An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son's Story of Love, Determination, Autism, and Art
Debra Chwast received a master's in social work and worked as a therapist for 33 years. When Seth was diagnosed with autism at 21 months, Debra threw herself into an 18-year attempt to bring Seth into our world. After Seth discovered painting, she produced a short documentary on Seth titledA Different Kind of Journey, which was accepted into the Ohio Independent Film Festival in 2004, and shown on WVIZ PBS. Debra is now Seth's manager, travel agent, promoter and-literally-his voice. She speaks to large groups, participates in panels on autism, and provides keynote addresses about her life with Seth. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.