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Saving My Sons: A Journey with Autism
Ilana and Martin Gerschlowitz were an ordinary South African couple – young, newly married with bright, promising futures – that is, before autism came knocking on their door. Saving My Sons tells of a journey few parents would ever want to encounter. Unwilling to accept the hopelessness of an autism prognosis, the couple set out to rescue their son from the fortress that kept him from them. Never giving up, Ilana spent every waking moment researching the illness until she found answers. Subsequently, drawing from international experts, she has gone on to help countless children facing learning challenges. When autism struck again, threatening another son’s future, their mission became clear. This was not a fight they were prepared to lose. You can’t read this book and remain untouched by the tenacity of a mother fighting to give her children their best lives, achieving the impossible and beyond.
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2019
11 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Ilana Gerschlowitz
2 books8 followersIlana Gerschlowitz lives in Johannesburg South Africa with her husband and three children.
She completed a Commerce Degree at the University of South Africa in 1997. She went on to complete a Law Degree at The University of the Witwatersrand and was subsequently admitted and practiced as an attorney in 1999.
After her eldest son was diagnosed with autism she abandoned her law career and immersed herself in research to find solutions. In 2009 she hosted the landmark Challenging Children Conference in South Africa which provided a platform for the presentation of the latest treatments and developments in autism including ABA. Thereafter, she founded The Star Academy which provides ABA services to children with autism or a related disorder. Ilana has been the driving force behind ensuring that parents around South Africa and Africa receive expert ABA services for their children.
She is also the Founding Director of Catch Up Kids, which helps children overcome learning challenges.
Ilana was recognised for her work in education in 2015 and received the CEO Global award for Africa’s most influential woman in Business and Government in the Education and Training Private Sector Category where she won Region, Country and Continent.
During 2016 she sat for the Board Certified Autism Technician (BCAT) examination accredited by the Behavioural Intervention Certification Council based in the US.
In 2018 she qualified as a finalist for the Europcar Jewish Woman in Leadership Award.
Ilana has been extensively interviewed in the media on her work in ABA and autism over many years. She has also been a guest speaker at numerous international conferences on autism. She is the author of Saving My Sons – A Journey with Autism which she launched in 2019. Her book sends a powerful message to parents and professionals in the world of autism highlighting the need for and recognition of ABA not only in South Africa but also on the continent of Africa.
Ilana is a parent coach and an expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She records podcasts with many international autism doctors and autism specialists which she shares on a facebook group she created for parents and professionals ie Autism: Now What? https://www.facebook.com/groups/56550... Ilana is passionate about helping other parents access the right services.
If you are worried about your child’s development and behaviour and need a plan to figure out what is affecting them and how to take action then you can find out more about Intevention Roadmapping here: https://go.thestaracademy.co.za/
She completed a Commerce Degree at the University of South Africa in 1997. She went on to complete a Law Degree at The University of the Witwatersrand and was subsequently admitted and practiced as an attorney in 1999.
After her eldest son was diagnosed with autism she abandoned her law career and immersed herself in research to find solutions. In 2009 she hosted the landmark Challenging Children Conference in South Africa which provided a platform for the presentation of the latest treatments and developments in autism including ABA. Thereafter, she founded The Star Academy which provides ABA services to children with autism or a related disorder. Ilana has been the driving force behind ensuring that parents around South Africa and Africa receive expert ABA services for their children.
She is also the Founding Director of Catch Up Kids, which helps children overcome learning challenges.
Ilana was recognised for her work in education in 2015 and received the CEO Global award for Africa’s most influential woman in Business and Government in the Education and Training Private Sector Category where she won Region, Country and Continent.
During 2016 she sat for the Board Certified Autism Technician (BCAT) examination accredited by the Behavioural Intervention Certification Council based in the US.
In 2018 she qualified as a finalist for the Europcar Jewish Woman in Leadership Award.
Ilana has been extensively interviewed in the media on her work in ABA and autism over many years. She has also been a guest speaker at numerous international conferences on autism. She is the author of Saving My Sons – A Journey with Autism which she launched in 2019. Her book sends a powerful message to parents and professionals in the world of autism highlighting the need for and recognition of ABA not only in South Africa but also on the continent of Africa.
Ilana is a parent coach and an expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She records podcasts with many international autism doctors and autism specialists which she shares on a facebook group she created for parents and professionals ie Autism: Now What? https://www.facebook.com/groups/56550... Ilana is passionate about helping other parents access the right services.
