Growing Up With Autism: Journeys of Love, Devotion, And Hope (ePub)

This book is edited by Lirio Sobrevinas-Covey, mother of a young man with autism who founded and is the current president of the Association for Adults with Autism Philippines. The book is an anthology of 9 narratives written by mothers and fathers of children aged 9 to 37, two of whom are females, seven are males. The first article is an autobiographical account written by the editor (Covey) that begins with the family's gradual acknowledgement of her son's atypical behavioral patterns that had become evident during his earliest years, the eventual recognition that autism, a condition defined by a myriad of unusual behaviors, little understood at that time, encapsulated the son's condition. The second article is a wrenching and deeply moving account of a single father's struggles raising his daughter to young adulthood brought about by the mother's decision to leave, relinquish the duty of raising her autistic daughter. Common to the stories are the parents' initial reactions of shock, denial, confusion, and anxiety at learning of their child's autism diagnosis, a resolve to learn as much as they could about the condition itself, as well as their efforts in searching and trying out various therapies that would improve their child's condition, with a view of preparing them to meet the challenges of adulthood. Across the stories are manifestations of the variability in the behavioral profiles among autistic individuals - along with negative traits of unpredictability, aggressiveness, and self-injury, also present in various doses are positive traits of sweetness, caring, perseverance, and capabilities. Accordingly, across the stories are accounts of diverse ways the families have coped given the variability in autism characteristics - affecting decisions and changes in the families' career decisions, residential choices and lifestyle.