About 1 in 88 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder, 1 in 54 boys. It is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. and I know that so many parents and relatives of young autistic children worry about how their children and loved ones will develop as they get older.

That’s why I am so grateful to my good cyber friend, Dr. Gerard Nadal, for this inspiring article that he recently wrote about the progress of his 14 year old son who has autism:

It’s been almost eleven years since we began this odyssey of delving into the inner workings of one of the most puzzling brain models on God’s showroom floor, one that now appears in 1:50 children. It’s been a great collaborative effort with several great educators and therapists. It has involved adapting our home life to accommodate Joseph’s needs, with no small amount of sacrifice all around. When Joseph took his first tenuous steps into a troop of 46 boys, I think my anxiety was worse than his. It has been the missing piece of his developmental puzzle.

Read more as he explains how Joseph has thrived, thanks, in large part, to his participation in the Boy Scouts. It is a story of love’s triumph and hope for any parent of a young autistic child.

[W]e live in dangerous times for those with so-called poor prenatal diagnoses. The autistic learning style, as it is known in our home, demands total devotion from the entire family. That’s quite a bit to ask in a hedonistic culture. These children will be found out in utero in short order, and when they are, the merchants of death will prey on parents’ well-founded fears. They are fears that nearly paralyzed me in those early years. Yet Joseph’s story is a story of hope in the depths of parental fear.

Thanks, again, Dr. Nadal for sharing and for all that you’re doing for your son and to raise Autism awareness.