Elizabeth’s Song

If you have picked up this book, chances are, you or someone you love has autism.   Autism is a condition that affects as many as 1 in 80 children, approaching epidemic proportions.  It is a complex neurobiological condition that lasts a lifetime, affecting a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others.  Referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the condition can vary widely in severity, from very mild to extremely debilitating.  At the same time, resources to support parents and children coping with the condition fall far short of what is needed.  Educational, medical, and insurance support are often inadequate or completely nonexistent.  Being primarily classified as a mental condition, autism does not get the attention, coverage, or support that other problems do.   Although it affects more children than AIDs, diabetes, and pediatric cancer combined, autism has far less research funding, community support, and medical assistance than each of those conditions.  Even though it is becoming more commonplace, autism is still poorly understood by the public at large.  This is all changing for the better, but progress is slow.

Autism is a tough row to hoe, because it often makes you feel as though everyone has failed you.  As a parent or relative of an autistic child, it may seem as if the whole world is against you…your doctors fail you, teachers and educators fail you, the legal system fails you, and sometimes, it feels like your own family is failing you.   There have been times when my wife and I were at our wits end.  Working to make sure your child is getting the best therapy, medical care, and educational assistance in addition to dealing with the day to day struggles of managing autism can be exhausting.  With a condition that is poorly understood by even the experts, the unknowns can make it very difficult to determine if you are doing the best for your child, and if it is the right thing to do.  Our minds often swirled with questions.  Is this the right therapy?  Is this the best medical approach? Is this the best school? What are the teachers really doing with our child daily?  Are we trained well enough to deal with the problems at home?  Is our child progressing or regressing?  What will happen as they get older? Are they eating enough? What caused this?  Was it our fault? These questions can eat away at you to the point of making yourself physically ill. 

As I researched, I found many parents in this situation who were so beleaguered they had begun questioning their faith.  I wrote this book for them, for you.  I’m here to tell you that no matter how bad things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  There IS joy to be had in your life with your child.   God does have a plan, a destination.  But getting there sometimes takes a little help and understanding.  Understanding that you may not be getting from anyone else.  Understanding that can only be found with others who have had the same experiences.  As a result, to make this book as valuable to you as possible, I have not pulled any punches.  I’m sharing with you the raw feelings and experiences that any parent in this position would, because if I do not, it will appear to you as if this is fake, that it is not real, that perhaps I didn’t really experience what you are experiencing, or maybe I didn’t have it “quite as bad” and so therefore my advice cannot be completely valid.  No, it is real my friend.  I’m sharing this experience with you, in hopes that you will not only find some good advice on dealing with common problems associated with the condition, but that it will give you comfort and hope.