Between Their World and Ours: Breakthroughs with Autistic Children
(New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003) - See Reviews
Synopsis:
   Autism has reached epidemic proportions. The latest studies suggest that as many as 5.5 per 1,000 school-age children may be affected by autism—a total of 300,000 children in the United States alone.
   Traditionally, autism has had a bleak prognosis but the tide seems to be turning. Zelan’s book illustrates how diagnostic labels sometimes reflect the preconceptions of experts who believe that “autism is a terrible disease to be gotten rid of as soon as possible,” or who are at a loss to assist parents in their attempts to get through to their withdrawn, sometimes wild offspring.
    Describing nine of the forty-five children with whom she has worked, the author documents how psychotherapy and school programs with autistic youth help them overcome their problems in communicating, playing, feeling, thinking, learning and interacting with people more companionably.
   Her book goes beyond labeling in revealing the unique person who carries the label and his or her potential as a human being. The real-life narratives reveal what works with these youth and why. Finally, Zelan offers prescriptive suggestions for parents and teachers based on her work, demonstrating humane ways of dealing with the often troubling problems of autism and of closing the gap between their world and ours.
This book can be purchased at amazon.com

The Risks of Knowing : Developmental Impediments to School Learning
New York: (Plenum press, 1991)

On Learning to Read: The Child’s Fascination with Meaning (co-authored with Bruno Bettelheim, Knopf, 1981)

Aprender a Leer, (co-authored Bruno Bettelheim, Critica, November 2001)

Work in progress: Sequel to Between Their World and Ours
Karen Zelan is currently writing a second book on families with autistic youth, describing in detail how parents can and do arrive at ingenious programs and strategies that bring their children out of their isolation into the family world, the world of school, and the world at large. Her book is provisionally titled, “The Scientist in the Office and Other Amazing Stories.”

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Karen Zelan currently reviews books for the
American Psychological Association’s (APA) journal,
Contemporary Psychology (PsycCritiques)
and the journal, Psychologist-Psychoanalyst