Product Description

In 1979, the classic best-seller Son-Rise was made into an award-winning NBC television special, which has been viewed by 300 million people worldwide. Now, Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues presents an expanded and updated journal of Barry and Samahria Kaufman's successful effort to reach their once "unreachable" autistic child. Part one documents Raun Kaufman's astonishing development from a lifeless, autistic, retarded child into a highly verbal, lovable youngster with no traces of his former condition. Part two details Raun's extraordinary progress from the age of four into young adulthood. Part three shares moving accounts of five families that successfully used the Son-Rise Program to reach their own special children. An awe-inspiring reminder that love moves mountains. A must for any parent, teacher or student of personal growth. Do you ever wonder why things turn out the way they do? I do. Every so often, I ask myself why an event in my life occurred, if maybe it had some sort of purpose or reason. I realize that, in the larger scheme of things, I can never really know why events happen or if there is some sort of grand plan for us all. I do believe, though, that each event offers us a brand new chance to change ourselves and our lives, whether the change is slight or sweeping. Even if we can't know whether there is some great cosmic reason for the workings of the world, we can still give events meaning with what we do with them. When I was diagnosed as autistic (and also severely mentally retarded, with a below-thirty IQ), my parents were given ample opportunity to treat the event as a tragedy. The whole world saw autism as hopeless and encouraged my parents to see it that way too. Sometimes it dawns on me how close I came to spending my life encapsulated inside my own head, lacking the tools to interact with the rest of the world. My autism could have been just another event without meaning or explanation. What turned it around was not a string of events, but rather a wildly different and unheard of perspective: Refusing to accept the age-old view of autism as a terrible catastrophe, my parents came up with the radical idea that my autism was a chance - a great opportunity, in fact - to try to reach a child lost behind a thick, hazy cloud. It was a chance to make greatness out of something commonly viewed as unquestionably sad and tragic. This perspective, combined with a passionate relentlessness on the part of my parents, enabled me to undergo a spectacular metamorphosis and emerge from the shell of my autism without a trace of my former condition. When I think about what my parents did with my autism, I see what a tremendous role we all play in each event that confronts us. It was not my recovery that made the event of my autism amazing and meaningful (though, needless to say, I'm very happy with the outcome); it was my parents' open-minded attitude in the face of my condition and their desire to find meaning in it regardless of how I turned out in the end. You don't have to "cure" your special child in order for his or her specialness to have meaning and value. The value lies not in "results" but in how you treat your situation and your child. The question of what is and is not possible has forever been bouncing around in my head. I have definitely had a few times in my life when I chose not to bother attempting to accomplish something because I thought, "That's impossible." At other times, I catch myself thinking this way and realize that it is precisely this type of thinking that could have landed me in an institution for the rest of my life. If there is one thing my life has taught me, it is that anything is possible. I don't mean this idea in the superficial way it is often used. I mean to say that nothing is beyond our reach if we honestly believe that it is within our power to reach it. I've found that I, rather than any external situation, am my own biggest limiter. One line that parents of special children hear more than anyone else is the "that's impossible" line. The "experts" showered my parents with prognoses like "hopeless", "irreversible", "unreachable" and "incurable". All my parents had to do was believe these "experts" (not a difficult task, since these doctors had plenty of evidence to back their opinions), and my journey would have been over. Instead, my parents defied the professionals, disbelieved their prognoses, and grabbed hold of the belief that they could at least try to do the impossible, reach the unreachable, cure the incurable. "But your son has a devastating, lifelong condition. He can never come out of it" the doctors scolded. "So what?" my parents would reply. "We're going to try, anyway, and see what happens." The word expert is the misnomer of the century. The pessimistic outlook that the "experts" show many parents need not be taken seriously. Whatever you've been told about the severity of your child's condition, don't buy it. You and your child can do a whole lot more than any "expert" could possibly know. No matter how much evidence a doctor can show you, it will never be enough to prove that something is impossible. You want to know something? Evidence is a sham. It can always be defied or demolished. If you really believe in evidence, use it to prove the possible instead of the impossible. (I'm on the debating team at my college, and I've seen how evidence can be used to back up either side of an issue.) Many, especially the "experts," might claim that I am advocating "false hope." "False hope"? What do they mean by "false hope"? How in the world can anyone put these two words together? When I think about my successful academic career, my fierce tennis matches, my love of Stephen King novels., the fantasy and science fiction short stories I've written, my admittance to the university of my choice, my best friends, my girlfriend, and my complete and ecstatic involvement with life, it occurs to me that each and every one of these is the product of "false hope." Nothing can ever be bad or wrong about hope. Not ever. I advocate giving yourself and those around you as large a dose of it as possible. So, I bet you're wondering what this product of "false hope" is doing with his life lately. Well, I'm enjoying college (I'm in my sophomore year) more than any other period of my life. I'm having a thoroughly terrific time choosing my own courses, living away from home, eating school food (yum!). I take courses like philosophy, political science, theater arts, and biology. I took calculus during my freshman year. Definitely not my calling. In addition to enjoying the social and academic scenes at college, I'm also on the debating team, I take ballroom dancing, I'm in a coed fraternity, and I'm in a number of political groups. I recently cast my first presidential vote after working for my candidate's campaign. (I won't say who I voted for, but you can probably guess.) Here are the answers (and only the answers) to the questions I get asked most often: No, I can't stand "Beverly Hills 90210." Yeah, I'm an excellent driver. Actually, I'm majoring in biomedical ethics. Oh, my career after college? I haven't the foggiest clue. No, I only spin plates during really boring physics lectures. Sorry, I'm busy this Friday night. Speaking of questions and answers, I have talked with parents of special children from many different countries and throughout the US, and I've had the chance to answer scores of their questions and ask some questions of my own, as well. They all want the best for their child; they all have a strong desire to help their child in any way they can. Many of these families also see their own or their child's situation as horrific. In addition, they want to be "realistic" and not pretend that their child's situation or potential is better than it actually is. It makes perfect sense to me that parents would think this way, but there are other ways of looking at things that might be more productive as well as more fun.

