At age two-and-a-half, Anne Moore Burnett’s son Joey was diagnosed with severe autism. In high school, he excelled and became valedictorian of the Bishop Stang High School class of 2008. Today, Joey is a senior at Brown University.

The road to success wasn’t easy for Burnett or for Joey.

Burnett, a Marion resident, was empowered to take on Joey's disorder when she read that early diagnosis was key in ensuring the best life for children suffering from autism.

Burnett said she attributes Joey's high functionality to the early diagnosis process, which inspired her to help other parents develop the skills they need to help their autistic children succeed.

The result was "Step Ahead of Autism: What You Can Do to Ensure the Best Possible Outcome for Your Child." It's part memoir, part guide for raising an autistic child.

Each chapter of the book talks about a situation Burnett went through with Joey, which serves as a lesson for one of her 10 steps. The chapters are followed by exercises parents can do, mostly in the form of writing down feelings in response to questions she poses.

Burnett said there are lots of books out there on autism, many of them written in the last decade when people became more aware of the disorder, but "nobody tells you how or why to make certain choices."

She wrote the first half of the book in eight weeks. "After I wrote the first paragraph, it all came pouring out," she said.

In March 2010, after completing the first half, Burnett sent a book proposal to Sunrise River Press and received an offer on it.

After completing the second half, going through edits, and signing the final contacts, Burnett finally held the book in her hands on October 15 of this year.

"Step Ahead of Autism" features a foreward by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a noted pediatrician and host of the cable TV program "What Every Baby Knows." Brazelton was one of the first doctors Burnett and Joey worked with after Brazelton became interested in Joey's case because he was diagnosed so young.

The book is available online at www.amazon.com and at Barnes & Nobel (www.barnesandnoble.com). It can also be purchased at Baker Books in North Dartmouth and at Bookstall, located at 151 Front Street in Marion.

Burnett will be doing a reading and book signing on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at Baker Books.

For more information on the book, Burnett, and her 10 step program for parents of autistic children, visit alleviateautism.com.