Cori Belle

I just finished reading Jenny McCarthy's book, Louder Than Words.  I've been wanting to read it for a long time, having put it on hold at the library earlier this year.  It first sparked my interest when I saw Jenny on Oprah talking about the book.  I was a first grade teacher at the time and learning how to get through to kids with particular challenges, in this case autism, was intriguing to me.  If you don't know her story, Jenny's son was diagnosed with autism after some very scary seizures he had as a toddler.  Jenny took it upon herself to find the cause for his autism so she could "cure" him.  She didn't cure him, but she was able, through her advocacy and hard work as a mom, to make noticeable differences in his behavior, so much so that he went from saying one-word phrases to initiating conversations, from seeming indifferent to her to asking for hugs.  She has some interesting theories about dietary changes and childhood immunizations that are shared by other moms with autistic kids, but not widely talked about in the medical community.  The book was a fast read for me, as she has such a conversational style (frank, informal, though peppered with profanity), and the subject was fascinating. 

It made me so glad I have a healthy child.  As a new mom I understand how strong that feeling is, to want to do anything to improve the quality of life for your child.  Though there are still a lot of unknowns about autism, it was neat to read a book so full of hope (you'll see by the end...the beginning will bring you to tears!), one that documented one mom's successes in the face of what seemed like unbearable odds.  Go Moms!