Stress can be tough on anyone, but it presents a unique set of challenges for children who are already struggling with autism.
A new book by Theresa Hamlin, "Autism and the Stress Effect," offers parents, caregivers and educators tips on how to best help autistic children to deal with stress.
For more than three decades, Hamlin has worked at New York's Center for Discovery. She was compelled to write her book after hearing that parents are often frustrated with the lack of available support systems and ways for them to better learn about autism.
"I thought maybe this book could help," Hamlin said. "It’s really about helping families better manage the stress that they’re under, while managing the stress of their child."
Hamlin tries to keep up with what is happening in the world of autism research.
"I'm an educator by training, but I have a keen interest in the science behind autism," she said. "I have amassed thousands of studies over the past decade, and a pattern really started to emerge about stress and the biological factors related to autism. I saw studies about the environment and how the environment can be regulated to control stress. There was so much about food and how food can either enhance or hinder one’s well-being."
Hamlin said she continually hears parents of autistic children lament how, when their children are stressed, it spreads through the whole family.
"It took a few years to develop it into a book that a family could pick up and read and learn something practical," she said. "That was really the goal."
Hamlin's book discusses a "four-step lifestyle approach to transform your child’s health, happiness and vitality." Those steps include environment, energy, eating and emotional health.