Personally, I see autistic children as possessing a unique talent and ability, not a deficiency. When this talent and ability are embraced instead of viewed with horror, some amazing things can happen. Kids can make leaps people never thought possible. As for being realistic, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Very often, I wonder how I can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. How can I have boundless hope and aspirations and still keep a down-to-earth perspective on things? Well, many times I can't. Sometimes I choose realism, and when I do, I can always be sure that nothing that happens will exceed my expectations. But when I choose limitless optimism, I don't put any ceilings on my dreams and goals, and, as a result, sometimes I get more and do more than I ever could have accomplished by being realistic. The telephone, the automobile, the polio vaccine - the people who brought these things into being were extremely unrealistic. Realism only preserves the status quo. Nothing was ever accomplished by a realist. Every great discovery and achievement in history is the fault of unrealistic people. My parents' lack of realism is what got me to the place I am now. Consequently, I try never to tell anyone around me to be realistic. Sometimes, when I think about the continuing savage violence around the world and the pervasive racism in America, I have a hard time being optimistic. Plastered all over my wall in my dorm room are pictures of Bobby Kennedy, my favorite person in history. War and racism were also major concerns for him, but he never let the state of the world bring him down. So when I think of the things I want to be different in the world and I think about being unrealistic and I think about hope, I try to keep a quote of Bobby Kennedy's tucked in the back of my mind: "Some see the world as it is and say, 'Why?' I see the world as it could be and say, 'Why not?'" You can always say, "Why not?" when you're told you can't accomplish something. You can always say, "So what?" when evidence is presented against your dreams. You can always say, "It's possible" when you have a different vision for your child. Your potential is limitless, so don't give up. You have more greatness than you might think.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131746 in Books
• Published on: 1995-02-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 372 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The original Son-Rise (1976) described the family trauma of the author, his wife Samahria and their son Raun, who had been diagnosed as autistic, mentally retarded and untreatable. Rather than relegating Raun to permanent institutionalization, the Kaufmans designed a program of their own, which provided intensive therapy on a rigorous schedule that changed all of their lives. Did Raun continue to progress? In this book, that question is answered not only by the parents and extended family but also by Raun himself, now a college student and a participant in the family's educational foundation, The Option Institute and Fellowship, based in Sheffield, Mass. Testimonials from similarly afflicted families who practice the Kaufmans' techniques for treating the communications disorders of so-called "unreachable" children round out a heartwarming, inspiring chronicle that should offer hope to many. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Kaufman, head of the Options Institute in Massachusetts, traces the difficulties he and his wife, Samahria, experienced with their autistic son, Raun. Readers first encountered Raun in 1976, with Kaufman's Son-Rise, and raising him--fighting a glum medical establishment and dubious child-care professionals--would have proved a daunting, even a hopeless, task for most. But the Kaufmans refused to be "realistic," insisting that Raun was truly special in their eyes and in God's, and with patience and cleverness, they broke through into Raun's deeply personal world. They steered him so much into the mainstream that he is in college now, an extrovert who contributed the introduction to his father's book. In fact, he writes better than his father, unaffectedly expressing his gratitude to his parents and his optimism for the future. The elder Kaufman has a terrific tale to tell, and his accounts of others who have benefited from his methods will make the reader grateful he and his wife are on the planet, but his incessant use of stock self-help and recovery phrases, such as, "I built barricades around my feelings" or "I had the opportunity to share personally," has a cloying effect. The message of this miracle-in-everyday-life book is nothing more than: Be optimistic. How you get to such a simple and joyous outlook is the problem; Raun's story, and that of his patient, loving parents, perhaps will instruct you. John Mort

