Revolutionary Grandparents: Generations Healing Autism with Love and Hope

Description

What is it like to be part of a very special family, one that revolves around a child's struggle with autism or a related developmental disorder? In Revolutionary Grandparents, twenty-two grandmothers and grandfathers from the Thinking Moms' Revolution community share their experience and offer advice to others facing this monumental struggle. Many of these grandparents have moved in with their children and grandchildren to help with daily tasks-all have had to alter their lives drastically. From their front-row seat, they recount their stories. They describe what they observed and felt as their grandchildren regressed into autism, as well as the challenges their families faced as a result. But more importantly, they also write about the progress and the successes of their grandchildren. No two stories are alike in their details, but each one is similar in its honesty, passion, and overwhelming hope. Positivity is the common thread that ties together this unique collection of mini-memoirs.

Helen Conroy is president of The Thinking Moms' Revolution. She was vice president at a Fortune 500 Company before becoming development director for the ABLE Academy, a private school for developmentally disabled children. She resides in Naples, Florida. Team Thinking Moms' Revolution is a not-for-profit organization that assists families with medical, emotional, and financial hardship following their children's diagnoses of autism and other developmental disabilities. They are based in Naples, Florida. Dan Burton is the former US Representative for Indiana's fifth congressional district. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"Autism's toll includes the devastation of families. These stories are a tribute to the many grandparents who are devoting their lives to caring for their grandchildren. Their accounts are also a wakeup call to our nation. A previously rare disorder is now epidemic among America's children. Meanwhile, our public health authorities . . . bury their heads in the sand and pretend there is no crisis. Grandparents know better." Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., author of Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak "It takes a village to raise a family. When the 'A' word (Autism) is introduced, every emotion comes into play and grandparents become an even more integral part of that village. They are the silent warriors fighting for their grandkids, yearning for the same connection they felt with their own children. These heartrending and, at times, funny stories give us an emotional perspective of what a family encounters on the autism journey." Jenny McCarthy "These grandparents are living out a commitment to better the lives of their autistic grandchildren. The task is huge and the individual struggles unimaginable. Each success along the way inspires hope; these are stories that need to be read far and wide." Anne Dachel, media editor of Age of Autism and author of The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public "It takes a village to raise a child out of autism. Revolutionary Grandparents are the enduring, compassionate, and humble companions quietly sustaining the formidable journey back to health." Holistic Parenting Magazine "Autism's toll includes the devastation of families. These stories are a tribute to the many grandparents who are devoting their lives to caring for their grandchildren. Their accounts are also a wakeup call to our nation. A previously rare disorder is now epidemic among America's children. Meanwhile, our public health authorities . . . bury their heads in the sand and pretend there is no crisis. Grandparents know better." Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., author of Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak "It takes a village to raise a family. When the 'A' word (Autism) is introduced, every emotion comes into play and grandparents become an even more integral part of that village. They are the silent warriors fighting for their grandkids, yearning for the same connection they felt with their own children. These heartrending and, at times, funny stories give us an emotional perspective of what a family encounters on the autism journey." Jenny McCarthy "These grandparents are living out a commitment to better the lives of their autistic grandchildren. The task is huge and the individual struggles unimaginable. Each success along the way inspires hope; these are stories that need to be read far and wide." Anne Dachel, media editor of Age of Autism and author of The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public "It takes a village to raise a child out of autism. Revolutionary Grandparents are the enduring, compassionate, and humble companions quietly sustaining the formidable journey back to health." Holistic Parenting Magazine