The book begins with a brief history of Sara, an autistic mentally retarded child, who lands in an emergency care home at the tender age of five after medical evaluations determine her to be also a sexually abused child. We then meet Sandra (author), a married woman trained as a 'Professional Parent' who was willing to take this wild child into her home. The story continues through Sara's struggles and the family's challenges of raising and caring for Sara - the particular challenges of autism coupled with attachment disorder and mental retardation, sometimes humorous but always touching the heart. The early chapters include details of Sara's personal life - the evaluations, traumas and challenges.
The story develops as Sara is transformed to a child who, at the age of 11 and within weeks of starting a special diet program, no longer shows the signs of autism or mental retardation. Sara emerges as a 'social butterfly', as Sandra's discoveries lead to a new and controversial therapy and a new understanding of autism. Sara's awakening leads to travels among the autism 'experts' and speaking engagements at conferences in the US. Other autistic children begin this same approach and soon there are autistic people from around the globe who are waking up. Sara's story is put to paper and needs professional editing. Max, a professional translator who has been interested in autism and alternative healing for many years, comes to America and teams up with Sandra, and together with Sandra and Sara they enter into the world of autism traveling and working in India, the Middle East, the UK and finally Africa. "By denying what is known about autism and not taking measures to unite the treatment approaches which are available now, we are keeping individuals with autism isolated from an environment of potential recovery." "The first step towards recovery, say the Desorghers, is to seek biomedical intervention by way of nourishing the body with the right nutrients. It is only when the body begins to heal that the mind starts to work. Above all, the critical element in the long, rocky road to recovery is a touch of love."
