Dr. Koegel, a clinical professor at Stanford University and the founder of the Koegel Autism Clinic at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has had vast experience working with autistic people of all ages. Though she has worked in the field for decades, both as a researcher and directly with autistic people of all ages, it took personal experience with her autistic nephew for her to fully realize how easily children with autism’s strengths can be overlooked, even by trained professionals. In Hidden Brilliance, Dr. Koegel and writer Claire LaZebnik examine the forces at play, both obvious and subtle, that complicate and confuse the effort for a true understanding of these kids’ capabilities—including why parents, who sense the hidden depths and talents in their kids who struggle to communicate, are often dismissed or ignored. Drawing on Dr. Koegel’s decades of experience, Hidden Brilliance will provide examples of autistic children who were capable of far more than the adults around them realized, and offer methods to help draw out children’s abilities and how to use them as a tool for social communication and growth. This book is dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the incredible strengths and even brilliance of our young people with autism, and it will teach us all how to tap into that amazing intelligence and support children as they blossom.