If you are worried about your child’s development and behaviour and need a plan to figure out what is affecting them and how to take action then you can find out more about Intevention Roadmapping here: https://go.thestaracademy.co.za/
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 4, 2024
This book pushes a dangerous and misleading narrative. The author’s agenda is to spread awareness on ‘curing’ or ‘preventing’ autism. This is incredibly harmful to autistic people, such as myself, as autism is not treatable. She is suggesting that society trains neurodivergent youth to make everyone else comfortable. It is impossible to restructure neurological pathways. It pushes stigma around an autism diagnosis, shames neurodivergent people and force us into a box which makes us unhappy. There are plenty of other incredible books on this topic and I do not recommend this to parents trying to understand their child’s differences. The statistics in this book are manipulated and falsified. Knowledge is a powerful tool, do not allow this book to taint it. I assure you that anyone that enjoyed this book or found it helpful is not autistic.
January 2, 2025
"Saving My Sons" by Ilana Gerschlowitz and Marion Scher is a dangerous, potentially harmful book. The very first sentence of the prologue defines autism as an illness (it's not), and it all goes downhill from there.
In chapter 7, the author proclaims her intention "to kill autism with one big blow to the head".
In chapter 15, she writes "I'll never forget the day in the kitchen when David pushed me too far. This time it escalated so quickly that, before I had realised what I was doing, I found my hands around his neck. As I squeezed tight, I suddenly let go. David looked as if he was passing out and about to drop to the floor. The room started to swim around me as I thought I'd killed him. Thankfully, he came to. I started screaming and screaming".
This is child abuse. Worse than that, it's an apology of child abuse. That little turn of phrase, "when David pushed me too far", is one of the textbook tactics abusers use to justify themselves: it's called victim-blaming; domestic violence victims and maltreated children around the world know all about it.
My take as a human being is that nobody should be taking parenting lessons from someone who attempted to strangle her own son.
My take as an actually autistic person, who used to be an actually autistic kid, is that I'm so glad my mother never set eyes on this book, never subjected me to the humiliation of ABA, and never, ever lifted a finger on me.
In chapter 7, the author proclaims her intention "to kill autism with one big blow to the head".
In chapter 15, she writes "I'll never forget the day in the kitchen when David pushed me too far. This time it escalated so quickly that, before I had realised what I was doing, I found my hands around his neck. As I squeezed tight, I suddenly let go. David looked as if he was passing out and about to drop to the floor. The room started to swim around me as I thought I'd killed him. Thankfully, he came to. I started screaming and screaming".
This is child abuse. Worse than that, it's an apology of child abuse. That little turn of phrase, "when David pushed me too far", is one of the textbook tactics abusers use to justify themselves: it's called victim-blaming; domestic violence victims and maltreated children around the world know all about it.
My take as a human being is that nobody should be taking parenting lessons from someone who attempted to strangle her own son.
My take as an actually autistic person, who used to be an actually autistic kid, is that I'm so glad my mother never set eyes on this book, never subjected me to the humiliation of ABA, and never, ever lifted a finger on me.
October 6, 2023
A highly suggested read for ALL health care workers and for all people that are in the circle of anyone who has a child with autism. This is a brutally honest account of a family’s experience. It brought me to tears and opened my eyes & heart. Parents who have children with autism face many, many challenges.
April 14, 2020
A fascinating and hugely important book which shattered all I thought I knew about autism. Ilana Gerschlowitz offers a frank account of her gruelling and ongoing battle with the condition which strikes not once but twice. The second time though, Ilana was ready for it and she took Autism head on and beat it, reversing the condition completely in her youngest son.
I could not put this book down.
Ultimately, in spite of Ilana's ongoing challenges with her eldest son, David, hers is a story of hope and a tribute to the love and dedication of a mother who knows no bounds when it comes to her children’s wellbeing and development.
I could not put this book down.
Ultimately, in spite of Ilana's ongoing challenges with her eldest son, David, hers is a story of hope and a tribute to the love and dedication of a mother who knows no bounds when it comes to her children’s wellbeing and development.
October 30, 2025
I encourage everyone considering purchasing this book to be fully aware of the author's perspectives before spending their money. Having read the book thoroughly, I found it similar to many others on the topic and did not find it especially groundbreaking.
However, my concerns grew when the author engaged on a national autism resource page I manage and publicly disagreed with me regarding fake folinic acid supplements, which I warned parents about due to lack of proven medical benefits and low active ingredient levels. She recommended these products and mentioned my child, which felt inappropriate as she has not met him. I believe parents should speak only about their own children.
Readers should exercise caution and conduct their own research before spending money on any book or supplement. Be especially careful about claims suggesting autism is curable or promoting products that lack medical endorsement. I advise researching the author thoroughly, including publicly available information on social media.
However, my concerns grew when the author engaged on a national autism resource page I manage and publicly disagreed with me regarding fake folinic acid supplements, which I warned parents about due to lack of proven medical benefits and low active ingredient levels. She recommended these products and mentioned my child, which felt inappropriate as she has not met him. I believe parents should speak only about their own children.
