THE AUTISM EXPERIENCE

A few years ago, I decided to put together a book of stories, and these stories would come from parents who had kids with a disability. My own son, Richard, has Down syndrome and it wasn’t that I desperately wanted to write about it but I had spoken to so many parents who were so sick to death of people saying totally inane things like, ‘Oh God has given you such a blessing’ or ‘God only gives special babies to special people.’ Well, frankly, I didn’t feel that special so I, with the help of two great people, Cindy Dowling and Neil Nicoll, put together a book called LESSONS FROM MY CHILD, that would explain what actually happens to families who have a child who is ‘different’. It was quite successful and we sold it to Finch here in Australia and also sold rights in the US, UK and Japan.

So the world of disability is part of my life and I couldn’t wait to see JCP’s THE AUTISM EXPERIENCE put together by the truly amazing Valerie Foley. Valerie is one of those great people who has an enormous intellect, great sense of humour, boundless energy, and is also a kind and passionate soul. Her son, Billy, has autism, and she along with a group of amazing women ‘all came together on the internet, the place where we all found ourselves at 3am, following yet another bout of odd behaviour’ and compiled THE AUTISM EXPERIENCE. The book is just what the title says: their experiences with their children, their autistic children.

And so this book grew out of advice, stories and concerns that these mothers shared — not only the small stuff but also the big stuff. It is about the life that these mothers live and it is about how best to deal with their kids, the ones they so greatly love, the ones who rattle them to their very core, the ones who are theirs.

If you have a child who is autistic or know of someone who has a child who is, then I highly recommend this book. It’s as if you suddenly have all this knowledge at your fingertips — knowledge that comes from experience not from some doctor or academic who tells you your child should behave like ‘this’. It’s down-to-earth ‘this is what happened to me and what we did about it’ type stuff. The thing with autism is that you just can’t put these kids into one mould, no sirreee, but there are commonalities, all of which are discussed in good old-fashioned ‘mum words’. There are some moving and profound words written in this book. Their honesty is confronting and at times reading the book has left me in a flood of tears. The chapter MUMMY INSPIRATION is one not to be missed — grab the tissues!

Having a child with a disability is one of the most challenging and yet rewarding journeys in life. What is great about THE AUTISM EXPERIENCE is that it has the ability to make you feel safe, to reassure any parent that it’s okay, that you are not alone, that your child will survive and so will you.

Happy Children, Happy Reading!

Benny

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