The above is the banner from Sam's Web site on dinosaurs. He did all the drawing for the site.

Max has his own site too, all about Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards: yugiohMAX.com.

 

If you have a child who recently received an autism diagnosis, please know:

1. There is hope

2. Autism is treatable

3. Recovery is possible

... no matter what your doctor told you or what you may have believed before.

I should know. I'm Yvonne Aileen (Psst! over here in the red shirt!), and with me are my two monkeys [ahem] sons: Sam (L) and Max (R). If you can't tell which boy was diagnosed with autism, good. I hope people will say the same about your child one day soon.

Sam (striped shirt) was diagnosed with autism at age 2 1/2. We were lucky: we found out early, and were able to connect with the right professionals and resources. Sam is 11 years old now and doing great! He is in public school without an aide (though he does receive extra help in math and speech) and is making friends and having fun. He excels in spelling, reading and art. (He's also great at math but he hates story problems!) He loves music (especially Rock & Roll), Shel Silverstein poetry, and likes to write his own poems in the Silverstein style. He loves reading about, discussing and drawing dinosaurs and even has his own dinosaurs for kids Web site, Kids Dig Dinos.* He has a second Web site that showcases, among other artwork, his recent fascination with ghosts. His favorite things to do in the whole world are drawing, biking, play dates and sleepovers with his friends, especially if it's not at our house. "I want a sleepover, not a Sam-over," he quips. He is funny, loving, and well on the road to recovery. In fact, I am certain he would not receive an autism diagnosis today. I can't say that he is fully recovered yet because he still has some minor social quirks, like talking off-topic at times when he's distracted, but I believe Sam will recover fully one day. In the words of one of his former aides, he is truly "walking away from autism."

Read our family's autism story here.

I created this Web site as an autism resource for parents for two reasons: (1) I am deeply grateful for Sam's phenomenal progress, and (2) I want to help other families who have received what can only be seen as devastating news: there is something wrong with their child. And whether the doctor called it autism (ASD), high-functioning autism, Aspergers, PDD (pervasive developmental delay), PDD-NOS (PDD not otherwise specified), ADD or ADHD doesn't really matter. It is all part of the autism spectrum.

I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. I'm just a mom who's done her homework: reading dozens of books, reports, newsletters, Web sites, attending panels, seminars, interviewing physicians, nurses, scientists, speech pathologists, naturopaths, physical therapists, and parents, volunteering for a nonprofit that helps physicians screen kids for autism, and researching and writing articles on autism, one of which was sent to our State legislature as background on the subject. If you're like me, you want answers, and you want them now. On Autism Answers Now, I've created an FAQ containing answers to the most commonly asked questions about autism, and I will also try to answer any other questions you may have, so please e-mail me (yvonne at pdxwriter dot com). I'm also including some autism resources I found extremely helpful in my search for answers.

We're all in this together, fighting the good fight for our kids, and we will win.

Many blessings to your and your family,

Yvonne