In third grade he stopped going to school due to severe social anxiety. After three months, he was able to start attending school part-time. This experience repeated itself over the next two years. One day, in May of 2002, he had an extreme panic attack and stayed home from school. He was never able to go back to public school again. No one could figure out why this was happening. Russell took up poetry and his world opened up. http://www.autisticpoet.com/poetry.php