When our son Andrew was young he displayed numerous deficits and difficulties including issues with respect to motor development and neurodevelopment, his visual and auditory functions and muscle tone. Although he demonstrated in many ways that he is highly intelligent, his ability to learn was severely impacted and he was not expected to continue to learn within a regular classroom beyond grade four. In spite of having an excellent vocabulary, his expressive output and social skills were significantly affected. Prior to having a psychological evaluation he was assumed to have Asperger's Syndrome by some people who worked with him.
It was challenging to understand what had caused this bleak scenario and, more importantly, what could be done to improve his ability to function and thereby alter his prognosis. After taking numerous private full-time and part-time programs and therapies Andrew returned to a public high school and subsequently went on to university. He has certainly become a well-adjusted, motivated and accomplished learner and he is exponentially further ahead of where he was ever expected to be.
"I am grateful beyond words for all that we have been able to accomplish and for all the blessings and the amazing people we met along the way whose work has helped us. Many of these people are extraordinary and inspiring and include individuals who were themselves significantly disabled and have nonetheless managed to remediate themselves and alter their outlook significantly. We are in their debt for pioneering the way for us and for being brave, passionate and generous enough to share their knowledge and experience". From the introduction