• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Author shares experiences as autism caregiver

Photo

Photo by Dennis Hines

Tami Goldstein, with her therapy dog, Tag. Goldstein has written “Coming Through the Fog,” about techniques she used to treat her daughter’s autism.

JANESVILLE — When Tami Goldstein’s daughter, Heather, was diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism, she was told that her daughter would never be able to graduate high school or to live independently.

So, Goldstein went looking for answers.

Working with occupational therapist Susan Kratz, Goldstein found the answers she was looking for, and now she is sharing that knowledge with others. Goldstein learned about alternative therapies, including CranioSacral Therapy, biomedical therapy and sensory diet to help treat her daughter’s condition.

Goldstein has written a book, “Coming Through the Fog,” about how those techniques benefited her daughter.

“I wrote the book in a way that it’s a story and it’s easy to read, and I provide a lot of tips for parents, so they’re not wasting their energy in areas that won’t make good progress,” Goldstein said. “But I also wrote the book in a way that a grandparent who has a grandchild with autism or an aunt who has a niece or nephew with autism could read the book and get an understanding of the obstacles that the family has to face with their child.”

Goldstein said her daughter is able to do most of the methods that they learned by herself.

“There’s a modulation program, and the child learns how to recognize where their state is and do what they need to do, such as deep pressure to the body or removing themselves from an environment,” Goldstein said. “CranioSacral Therapy offers a technique called still pointing, and that calms the nervous system, and it recognizes it. She was taught how to do that herself. The idea is as soon as she recognizes that she’s in her sensory state, she can act on it, so it doesn’t end up presenting maladaptive behaviors.”

Goldstein said the techniques that Heather learned helped her to pay more attention in school and to remain longer in a set environment.

“In school, she was missing 75 days a year and could only sustain three and a half hours in any environment,” Goldstein said. “Once she embraced the sensory diet and did it in school and in the environment she needed it, she reduced her absenteeism from 75 days to 23 and increased her ability to sustain from three and a half hours to six.”

Early signs

Heather was diagnosed with autism when she was 13 years old; however, Goldstein said her daughter began exhibiting certain behaviors when she was about 4 years old.

Read the complete story in the e-edition of the Stateline News HERE.

Meet the author

-- What: Goldstein will host a book signing for “Coming Through the Fog”

-- When: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at Bookworld, 2451 Milton Ave. in Janesville.

-- Where to purchase the book: Bookworld, Basics Food Cooperative, Southern Exposure, Barnes & Nobles, A Therapeutic Touch, Amazon.com and through Nook and Kindle.

-- Online: www.comingthroughthefog.com