Product Description

The various responsibilities and rewards that accompany parenthood provoke strong emotions, and with an autistic child, these feelings are often both heightened and contradictory. Starting and ending on the eve of her son's birthday, the date that also marks the anniversary of his diagnosis, Jennifer Overton uses the key calendar events in the year to discuss the roller coaster of emotions that accompany life with her autistic son Nicholas. Among many episodes, she describes the disappointment on her wedding anniversary as she realizes that Nicholas may never marry, the frustration on Mother's Day that comes from parenting a child without hugs and kisses, and the fear on his first day at school that while she may love him unconditionally, the wider world may not be so sympathetic. Using dialogue, narrative, letters and pictures, this book is a powerful account of what it is like to mother an autistic child, which puts a much-needed human face to autism amid all the overwhelming myths and facts that surround it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #519921 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-05
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .55" h x 6.34" w x 9.10" l, .76 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 221 pages

Book Info
Author chronicles key calendar events in the year to illustrate the emotions that accompany life with her autistic son. Emphasizes the grief involved in parenting an autistic child and the joy felt with each accomplishment. For consumers. Softcover.

About the Author
Jennifer Overton graduated from York University, Toronto with a Master's Degree in Theatre Performance and has been a professional actor, director and educator for over twenty years. She lives with her family in Halifax, Nova Scotia.