Customer Reviews

A special kind of normal

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When Carolyn Betts' first child, Jeff, was born on July 8, 1970 he faced immediate challenges. Betts was then in the process of ending a marriage and faced eviction from her Amarillo, TX apartment. Newly divorced and evicted, Betts and Jeff move in with her family as they struggle to make ends meet.

Fate intervenes when Betts meets Larry, whom she later marries. Their daughter, Trice was born in February of 1972 and it was during this time that Jeff's autistic behavior became more pronounced. Nonverbal for most of his life, Jeff was enrolled in a state school day program at age two. He remained in that program until 1976 when Larry was transferred to Arizona.

After butting heads with educational bureaucrats, Jeff is finally enrolled in a satisfactory day program. He uses some sign language; is officially toilet trained on June 14, 1977 and enjoys a class trip to the San Diego Zoo. Although he makes progress in some areas, his behavior remained severely autistic. He also had violent episodes including stool smearing that caused him to be restrained.

Desperate, the boy's mother and stepfather finally have him declared a ward of the state so as to gain financial support for his care and education. Once so declared, Jeff was then enrolled in the Deveraux School.

This obscure gem of a book provides a good, hard look at life with a child who has an especially severe form of autism and the resources that were available at the time. The one thing that underscores the book is Betts' and Larry's love for Jeff and Trice. A well written and much needed book, it emphasizes the need for more provisions for the severely autistic population.