Asperger's Miracle: A Magnificent Story of Struggle, Healing, and Enlightenment by Finding Truth in Disorder

By Patrice Strange

Aspergers Miracle tells the triumphant story of Ridge, a boy who has overcome
many negative symptoms of Aspergers syndrome. Told through a mothers point of view,
this book details Ridges journey from birth to "recovery" as Ridge calls it. From a sensitive infancy and
delicate early life, Strange relates the sacrifi ces, struggles, and hard work that they, as
a family, went through to give their child a normal life. From diagnosis, to medications
and therapies, she shares the methods and the
most effective therapy they found for Ridge. Here,
Strange reveals how Ridges journey brought her to
reach into the depths of her character to find that
miracle for her son.

The miracle of Ridges ability to control his
thoughts and actions came with many months of
determination and hard work. There is no easy
fi x or simple answer that I can share. I believe
his recovery, as he calls it, is due to many
factors that, combined, enabled me to change
my perspective, which, in turn, affected him, the
author said. I want to make it very clear that Ridge
is not suddenly neurotypical. The difference
is that he has an effective coping strategy that
enables him to live a more connected lifestyle.
It is my belief that each successful challenge he
overcomes physically changes his brain. This in
turn makes the next step easier. Keeping up with
challenges that are still safe is quite a task.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453567296

Patrice Strange

Patrice Strange has a BA in elementary education and a MS in gifted education as well as certification in special education. As a military spouse, she has taught in a variety of states serving pre-k through college levels. She is the mother of three unique children each with their own special talents including the youngest child with the Asperger's syndrome diagnosis. She furthered her education by taking certification courses in Applied Behavior Analysis and has been mentored by Alan Cohen as a life coach. Patrice brings a warm blend of humor, authenticity, and wisdom within her profession to bring a message of hope and inspiration to others by sharing her family's triumphant experiences with a child on the spectrum. Her interests include video self modeling, equine therapy, and celebrating life with friends and family. This is her first book. She is currently taking the role of athletic director for Ridge as he takes on his first year of football and Maddie tries out cheerleading!

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Patrice Strange.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2010912848

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-6728-9

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-6727-2

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-6729-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

84213

Contents

Gratitude

Foreword

Aloha

Misery

The Cure in Georgia

Hawaii, Again

Florida

Virginia

Vacation

Hawaii Revisited

The Beginning

Diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome

To Do: Applied Behavioral Analysis

To Be

My Theories

Letter to Parents

Epilogue

My Top 10 Resources:

About The Author

Gratitude

I am very thankful for the help I have received along this journey. Professionals, friends, family members, strangers, books, web sites and other resources have guided me along my way. I must also acknowledge the not so comfortable teachers of negative feeling situations that have led me into directions as were needed. I know that ultimately every mishap has been for good.

My mother cracked the whip on me to hurry up for publishing and she spent many hours editing the text. She held to the vision and I am thankful.

I have tried to explain events as truthfully as I could in hopes that our story will somehow bring a sense of hope and understanding to others. I have studied many fields for answers to the neurological differences of Asperger’s syndrome. I have learned enough to say that I have much more to learn.

This poem summarizes my feelings as to explain what Asperger’s is and how to help others.

Someone Should Start Laughing

I have a thousand brilliant lies

For the question:

How are you?

I have a thousand brilliant lies

For the question:

What is God?

If you think that the Truth can be known

From Words,

If you think that the Sun and the Ocean

Can pass through that tiny opening

Called the mouth,

O someone should start laughing!

Someone should start wildly Laughing-

Now!

Hafiz

So, I hope you get some laughter in as you read along!

Foreword

In our growing understanding of autism spectrum disorders, it is always important to remember just how far we have come. We are only a few decades removed from blaming mothers for autism. Think about that. The very individuals who carried, birthed and nurtured their children were told, It is your fault. As if mothers do not already assume enough burden and guilt when dealing with children with atypical development, they were wrongly and maliciously faulted.

Since then,we have, fortunately, moved away such fallacies and learned more about autism's origins, how to identify it, and the importance of early intervention. This evolution has led to changes in the conceptualization of autism spectrum disorders with Asperger's Disorder, for example, being introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th edition in 1994. With the adaptation of different diagnoses and an ever expanding body of knowledge about different aspects of autism spectrum disorders, you would think progress on all fronts is ensured.