Review
"An inspiring and hopeful book. To see this hopeless youngster gradually respond to the Kaufmans' total investment of themselves in awe-inspiring. The book is beautifully written. I found it so fascinating I devoured it all in one evening. It is quite a contribution." -- Dr. Carl Rogers, Renowned Psychologist

"An inspiring book that we all can learn from. It is not only a book for all parents to read, but all of us can use it as guide for dealing with adversity. If you are open to changing attitudes, accepting challenges, and being inspired, read it." -- Bernie Siegel, M.D., Author, Love, Medicine and Miracles

"As a professor is the field of Psychology I believe that Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues is a mandate for all professionals in helping fields, medical and educational, to change NOW how we help and teach, and to bask in the joy of our own miracles. I look forward to making this book required reading. I cannot imagine a single text that will make such a difference in my students' own learning. -- Liz Dickinson, Ph.D Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University

"Barry Kaufman's work is inspiring, ground breaking and visionary. His new book, Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues, continues to establish the fact that yesterday's miracles are becoming the science of today. But this new science is not a cold, bleak, objective methodology. Rather it is the science of love, compassion, and insight which will transform the world." -- Deepak Chopra, Author, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

"Once in a century a story of such daring and devotion sparks the human spirit. No words could describe my awe while reading Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues. The Kaufmans' astounding success in curing their son and helping other families to do the same will inspire us all. If there were a Nobel Prize for Love, I'd want the Kaufmans to be first to receive one." -- Dr. Wayne Dyer, Author, Your Erroneous Zones

"Reading Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues has been a profoundly moving experience. It details with clarity the triumph of love over autism in a way that is both convincing and reproducible. As a psychiatrist, I am embarrassed to still hear "experts" in my field describe autism as untreatable and to find that they are unaware of the miracle that the Kaufmans have created. This book is love in action. -- John S. Weltner, M.D., Child Psychiatrist, Co-President, Society for Family Therapy & Research

