Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.
This is the story of how my son has recovered from an autism spectrum disorder and how I am managing and working to recover from a neuro-immune disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I discuss the ups and downs of our lives as well as much of the information that led to my son's recovery and my own progress- autism and M.E. are both manifestations of the same underlying disease processes.
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Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Autism Family
It's April and therefore Autism Awareness Month once again. This year, there have been some uncharacteristically good pieces done about autism. This one, by Robert MacNeil of the MacNeil Newshour deserves a special note. Many of us have believed that autism will begin to be fairly and accurately represented in the media only once members of the media themselves find their families affected, and this piece about Mr MacNeil's grandson Nick demonstrates that. Nick's mom Alison is a Warrior Mom and she is given room to speak her mind. The piece talks about Nick's regression from being a healthy baby into a very sick child, with mitochondrial dysfunction and severe gut injuries after receiving vaccinations around the age of 15 months. I was also struck both by how much this little boy reminds me of Roo when he was 6, as well as what his sister has to say about being a sibling of a child with autism. That part breaks my heart as I know that Roo's older brother has lived under the shadow of autism and I know how true this sister's perspective is about life as the sibling.