When I first heard about John’s diagnosis in the Spring of 2005, I knew nothing about autism. Like a lot of folks, my only reference point at the time was the movie Rain Man. Of course I know now, Raymond Babbitt was a dramatized version of an autistic savant and that manifestations of autism cover a wide spectrum. But I talk to folks today and for some that movie is what they think of when they hear the word autism.

The next obvious step was to scour the internet. I was intent on learning more about what John and his family were facing especially since back then we lived 3000 miles away in Redmond, Washington. I found clinical definitions, charity sites, news articles, blogs – a wide range sources and stories none of which gave me a sense of what it was like to raise a child with autism.

There were several memoirs written by parents of children with autism. I’m not sure how I picked it – probably based on reviews – but the first book I read was Susan Senator’s Making Peace With Autism. She is a professional writer and lecturer so it is a well-written account of how autism has affected her life. I believe her son Nat, who has autism, was around 13 at the time the book was written so it covered everything from the initial diagnosis to family dynamics as time passed. Reading it helped me gain perspective. Can you recommend any similarly enlightening books about autism?

Last Modified : February 20th, 2008 Filed under : autism Navigate : Previous post / Next post