"Son-Rise moved me enormously...the Kaufmans dedication is extraordinary." -- Joannne Woodward, Actress

"The Option Institute and the Son-Rise Program staff have opened our eyes and our minds just be loving us. They gave us our son! We learned how to join Nicholas in his world. And now he wants to join us in ours. We've never been this happy and at peace. -- David Valentino, V.P. Sales and Marketing/Father Son: Nicholas, Two and a half years old Diagnosis: Pervasive Developmental Delay

"The Son-Rise Program is the most incredible experience of my life. We came to The Option Institute as a family of unsure, confused people -- about ourselves and our son, Gidi -- and we leave a strong unit of committed and loving friends. We know Gigi will join us totally -- we adore him so -- exactly the way he is and chooses to be. Thank you so much -- you are the very best -- God Bless You!! -- Toby Greenfield, Teacher/Mother Son: Gideon, Nine years old Diagnosis: Autism

Customer Reviews

This book helped our family.
We bought this book when we started a Son-Rise Program 8 months ago for my step-son (now age 11), and have been blessed by the story. I still read excerpts from time-to-time as a pick-me-up and use it to train the volunteers in our Son-Rise Program.

My step-son was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at age 2-1/2, with that diagnosis updated to Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 9. Before we started our Son-rise Program, he would sometimes speak when forced, but then only with 1-2 words; eye contact from him was rare and fleeting, and usually because we forced him to look at us; his frustration and confusion resulted in daily tantrums and screaming fits sometimes he hit himself on the leg or threw things.

We tried everything else first because that's what "everyone" said to do (including SSRIs and anti-psychotic medications prescribed by his developmental pediatrician for off-label use, chelation therapy, speech therapy, ABA therapy, Floor Time therapy, OT, PT and PECS) and none resulted in appreciable improvement, while some made him more withdrawn or frustrated. Our son has responded to Son-Rise like nothing else. So far (after 8 months of 25-35 hours a week of Son-Rise Program) he has more spontaneous use of language, has started imaginary play, started initiating play with others, increased his spontaneous and requested eye contact. He plays with toys with his 16-month old sister. Two days ago I had my first conversation with him ever, consisting of three "conversation loops" of 4-5 words each. His father and I have been able to build a relationship with him and expect him to continue to emerge from his inner world. His personality continues to come out--he likes to try and make us laugh.

If you have an autistic or special needs child, or work with autistic or special needs children, and want another point of view of the possibilities for them as people then give this book a try. We are grateful that the Kaufmans have shared their story and ideas through this book and the other Barry Neil Kaufman books because of the way our lives have been enriched.

We no longer see our son as a tragedy. He is a great blessing to us and we feel lucky that he chose us to be his parents.

Transformation through Son-Rise
Son-Rise has made an incredibly positive impact on my family. After our son was diagnosed with autism, my husband and I read this book and began implementing its attitude, strategies and methods. As an attorney, and wife of an engineer/business executive, I am moved by evidence and data. In those early weeks, our son began to respond, play, and talk with us. We had our proof and it was miraculous! As we studied and practiced the Son Rise principals more purposely, our son's eye contact, language, and social skills have blossomed. He is nearly fully recovered!
What's more, my husband began applying what he read in this book and another of Barry Neil Kaufman's books, Happiness is a Choice, in the business realm. As a result, my husband is quickly rising to the top of his profession.
I have found reading these highly enjoyable books to be like spending time in the presence of extraordinary people; very uplifting!

Concrete detail, spiritual effect. Get this book but get a hanky first.
Kaufman's book, which includes the original book "Son Rise" about the Kaufman's autistic son Raun before age 4, continues the story about Raun until he goes to college and the Kaufmans set up their institute to help other families with children with severe developmental problems. The treatment the Kaufmans devised for their son was based on a philosophical, spiritual premise that people can use to face any serious dilemma in life. The book is just amazing. Kaufman's distinctive style has literary merit. I recommend this book not only for people with a disabled child but all people.