978-1572305441

Teddy 97
at home as well. Sean was a salesman who traveled a great deal. Melody
did not have family in the area, having moved here from England, and
so she had little support to cope with the chaos that sometimes accompanies
a child who has both autism and hyperactivity.
Our appointment that day was intended to be a feedback session,
where parents ask questions about autism and what it means for the future.
The same three questions come up time and again during these
sessions: What caused the disorder, what can we expect for the future,
and what can we do to help? We had little opportunity to talk seriously
that day while Teddy was running around, so I suggested that we meet
again without any of the children and talk about what was uppermost in
their minds.
When they returned a few weeks later, my heart went out to them.
As they came into the office I could see that they were very anxious. I
knew that during college Melody had taken a course in psychology and
had learned about autism from textbooks that were now out of date.
Sean had first heard about autism from movies he had seen on TV. What
they knew about the disorder was pretty discouraging.
“In college, I read that institutionalization was common, that children
with autism grow up to be loners, they can’t live without their parents,
they require constant supervision and are never normal,” Melody
said tearfully, shaking as she presented me with the information that
had frightened them both so deeply. While his wife spoke, Sean stoically
looked out the window, grim faced. Then he turned to me and said, “All
I know is what I’ve seen on TV: autistic adults sit in a corner all day and
rock back and forth, they don’t talk to anyone, and they injure themselves
when they get mad. Like Rain Man. Is that true? Is that what we
have to look forward to?”
As if the floodgates had opened, questions poured forth one after
the other as Sean reached over and held his wife’s hand tenderly: “Is
there any chance he will be normal?” “Do you know of any adults with
autism?” “How have they turned out?” I could just imagine them in the
kitchen, talking quietly after all the children had been put to bed, eager
to comfort each other but finding it difficult to do so, wondering about
the darkness that threatened to envelop them in the future.
I did indeed know some adults with autism and proceeded to tell
them about Woodview Manor, a supported independent living program
for young high-functioning adults with autism and AS.
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