Hearing the words "your child has autism" is more common than ever. But dealing with this news will never be easy. When the diagnosis is made, millions of questions and concerns flood parents' brains. They will wonder: * Can this be right? * Should we get a second opinion? * What do we do now? * What will life be like? When Your Child Has . . . Autism will answer panicked parents' questions in clear and complete terms. Taking an in-depth look at the reality of the disability, its causes, and how to cope as a family, this professional yet personal primer will help parents get through those first tough times after the diagnosis. Autism is a complex developmental disability--there are no medical tests for diagnosing autism and there is no "cure." Parents need an accessible resource to go to for help in a hurry--when they don't know where else to turn and what is going to happen next. AUTHOR: Adelle Jameson Tilton (Chadron, NE) was the Autism Spectrum Disorders Guide at About.com for five years and is the mother of a son with autism. In the mid- 1990s, Ms. Tilton served as secretary for WAYSAC, a nationally known autism organization in Michigan. A member of the Autism Society of America, she is in communication with various autism groups in the United States including CAN (Cure Autism Now), FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment), NIDS Research Institute and Parent Coalition (Neuro Immune Dysfunction Syndrome), and the National Alliance for Autism Research. SELLING POINTS: * Out in time for Autism Awareness Month in April * Autism occurs in 1 in 150 births, which translates to 1.5 million Americans today (Autism Society of America) * Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability today (Autism Society of America) * The friendly, accessible tone of the When Your Child Has... series stands out on the parenting shelf and makes difficult topics more understandable