In the ongoing hope for a cure, though, many parents and professionals have abandoned more systematic, science based approaches. Profiteers and self proclaimed experts have appealed to the deep abiding love many mothers and fathers have for their children and promote questionable recovery products to parents desperate to eliminate their children's suffering. Recovery, once thought impossible, since autism spectrum disorders are considered lifelong disabilities, is being sold to the highest bidder. Mothers who were told Prepare yourself for a lifetime of struggles are now being offered pills, ointments, therapies, shots, and diets that can supposedly cure the incurable.

Patrice Strange, a mother of three, began learning about the many challenges of Asperger Disorder shortly after the birth of her youngest son, Ridge. As challenging behaviors arose, she looked for answers to life's difficult questions and clung to the possibility Ridge may one day recover. Answers, of course, did not come quickly nor easily but Patrice and Ridge persevered. Throughout this journey, she discovered recovery, a restoration of her own sense of perspective. By embracing his daily struggles, she found inspiration in tiny, measurable gains which continue to sow the seeds of progress. Their story is one which embraces the beauty in the mundane and the courage to triumph daily over struggles that still happen as you read this book. It is an ongoing story of hope about how mothers, fathers, and siblings can affect change. It is a story about how change in others comes when you first change your own actions.

Discover what Patrice and Ridge have: recovery is not an end; it is a lifelong process of change.

Andrew J. Houvouras IV MA, BCBA

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Viera, Florida

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Aloha

The guide book left out a few things. It said that the hike was short and breathtaking. It did not say that the first hundred feet were treacherous, with a very steep incline on an eroded ground with nothing to grab onto but a few beat-up plants along the way!

The view more than made up for the difficulty, however. The 360-degree unobstructed view was truly awesome. Blue skies adorned a sea that glittered like gems of sapphires and emeralds as it kissed the shore of a white sandy beach. I stopped to catch my breath and take the moment in as the wind whipped my hair into my eyes. I found myself unsteady in the glorious vantage point of Ka’iwa Ridge. I was six months along with our third child and was careful to keep a balance on the uneven terrain. Our two-year-old daughter, Maddie, was happily being carted around in a baby backpack by my husband, Tim. My nine-year-old, Colt, raced along with the confidence of youth to explore the old army bunkers further down the ridge.

My thoughts were for the appreciation of the beauty of Hawaii. I was so looking forward to finally closing in on a home here in Kailua and setting it up for our family just in time for the newest addition. Thanks to the U.S. Army, we had this opportunity to be here and I was not letting the moment slip by unnoticed. In honor of Ka’iwa Ridge, I decided to name the baby for this amazing place. Ka’iwa meant frigate bird, so I opted for simply Ridge.

I walked down a bit more of the ridge, but there was no real path. The footing was uneven and rough. Carrying a baby made me a bit top-heavy, and pretty soon I was ready to head back down. When we got to the really steep part, I remember sitting and scooting along the rich red dirt and praying to keep things in control. Just when I thought I could not go on, I would find an old root or stem to hold and brace with. Finally, we made it out. I was covered with dirt, but safe and happy that we had survived the adventure with a beautiful view to remember. Looking back, I see how this day was a metaphor for my future.

A couple of weeks later, Tim came home with news that changed our world. The army decided that Tim needed to go to a special school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and we would be moving in a month. We lost our dream of buying our house and spent the last few days at the same beach we had seen from Ka’iwa Ridge. I was sad, but this was good for Tim’s career and we could always move back later I thought.

Little did I know how much of a change our family would experience. My life in Hawaii was simple. I had not worked as a teacher since Maddie’s birth, and I greatly enjoyed playing with her and Colt every day. They were such happy kids, and we took advantage of the great things Hawaii had to offer. We had lots of mainland visitors and greatly enjoyed entertaining them. Life was easy and fun. I was looking forward to the additional child to share our rich and happy lives. How could having another child be anything but better?

We packed our bags, sold our car, and said aloha to Hawaii. I wore my gold Hawaiian bracelet and spun it around and around as our flight took off. Within a few days we were in base housing adjacent to the military prison of Leavenworth. While watching the buffaloes grazing though the razor-tipped fence, I felt an ominous sensation that I could not shake off.

rigde eczema.jpg

Misery

I willed my legs to move, but it seemed that this Wal-Mart parking lot had some kind of special gravity control that made everything 100 times heavier. A local bank sign showed a temperature of 109 degrees and it was nearly 9PM in the town of Leavenworth, KS on August 15, 1999. Tim had rushed in ahead of me with the kids on a school supply run. I had met a physician earlier in the day that agreed to accept me as a client and deliver the baby in the next couple of weeks. I thought of the cool trade