Dedication:
This book is dedicated to my son Zachary, born August 12th,
1997. On April 3rd, 2000, a pediatrician confirmed our fears.
Zachary exhibited many signs of autism. It is also dedicated to my wonderful
8-year-old daughter, Anika, and my husband, Fred, who have both been God-sends
throughout this ordeal. Finally, it is also dedicated to my mother, who passed
away five years ago and whose words provided guidance in the treatment of a
grandson she never knew. One year and a half ago, Zachary could barely utter
five words, yet, today, at the age of four and three months, he loves learning
on the computer, can count to 100, can read at least most words as long as he
knows the phonics for each word, knows his colors and shapes (including octagon,
hexagon, pentagon and trapezoid) and is beginning to speak in with basic
commands and a few sentences. More importantly, I now knew exactly how to turn
my son’s frustration on and off, like a switch! As a family, we now know that
Zachary will be one of the lucky ones to escape the grasp of autism and,
therefore, I wanted to share our family’s journey with other families who are
facing this foe as well as with those in the scientific community who devote
themselves to finding answers to the multi-faceted puzzle of autism.
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