Machine generated contents note: 1.Where We Are -- 2.What We Know -- 3.Something New -- The Polyvagal Theory -- 4.The Polyvagal Theory in More Detail -- 5.The Social Engagement System -- 6.Living is an Embodied Experience -- 7.Learning to Be -- 8.The Gifts of the Autist -- 9.Integrating the Nervous System -- 10.Brain Plasticity and Autism -- 11.The Process of Discovery and Self-Image -- 12.Anat Baniel and Brain Plasticity -- 13.The Nine Essentials -- 14.Some Other Integration Techniques -- 15.Where We Go From Here

Outlining a new, optimistic way to understand autism, this concise and accessible book offers practical ideas to help children on the spectrum grow. The Polyvagal Theory suggests autism is a learnt response to early stressors - the result of a child being in a prolonged state of 'fight or flight' while their nervous system is still developing. This book explains the theory in simple terms and incorporates recent developments in brain plasticity research (the capacity of the brain to change throughout life) to give parents and professionals the tools to strengthen the child's brain-body connection and lessen the social and emotional impact of autism