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Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened With Autism
by Patricia StaceyA compelling and inspiring read which should be of interest to anyone who cares about the lives of children; and especially for parents and professionals who care for children with autism and other special needs.
In 1997, writer Patricia Stacey and her husband Cliff learned that their six-month-old son Walker might never walk or talk, or even hear or see.
Unwilling to accept this grim prediction, they embarked on a five-year odyssey that took them into alternative medicine, the newest brain research, and toward a new and innovative understanding of autism.
Finally their search led them to pioneering developmental psychiatrist Stanley Greenspan who helped them save their son and bring him into full contact with the world.
This enthralling memoir, at once heart wrenching and hopeful, takes the reader into the life of one remarkable family willing to do anything to give their son a rich and emotionally full life. We stand witness as they struggle to elicit the first sign that Walker is connecting with them, and share in their fears, struggles, tiny victories, and eventual triumphs.
The Boy Who Loved Windows is compelling and inspiring reading for parents and professionals who care for children with autism and other special needs. The book is also a stunning literary debut, of interest to anyone who cares about the lives of children and the passion of families who, against huge odds, put these children first.
To the Sirens first shalt thou come, who bewitch all men, whosoever shall come to them.
- Homer
The day before my son was born, my four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and I were sitting in her room looking out at the treetops. That afternoon, mid-October in New England, the leaves seemed almost burning with color-yellow, orange, and purple-and I was trying to explain to her how something, before death, could be so glorious. At that moment I wanted to tell her everything, about the science of trees, about the odd and mysterious cycles that make up this life, the paradoxes. I had the perverse idea that she might want to know that the trees themselves were choking their own leaves of chlorophyll, but Elizabeth exclaimed, "Oh, I just have to be there--out there!" She ran down the stairs. I followed slowly, hefting my stomach, breathing like a geriatric. (By then I couldn't even see my feet.) Outside, the wind was up, a hundred leaves seemed to be raining toward us and she held ...
This is gripping, real life family drama at its best. It should go without saying that this would be useful reading for anybody involved with autism - but The Boy Who Loved Windows has been, and should continue to be, read by a wider audience for the raw power of the writing and the story told.
If you liked The Boy Who Loved Windows, try these:
by Judith Newman
Published 2018
From the author of the viral New York Times op-ed column "To Siri with Love" comes a collection of touching, hilarious, and illuminating stories about life with a thirteen-year-old boy with autism that hold insights and revelations for us all.
by Marti Leimbach
Published 2007
A moving, deeply absorbing story of a family in crisis. What sets it apart from most fiction about difficult subjects such as autism, is the author's ability to write about a sad and frightening situation with a seamless blend of warmth, compassion and humor.
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Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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