Autism is a merciless mental illness, cruel to the developing child and punishing to the child's parents and caregivers. Autistic children live in unrealistic inner worlds, unable to communicate or relate with others and unable to respond to affection. They often repeat mindless acts like rocking or head-banging over and over or they echo the last word or phrase said to them. Your heart has to go out to all the members of families that include an autistic child. Researchers have so far been unable to find a cure for this terrible affliction.
Treatment is difficult and indefinitely prolonged.
But even under the best of circumstances family members cannot help but feel guilty and inadequate. Some assistance for families and support for further research is provided through organizations like the Autism Society of America and the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism but family members are often best served by participating in local support groups where they share with others their difficulties and their small successes. Unfortunately some ever-hopeful caregivers have been taken in by a seemingly miraculous autism treatment called facilitated communication. The therapist, supposedly responding to the autistic child's lead, guides the patient's finger over a keyboard to type out messages. Some messages express love for parents but in a few cases the responses have testified to the child's having psychic power or even in at least one case to his having been molested.