9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual journey through raising an autistic child, February 3, 2005
This review is from: Gift from My Son: Autism Redefined (Paperback)
I was relieved to read Keli Lindelien's embrace of her autistic son's psychic abilities and her courageous spiritual journey through entering his world on his terms instead of the usual lamentation of the dreaded A diagnosis. This is not to say that parenting an autistic child isn't more difficult than raising a neuro-normal one. Take it from an autistic reviewer who shall continue to remain childless!
Lindelien's journey describes the transformative disruption of raising an autistic child. Parenting such a child upsets all icons of conventional success and easy creature comforts, every one of which she enjoyed until her son Benjamin started to develop autism--from the pleasant family life to the career satisfaction and fulfillment she was enjoying. Like any genuine cataclysm, Benjamin's autism forced a tectonic shift on everybody involved. Everyone in her family was forced to go deep inside themselves, look themselves and each other squarely in the eye (make non-autistic eye contact, as it were!), and be genuine with each other, rather than run for cover. Her story is one of blessing and synchronicity. This book is no sniveling war story about the tragedy of autism and a parent's alienation in a callous world.
The book unfolds from the author's psychic awakening to her psychic and then spiritual reawakening through learning to communicate with her non-verbal but incandescent son, Benjamin. She describes the regression of this heretofore normal baby after he was given the MMR shot. I have read about met all too many children who have regressed similarly after being given vaccines containing thimerosol.
She describes the treatments and methods that worked for her in nurturing and raising him, and those that didn't. She also describes how mother, father and daughter grew together in a new way to embrace the challenge of Benjamin's autism.
The congruence of psychic abilities, synchronicities and beneficial treatment modalities for Benjamin made a lot of sense to me. Benjamin is not the first autistic child I've heard of or known with psychic and healing abilities. I think that the author is right that autistic behavior is due to oversensitivity of one kind or another. On the other hand, though autists are almost invariably more sensitive and empathetic than we appear, not all are empaths in the way that Benjamin is. It is often difficult us to channel our untoward sensitivities in a creative and fulfilling way without the help of more pragmatically high-functioning people around us--usually family members or teachers. Lindelien's approach to this is inspired.
On the minus side, the book wore a little thin toward the end, where the author wafted off into philosophical speculations. Her family's and her own personal journey interested me the most.
At the end are some useful parenting tips and practical appendices, on toilet training and behavior charts. Even more of this kind of useful information might be helpful in the next edition.
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