“Take him home, love him, and save your money for his institutionalization when he turns twenty-one.”
That was the best advice his doctor could offer in 1990 when three-year-old Ben was diagnosed with autism. Saving Ben tells the story of Ben’s regression as an infant into the world of autism and his journey toward recovery as a young adult.
This is a raw, honest, no-punches pulled look at a father trying to deal with his autistic son, his disintegrating marriage and a medical community and school system that have resigned themselves in thinking there is no recovery for autism. Dan E. Burns and his wife were thrilled when their son Ben was born. They attributed his odd behaviors as eccentricity – he was a different child than their other two children. At age three, Ben was diagnosed with autism. Mr. Burns chronicles his struggles with his son, his family and most of all, with those he turns to for answers (doctors, teachers, therapists).
I must admit, reading this intimate look at the author’s daily struggles, had me asking myself if I would be strong enough? Mind you, Mr. Burns was not a saint every step of the way and he fully admits those times when he wanted to give up and those moments when he wondered if he could ever love his son. I have a good friend whose son may be autistic. She is currently going through test after test after analysis after test with her son. I will be passing this on to her in hopes it may provide some information.
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Book Information:
ISBN: 1-57441-269-8
Subject: nonfiction memoir
192 pages
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