Once you have seen an autistic child that is what you have seen – one, unique individual. I am a veteran Special Education teacher who has taught some of the most difficult autistic children to go through the California school systems. The Autism Handbook is a snapshot of some of the children I have worked with and is gently layered with easy to understand information on diagnosis, dealing with the American school systems and parental advice. This is a must read book for families, friends, college students, teachers, social workers or anyone struggling to understand this complicated disability.

When I arrived to pick up the payroll, I was greeted by the IRS. That day, the IRS closed the charity where I was employed. The days and weeks ahead were like being on a never-ending roller-coaster ride. The Rabbi Bentzion Pil and his wife Mattie had created the charity. It was their baby. They had many struggles while they continually nurtured the Jewish Educational Center through the years. As it grew, the rabbi started one of the first “donate-your-car” programs in the United States. The charity auctioned the cars. During the last years, it brought in more than eight million dollars annually. It became one of the largest used car business in the U.S. It also became the blueprint for other charities to follow. Programs were added, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for the many Russian immigrants, a day school, and a Russian magazine. The money rolled in, yet the accounting system didn’t sufficiently show where the money rolled out. The IRS, the state attorney general, and other agencies began looking at the charity. This is the story as to what really happened during the finals months and days of the charity-before the Rabbi Pil received his sentence.