Tags
autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, contemporary romance, family, love story, ranch, ranch fiction, relationship, special needs children, western romance
The Forgotten Child, is my third novel, released November 6 as an eBook. One of the subjects I’ve tackled in this novel is Autism. The Blog I’ve written I hope will give you a peek into what families must also take on.
Autism is not a Social Problem
Although times have changed they still have not. Autism has reached epidemic proportions. Advocacy by a few parents, grandparents have ensured some funding and programs for our children. But it’s still not enough.
Families with children with autism are going broke, bankrupt while they struggle to provide medically necessary treatment for their children. While they wade through the frauds, and charlatans who steal their money and dangle hope of miraculous cures.
Lobbying to your local government and state officials. Advocating for your child within your schools and community programs has been started and done by a few courageous parents, grandparents, and this benefits all. But we still have a long way to go. This fight has not come without cost financially, emotionally and physically to those who have stood before the system, the governments, the medical community, to ensure medically necessary treatment is available for all those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It still by far is not.
I encourage everyone, whether or not you have a child or loved one with autism to stand up and question the services, the funding in your area for those with Autism. To hold your local officials, your government, school accountable for the services provided. To be that voice for the exhausted parent who has nothing left in them to fight for their child. Autism is not a social problem. And it took one parent, many years ago to help the medical community understand that autism is not caused by cold parents but rather a biological disorder, it is an epidemic and the numbers are still skyrocketing. Autism is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders. Males are four times more likely to have Autism Spectrum Disorder than females.
The child Trevor, who I describe in my novel, The Forgotten Child, suffers from Autism. His symptoms and behavior, communication and social impairment are unique to Trevor. No two children under the Autism Spectrum Disorder are the same, their symptoms, behavior are all different. Credible treatment can never be one size fits all motto. Treatment and programming must be individually tailored for each child, because of how different they are. Success stories from early intervention are all around us, and very real. And credible programming and therapy has a proven track record of success.
Rest assured without a united front, proactive measures to ensure authentic treatment, social programs, funding and services that some communities now have available will disappear, quietly. Its imperative that everyone continue to hold governments, schools, communities accountable so all the hard work that was begun by those few brave parents, grandparents in first, the Anderson case, then the Auton Case, and the other court cases that have followed will not be lost.
Fiction-Contemporary Western Romance Available from Amazon, Google eBooks and Barnes & Noble Coming soon in PrintHe wasn’t looking to love again. But what he got was a woman who shook his lonely bitter world upside down, and touched him in a way no other woman could.
Emily Nelson, a courageous young mother, ends a loveless bitter marriage and strikes out on her own. She answers an ad as a cook and live in caregiver to a three-year-old boy on a local ranch. Ranch owner Brad Friessen hires and moves in Emily and her daughter. But Emily soon discovers something’s seriously wrong with his boy. And the reclusive difficult man who hired her, can’t see the behavior and how delayed his son is. So Emily researches, until she stumbles across what she suspects is the soft signs of autism. Now she must tell him. Give him hope, and help him come to terms with this neurological disorder—to take the necessary steps to get his child the help he needs.
As their lives become intertwined, it’s unavoidable the attraction—the connection that sparks between them. And just as they’re getting close, Brad’s estranged wife Crystal returns after abandoning them two years earlier. In amongst the shock and confusion there’s one disturbing fact Brad can’t shake. How does she know so much of his personal business, the inner working of the ranch and Emily’s relationship with his son?
Crystal must’ve had a plan as she somehow gains the upper hand, driving a wedge in the emotional bond forged between Brad, Emily and the children. The primary focus for care and therapy of three-year-old Trevor is diverted. The lengths Crystal will go—the lies—the greed, just to keep what’s hers are nothing short of cold and calculating. Emily’s forced out of the house. Brad fights to save his boy—to protect what’s his. And struggles over his greatest sacrifice—Emily, and the haunting question—has he ultimately lost her forever.
For a list of where this book is being sold please stop by Authors Website