it because the whole situation is heartbreaking but she is so positive and has such a wonderful attitude which is what helps so much in healing her son.

I had a couple reasons for wanting to read this book, one being I had read her other books: Belly Laughs, Baby Laughs, and Life Laughs and of course gained an interest in what was going on with her and her baby but also because with Autism now effecting 1 in 150 children I figured I should learn more about it because it might someday effect one of my children (I currently have a 3 month old and she is my first child) or if not surely the child of someone I know. I did not even know anyone with Autism, I only knew people that knew people who had Autism, or so I thought. I recently learned I actually know some people whose children have a form of Autism and I did not know it until now and I told them about the book already. I realized after reading the first two pages that I did not know much at Autism at all. Actually just reading the title made me realize I didn't know much because I did not think it could be healed. I always heard there is no cure, which technically there is not yet, but there are things you can try that work for a lot of children, especially if it is caught and addressed very early, and although they may never be completely healed they end up living almost normal lives. I also wanted to read the book because I was very curious about something that in the 1970's only affected 1 in 10,000 children now effects 1 in 150 and they are still not sure what the cause is. Jenny says in the book that this is something we should be concerned about more than global warming because if it keeps increasing and ends up being almost every child, what are people going to do, stop having kids? At this rate, I think we should be more concerned about this.

Another thing I learned about Autism from this book is there are many forms. Some kids have severe cases and some have mild cases even before treatment (some go from severe to mild with treatment like her child). Also, Jenny believes, and I agree with her, that Autism does not seem to be one disease/disorder. It seems to be several problems children have that have been given one name which is another reason children with Autism are so different. I think it is basically a lot of problems children are having and they don't know what is wrong so if they have certain symptoms they call it Autism. One reason she has so much success in healing him is because she doesn't just do things to cover up the problems with a temporary bandaid, she always ask herself what is causing the problem and tries to eliminate the cause.

She does not think that vaccines cause Autism but does believe there is a link there and so do I. She believes some kids are born with weaker immune systems and can't handle the vaccines. She is still for giving children vaccines of course, but thinks they should do something like maybe a test beforehand to determine the effects it may have on a child and she is also for greening our vaccines, which is not in her book, but I read on the internet that her and Jim Carrey are currently urging congress to makes vaccines safer because they have so many dangerous things in them. After reading several of her books, I personally think it also has something to do with an injury to the head her son received while she was giving birth to him. He had to wear a helmet for a short time as a baby to correct the shape or his head which was misshaped due to the difficulties in labor which resulted in a c-section and she talks about this in her Baby Laughs book not this book but I see a link because in this book the first sign of Autism her son has is seizures and the one thing they would always ask her at the hospital when he had a seizure was did he suffer an injury to the head and she would of course say no and did not understand why they were asking that until she later found out that injuries to a certain part of the brain cause seizures of course. I don't know if she ever even linked the two together but I did after reading both books.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone because I think everyone should be educated on the subject but would especially recommend it to anyone who has a child with Autism because most doctors, including Jenny's just basically send you out the door with the comment "I'm sorry but your child has Autism" like there is nothing you can do and she found out from other parents with Autistic children that there are some things you can do, or at least try. If it were my child, I would try everything just like she did whether it worked or not, at least you are trying and there is some hope instead of just giving up. I think the book she has coming out next month, which I also plan on reading, would be even more help to parents with Autism though because she wrote it due to the response she got from other parents with Autism after reading her first book and things they did to heal their child so in that book she shares their stories since each child with Autism is different and the new book also gives you an update on how her son is doing now.

Excellent Read!! Loved the personal account!
I do not have a child with autism, nor am I a professional, but I am a psychology student and EXTREMELY fascinated by Autism. This book gave great insight to a personal struggle with a child with autism, and I loved this book!!