Autism Recipe: Using Trust and Joy to Take Control of Wellness

Sharon Lemons was a young mother of three boys, ages seven, five, and one week, the day her two older children were diagnosed with autism. At a time when the diagnosis was still rare and interventions were new, expensive, and not always helpful, Sharon refused to let her children be another statistic. She determined to see them live healthy, successful lives. Through sheer tenacity and much love, she applied herself more than forty hours a week in researching autism and developing strategies to help her children achieve optimum wellness and move ever forward toward autonomy. She was told her oldest would never hold a pencil, yet today he is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in media arts and animation. As Sharon began to realize how important nutrition was to their wellness and success, she earned first a bachelor's degree in dietetics, then a master's degree in nutrition, becoming a dietitian nutritionist specializing in behavioral health.

Now, In Autism Recipe: Using Trust and Joy to Take Control of Wellness, Sharon Lemons shares her more than 30 years of experience in helping families and caregivers of individuals with autism and other behavioral challenges prepare their loved one for the ultimate goal: living a healthy and autonomous life. Sharon draws on her personal successes with her sons and others she has counseled, and through transparent anecdotes and compassionate words, she lays out effective strategies and attainable goals based around the most integral part of the home, the dinner table. Using mealtime as the springboard for teaching everything from organizational skills to better nutrition to social competenSharon Lemons was a young mother of three boys, ages seven, five, and one week, the day her two older children were diagnosed with autism. At a time when the diagnosis was still rare and interventions were new, expensive, and not always helpful, Sharon refused to let her children be another statistic. She determined to see them live healthy, successful lives. Through sheer tenacity and much love, she applied herself more than forty hours a week in researching autism and developing strategies to help her children achieve optimum wellness and move ever forward toward autonomy. She was told her oldest would never hold a pencil, yet today he is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in media arts and animation. As Sharon began to realize how important nutrition was to their wellness and success, she earned first a bachelor's degree in dietetics, then a master's degree in nutrition, becoming a dietitian nutritionist specializing in behavioral health.

Now, In Autism Recipe: Using Trust and Joy to Take Control of Wellness, Sharon Lemons shares her more than 30 years of experience in helping families and caregivers of individuals with autism and other behavioral challenges prepare their loved one for the ultimate goal: living a healthy and autonomous life. Sharon draws on her personal successes with her sons and others she has counseled, and through transparent anecdotes and compassionate words, she lays out effective strategies and attainable goals based around the most integral part of the home, the dinner table. Using mealtime as the springboard for teaching everything from organizational skills to better nutrition to social competences and beyond, Autism Recipe offers a blueprint of help and hope for anyone searching for ways to bring variety and better nutrition to their picky or behaviorally challenged eaters.
ces and beyond, Autism Recipe offers a blueprint of help and hope for anyone searching for ways to bring variety and better nutrition to their picky or behaviorally challenged eaters.