Readers should exercise caution and conduct their own research before spending money on any book or supplement. Be especially careful about claims suggesting autism is curable or promoting products that lack medical endorsement. I advise researching the author thoroughly, including publicly available information on social media.
August 8, 2019
SAVING. MY SONS by ILANA GERSCHLOWITZ
If Martin and Ilana were marathon runners they would certainly be first across the finishing line. They never give up! This is a story of exceptional parents in Johannesburg who have three remarkable sons - not one, but two of their sons, it is discovered, have autistism. This book is the family journey moving heaven and earth to help these two boys find their voice.
Lawyer mum Ilana has many alternate theories, ideas and a team of professionals that band together to open a school for autism with astounding results. Ilana and Martin eat, breath and live a life of helping their sons. Their story left me wanting to get on the next plane to hug this incredible family. Wow, what remarkable results through years of hard work, determination and endurance. Loved them all.
I went through a box of Kleenex with the highs and lows of life in the Gerschlowitz household.
Highly recommended. 5 stars.
If Martin and Ilana were marathon runners they would certainly be first across the finishing line. They never give up! This is a story of exceptional parents in Johannesburg who have three remarkable sons - not one, but two of their sons, it is discovered, have autistism. This book is the family journey moving heaven and earth to help these two boys find their voice.
Lawyer mum Ilana has many alternate theories, ideas and a team of professionals that band together to open a school for autism with astounding results. Ilana and Martin eat, breath and live a life of helping their sons. Their story left me wanting to get on the next plane to hug this incredible family. Wow, what remarkable results through years of hard work, determination and endurance. Loved them all.
I went through a box of Kleenex with the highs and lows of life in the Gerschlowitz household.
Highly recommended. 5 stars.
April 29, 2020
Ilana and Martin's story is one of courage, hope and perseverance in the face of tribulations. Ilana provides ground breaking proof of the results of ABA therapy and shows how autism is not a lifelong disability - but a diagnosis from which one can fully recover. This book had me smiling and crying along with the Gerschlowitz family, as they faced the challenge of autism with their sons David and Aaron and how, wearing their boxing gloves, they saved them.
May 4, 2020
This is a book that I would highly recommend to any parent anywhere in the world with a child diagnosed with ASD. Ilana has blazed the trail for us who are very green and have a lot to learn with regards to handling our angels.I can confidently say that having read this book I now understand my lovely son Jimrohn more than I did before. Am also optimistic now more than ever that he will be able to live an independent life. The book is a gem to say the least.
September 27, 2019
Ilana and Martin, with great tenacity and faith, have created their own family normal while fighting autism head on. Their lives are filled with immense suffering and heartbreak and yet somehow, they always take many steps forward. I highly recommend this book that brings and wish immense blessings to this strong couple.
April 29, 2020
Ilana Gerschlowitz, you are an inspiration not only as a mother but as role model!
This book is fantastic read about a mother fighting the battle of Autism and winning. I have never come across someone so determined to make a difference. You were born to achieve great things and great things you have!
This book is fantastic read about a mother fighting the battle of Autism and winning. I have never come across someone so determined to make a difference. You were born to achieve great things and great things you have!
April 29, 2020
Loved every second of this book. Ilana writes with such emotion and passion, you feel every every emotion she feels. Excellent read!
April 30, 2020
Such an inspiring story of a family never giving up with their fight against Autism. I could not put the book down, definitely worth the read!
January 31, 2024
Disgusting negative take on autism from someone who attempted to kill her child and uses the PTSD-inducing ABA.
November 26, 2019
This book is a classic and a must-read for any parents having kids who have learning challenges
Being a parent to a child diagnosed with autism in Chicago - reading this book was a treasure cove for me. I had started ABA for my child (now 5 years old and non-verbal) and I have just got in touch with CARD. Need to take on the bio-medical treatment part which none of the doctors I visited here in Chicago have touched upon (sadly!).
Being a parent to a child diagnosed with autism in Chicago - reading this book was a treasure cove for me. I had started ABA for my child (now 5 years old and non-verbal) and I have just got in touch with CARD. Need to take on the bio-medical treatment part which none of the doctors I visited here in Chicago have touched upon (sadly!).
April 29, 2020
The book is extremely well written and plenty of research went into finding the best way to help Autism. The book shows how parents will do anything to help their children overcame challenges and reach their full potential. The Gerschlowitz's explored every possible avenue available in their quest to help their sons recover from Autism. It portrays their personal journey and obstacles they had to overcame and endure to get where they are today. The book explains that with the right methods and treatments recovery is possible! A must read!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews