Kephart writes a heart-warming story about the trials her son went through growing up as an autistic child. She begins the books in the hospital, as they bring her newborn child to her, and lay him in her arms for the first time. She continues on with taking him home, and the first few months of his life. She gives up working days to care for Jeremy, and tries to work at night, when he and her husband sleep. This is a very dedicated mother, and in the first few chapters, you get the feeling that she is overprotective and that Jeremy’s main problem is his mother. But as you continue on, you see that Jeremy is a very different child and needs this special attention that his mother has given him.

She tells about how her family and friends told her and her husband that they thought something was wrong with their son. She struggled through the thought of Jeremy not being perfect. She refused to listen at first, but then eventually noticed that his speech was delayed. Her husband and her made the decision to have him tested. They found out through the testing that they had an autistic child.

This book tells about the signs and symptoms that Jeremy showed as an autistic child. She describes how he would line toys up perfectly, and then not want anyone to move them. He would play with them in his head. She describes the first time she decided to leave him with a babysitter, and the trauma that both Jeremy and his mother went through with the unsuccessful attempt. She gets him into a day care and explains the lengthy and painful process of finally leaving him there. She goes into great detail about how she has to fight the school system to get her child into a normal classroom.

Kephart’s poetic writing captures your attention throughout the whole book. I would recommend this to everyone who might be working around autistic people so they can understand the struggle and the challenges that are present when working with autistic people.

Categories: Memoirs, MentalHealth