Issue Date: June 28, 2009

Can autism be healed? She says "yes."

Actress, writer and activist Jenny McCarthy shares resources that can help those with the condition.

By Jenny Rough

Jenny McCarthy, the former Playboy model and MTV host, hit The New York Times best-seller list in 2004 with Belly Laughs, a humorous take on pregnancy and childbirth. Now, with a 7-year-old son she says has recovered from autism and five additional books under her belt, she's on a mission: to publicize ways she thinks that autism can be healed. Her latest book (she claims it's her last) walks parents through understanding what autism is and the biomedical therapies that can be used to treat it. With 1 in 150 kids diagnosed with a form of autism, chances are the disorder will play a role in your life -- if not with your own kids, then those of your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Here, McCarthy shares her favorite books on the topic, starting with her own, natch:

Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide by Jenny McCarthy and Jerry Kartzinel, M.D. (Dutton, $26.95) Parents will find loads of information in this comprehensive guide, which reads as a Q&A between the spirited McCarthy and knowledgeable Kartzinel, who has an autistic son. The two banter about everything from vitamins and other supplements, yeast and bowels to suggested precautions women can take when considering pregnancy. There are pages of charts, studies, articles and website references. "I want it to be the autism bible," McCarthy says.

The Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions for the Treatment of Autism and Related Disorders by Karyn Seroussi and Lisa Lewis (Sarpsborg Press, $29.95) Food has long been known to play an important role in managing health, and the same applies to autism. "Diet is a good place to start because it's something parents can do right away," McCarthy says. Her "go-to" guide before she wrote her own book was Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis. Now, Lewis has co-authored this alphabetized book in which, along with meal suggestions, you can pick any relevant topic -- fiber, genetically modified foods, probiotics -- and read up on the latest research.

The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child by Robert Sears (Little, Brown and Company, $13.99) When it comes to the hotly debated topic of vaccines and their suspected role in autism, McCarthy suggests The Vaccine Book. "Dr. Sears helps parents understand the issue without being against vaccines," she says. The book gives choices, such as getting the MMR [measles, mumps and rubella vaccine] at a later age. "That's what parents are looking for," McCarthy adds.

Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports From My Life With Autism by Temple Grandin (Vintage, $14.95) McCarthy suggests reading books like Grandin's "Thinking in Pictures" to learn how an autistic person views the world. Grandin, a specialist in animal behavior, will be the subject of a movie by HBO Films, starring Claire Danes. "It's important to read [these stories] for understanding and patience," McCarthy says. "When a child screams at the top of his lungs at a vacuum [cleaner], it's because it's like a train is coming through his head."

For more books of interest, consider John Elder Robison's "Look Me in the Eye," Donna Williams' "Nobody Nowhere," and Daniel Tammet's "Born on a Blue Day."

Jenny Rough last wrote about memoirs to add to your summer reading list.