Autism Uncensored: Pulling Back the Curtain - Honest Insights & Personal Stories for Parents, Educators & Caregivers | Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder

An intelligent, literate and honest account of how one couple confronted the challenges presented by their firstborn, a son with autism. Because it is honest, it is also brave in its description of the unconventional, but ultimately successful, means employed to help their son confront some of the unnatural barriers created by autism that stood between him and enjoying what life has to offer. Some of those means may seem as extreme in the telling as they must have been to witness, but have been too quickly criticized by those unable to fully understand and appreciate the context in which they were employed by a loving parent seeking to overcome simple fears that “normal” children confront and quickly dispel every day on their own. Their success in an arena where success comes hard undercuts criticism, however well-meaning.There are unlimited flavors of autism and every instance of it is different from all others, some of the differences being ingrained and some influenced the environment in which its owner exists. My experience as a parent of a now 38-year old son with autism was much different than Whitney’s for many reasons, not the least of which was our age when he was born, the fact that he was the last of five children and our acceptance and commitment to deal with his autism from the moment he was diagnosed. His natural make-up was such that he had no fear of the dark, strange places, or of flying, no fling with fecal art, and no history of “acting out,” but there is also a good bit of him in Whitney’s description of her son. Parents newly confronted with autism should keep the “unlimited flavors” truth in mind and not be discouraged the horror stories in Whitney’s book. Staying the course on whatever path their child’s autism leads them will yield special rewards of satisfaction and accomplishment, result in exposure to a spirit of unique purity, and give a validation to parenting that I did not experience from my “normal” children.This is an important and useful addition to the literature on autism. Thank you, Whitney!