Book reviews / Holly R Peete

[jesusrock7]

I'd never heard of her until the latest Celebrity Apprentice, currently on tv. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Peete on NBC's "Today" show just recently...did anyone else? (Info and video on TODAY site.) Their son RJ is autistic. Rodney has a book out titled Not My Boy, while Holly and RJ's twin sister Ryan teamed up for a kids' version called My Brother

Comments

[gremy]

[jesusrock7]

True.

[jesusrock7]

Hmmm... well, ok maybe not the "devastating" part. But "trauma" is like a kid dying before their parents, or a terrible car accident. Not a diagnosis that something's different about your kid that might cost extra money.

[charsama]

In some cases, an autistic diagnosis can result in over $100,000 extra just to make sure the kid is OK, let alone actually be able to function.

For the record, I believe the only thing about autism that is a disability is other people's "disability" to deal with it and be patient and actually try to understand what it is.

It was not traumatizing for me to find out I had it, but it was extremely traumatizing to go through what i went through BECAUSE of autism and what happens when you don't know what to do with it.

[tooimpurenangel]

It was not traumatizing for me to find out I had it, but it was extremely traumatizing to go through what i went through BECAUSE of autism and what happens when you don't know what to do with it.

Exactly!

[rainbow_goddess]

I am not crazy about the "trauma" part, but I don't mind the "devastating" part. Until a parent gets used to the idea that their kid is different, it's going to be hard on them

[rael_barclay]

For my situation, saying my family has autism is only a slight exaggeration. Maybe it is the same for Holly Whatshername? The people in my family that have been alive while I've been alive are almost all on the spectrum...if they would get diagnosed, that is. :)

[rainbow_goddess]

No, in her case it's only one kid.

[saritriplezero9]

My grandson is severely autistic and remains nonverbal, unable to write or speak. He's 7 1/2. Yes, it's a heartbreaking sometimes, it's a challenge, but we refuse to view him or autism as a tragedy

[polygonia]

Brilliant. I think normal doesn't exactly exist, and if people insist on THINKING it exists, it should be expanded to include other people and understand them.

[polygonia]

Hmm. This could be why I prefer certain blogs and reading manga like With the Light. For some reason the autism as a tragedy angle frustrates me. It gets in the way of really understanding autism if one is just going to pine for a normal that doesn't exist and think of what their child will never do.