Miracle Monday: “When Autism Speaks” with Ellen Bry

Recently CatholicMom.com ran an interview that I did with Ellen Bry, star of “Lost and Found Family.” Ellen is the mother of three grown children, including two sons with autism. I was delighted when Ellen took time to chat with me about what it’s like to raise — singlehandedly — two young men with special [...]

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Top 3 Things Parents of Autistic Children Can Do

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with a remarkable woman, special-needs legal advocate, Valerie Vanaman.  A senior partner at Newman, Aaronson, and Vanaman, for the past forty years Valerie has defended the educational rights of special-needs children and their families.  She has also served as a teaching fellow at Harvard Law School and as an attorney for [...]

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“Lost and Found Family” Today on Teresa Tomeo’s “Catholic Connection”

This morning I’ll be a guest on Teresa Tomeo’s “Catholic Connection” to talk about my upcoming talk at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The talk will be on September 17 at 7:30 pm, and will include representatives from area foster care and adoption agencies to answer any questions you may have.
On [...]

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New Theory Of Autism Suggests Symptoms Or Disorder May Be Reversible

“The central tenet of the theory, published in the March issue of Brain Research Reviews, is that autism is a developmental disorder caused by impaired regulation of the locus coeruleus, a bundle of neurons in the brain stem that processes sensory signals from all areas of the body.
“The new theory stems from decades of anecdotal [...]

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The Face of Autism, the Face of Sorrow

As Mary Ellen Barrett and her family grieve the loss of their 14-year-old son Ryan, who had a seizure and drowned while on a camping trip with his father on Friday, I wanted to encourage my readers to continue to uphold this family in prayer.
To that end, I’d like to link to this beautiful poem [...]

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Urgent Prayer Request: Autistic Child Missing

Please join me in prayers for the safe return of Mary Ellen’s autistic son, Ryan Barrett, who was separated from his father during a camping trip.
Let your mercy be on this family, O God, as they place their trust in you!
Update: Ryan’s body was found earlier today (Friday). Please pray for Mary Ellen and her [...]

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Pray on Autism Sunday!

CatholicMom.com just posted my column about Autism Sunday, a reflection on “I Am Sam.”  Check it out!
Today is the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in the UK. Let’s join our prayers together!
Pope Benedict XVI wrote to the co-founders of Autism Sunday, Ivan and Charika Corea, invoking his apostolic blessing on the autism [...]

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