The First Steps

You suspect your child is suffering from autism- but aren't sure where to start? Written by parents for parents, this book serves as a roadmap for navigating those early days. As we draw upon our own journey we address the need of knowing what to do and what to expect at the beginning. It's our hope and prayer that this book helps you set the ground work for many successful years of therapy, with the ultimate hope of recovering your child. The recipe section in the back of the book will also give you a great start on tackling the special dietary requirements most kids with autism struggle with. After six years of dealing with our own child's very restricted diet, the recipes included in this book will give you a variety of options to start with. Brad & Alisha Crawford are the parents of three boys, Brodie (age 8), Jonah (age 6) and Graysen (age 5). They discovered their oldest son Brodie had autism at 17 months of age. This discovery began an all-intensive battle and race against time to draw their son out of the complex and reclusive world he was living in. Now, over six years later and with Brodie's amazing story of success, the Crawford's want to share what they've learned. This book is one they wish they would have had at the start of their long journey. Brad has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Davis. Alisha has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from UC Davis and a teaching credential and M.A. in Education from Southern Oregon University. The Crawfords' currently live in Kampala, Uganda serving with Engineering Ministries International's East Africa office (www.emiea.org) as missionaries.