United in Autism provided me with security in accepting my sons autism and, at the same time, not giving up on getting better despite the challenge.
Excerpts such as My brain told me to do it and would not stop until I did depict how our children sometimes have an incredibly difficult time controlling what their brains are telling their bodies to do. Albeit with difficulty, they ultimately do have control. As one mom told her son, You may have autism, but autism doesnt have you.
Thank you, Julie Hornok, for providing this compilation of stories that give us hope, strength, and peace in autism.
MARIANN GATTELARO, MS, CRC, LPC
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
Licensed Professional Counselor
Wise, authentic, and knowledgeable can hardly describe this beautiful book. To listen to parents from around the world describe their children, the conditions and attitudes toward autism in their countries, and their actions to improve lives is breathtaking. To better understand the inner world of an autistic child brings the reader to action in the outer world. Whether you have an autistic child or not, this authors work is motivating. Readers will thank Julie Hornok for bringing forth the voice of silence.
JACKIE WALDMAN
Author of the Courage to Give series
Julie Hornok knows how to draw readers in, capture their hearts, and leave them inspired. I have had the privilege of publishing Julies work in the autism community for many years and have witnessed the incredible difference her articles and blogs have made in the lives of thousands of families in more than 180 countries. Julie writes with a depth of honesty and passion that is hard to come by.
KENT POTTER
Founder and CEO of AutismSpot
United in Autism: Finding Strength inside the Spectrum offers a look into the lives of families around the globe sharing the experience of living with autism. Julie Hornok does an incredible job of curating the real-life stories of these fascinating children and their parents, and this book will undoubtedly open the eyes and hearts of all who read it.
WENDY FOURNIER
President of the National Autism Association
2018 Julie Hornok
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
United in Autism
Finding Strength inside the Spectrum
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail Drive, Suite 205
Dallas, Texas 75248
www.BrownBooks.com
(972) 381-0009
A New Era in Publishing
Names: Hornok, Julie.
Title: United in autism : finding strength inside the spectrum / Julie Hornok.
Description: Dallas, Texas : Brown Books Publishing Group, [2018]
Identifiers: ISBN 9781612542737
Subjects: LCSH: Parents of autistic children--Anecdotes. Autism in children--Anecdotes. LCGFT: Anecdotes.
Classification: LCC RJ506.A9 H67 2018 DDC 618.92/85882/02--dc23
eISBN 978-1-61254-297-3
LCCN 2018937719
Printed in the United States
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For more information or to contact the author, please go to www.JulieHornok.com.
To every parent who has heard the life-changing words Your child has autism. Together, we are stronger.
Foreword
Dr. Temple Grandin
As I read through the stories written by mothers and fathers who have had a young child diagnosed with autism, I see that many at first felt devastated and lost. They did not know which way to turn. Their feelings are normal. When parents call me, I always recommend that they join a local parent support group. Parents will know where the best services are located. Autism varies greatly in severity. When I was three, I looked completely terrible, with no speech, rocking, tantrums, and other autistic behavior. Fortunately, many hours of speech therapy and playing turn-taking games helped me to become fully verbal. My ability in art was always encouraged. When children are two to five years old, it is difficult to determine which ones will become fully verbal and which ones may remain nonverbal and have other medical problems along with autism.
There is a great variation in the quality of services in different states. Some states have excellent educational programs, and others do not. All children with autism benefit from therapy. The worst thing that can be done with a young child with autism is to wait and do nothing. If you are in an area where educational services are poor and private therapy would be too expensive, do not despair. Many people have put together their own successful programs by getting volunteers from their church or community group to work with their young child. Screen time must be severely limited. These kids need to interact with people. There are some books I would recommend to parents who have to develop their own program, including:
Autism Breakthrough by Raun K. Kaufman
Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant
The Way I See It by Temple Grandin
Acknowledgments
To my husband, Greg: thank you for believing in me and supporting me in ways no one else could. I love you!
To Lizzie: your hard work, determination, and ability to adapt to the world continue to inspire me. I am blessed to be your mom.
To my favorite sons, Andrew and Noah: thank you for making your own meals when I was busy writing and understanding how long ten more minutes really meant.
To my mom, Marilyn Statler: thank you for always being the wind beneath my wings. I could not have written this without your editing and support.
To my mentor, author Jackie Waldman: your heart is gold. I am honored to know you and eternally grateful for your guidance and encouragement.
To my sister, Katie Bangert, for helping with the nitpicky details of query and proposal writing. I was only able to hit send because I knew you had looked over it.
To Kristin Rankin and Danielle McCormick for listening and praying me through every step of this project.
To Carrianne Photography and Pala Photography for the beautiful pictures.
To the rest of my family: your prayers and support in this project have been felt. I love that I actually like my family!
To the most brilliant MAFEA autism moms, who gave me guidance and support in those grueling early years of autism. Your wisdom helped me put the pieces of Lizzie together, and your friendship kept me from feeling isolated.
To the autism moms on the National Autism Association of North Texas board. Not only do you give your time, knowledge, and experience to the community, you have fun doing it. You motivate me to continue to fight the good fight.
To all the friends who helped me find these thirty families across the globe, thank you for sharing your connections.
To the thirty parents who shared your stories with me, thank you for showing others what strength within the journey looks like. I am so grateful for your vulnerability and for allowing me into your world. You are truly an inspiration!
To the Brown Books Publishing and Agency at Brown Books teams: thank you for taking on this project and believing in the impact it will make.