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Home › Articles › Special Needs › I Am My Brother's Keeper

I Am My Brother's Keeper

A 7-Year-Old Author and the Battle Against Autism

By Mark Stackpole

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After Justin turned 2, other tell-tale symptoms began to manifest, including spinning, sensitivity to noise and an aversion to the feel of certain textures, like sand. Temper tantrums followed soon after. At first, their pediatrician attributed Justin's behavior to shyness and immaturity. After frequent visits over the next few weeks, the doctor diagnosed Justin with severe autism.

"We didn't know anything about autism,"says Donna."The only image we had [came] from the movies Rain Man and Radio. I asked about therapy and medications, but the doctor told us that there was nothing we could really do. It was a very sad ride home."

Donna and Justin visited several more doctors, but the news remained basically the same. That was not good enough for Donna, and she began researching options, not only to help her son, but to advocate for autism awareness in general.

With help from everyone from chiropractors and massage therapists to a naturopathic doctor and the traditional medical community, Justin Richards is doing quite well. "He's not cured and a cure may never exist, but he is a far cry from where we were told he would be," she says."Living day-to-day with an autistic child can be challenging, but we would not trade it for the world."

Diagnosing the Disorder
Though Jace's authorship of a book is a unique step, many families face the fear and confusion that comes with a child being diagnosed with autsm. While there is a greater awareness about autism today, that wasn't always the case, says Dr. Katherine Loveland, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Texas Medical School in Houston, Texas.

"Autism is mysterious, and it is hard to treat," Dr. Loveland says. "In the past, diagnoses of autism often were not made until the child was 5, 6 or even older, in part because clinicians were using different criteria for making diagnoses. However, today there is more agreement about what autism is and how to diagnose it." Better diagnosing means that autism rates are increasing, but it also means that the children who need help are getting it sooner.

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