Breaking Autism's Barriers: A Father's Story

by Wendy Schunick, Bill Davis, Wendy Goldband Schunick, et al.

Bill Davis is the father of Chris, who has autism. Breaking Autism's Barriers: A Father's Story chronicles Bill's fight to overcome the physical, emotional, public, educational, and therapeutic obstacles to his son's disorder. Few books about autism have been written from a father's perspective. None so effectively walks the reader through each moment of a family's experience. It is an honest, direct account from a father's point of view of bringing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853029793
• ISBN13: 9781853029790
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

the love of two wonderful parents

I think this book is amazing because it let's you go into the mind of the author who is a man full of love for his son. He writes this book as if he is sitting in the room talking to you, and I like that. It's easy to read and easy to understand. And that is what people look for especially on Autism. I applaud this man and his family for doing wonderful things for the Austism Society and I'm proud to say that I'm a part of his world. I hope more people will read his books and get to know the love and suffering he and his family have been through. If anything he should get a medal in his honor.

Revealing truth of homelife with an autistic child

Bill is so candid in his telling of the Davis family's life with Chris. He gives so much of himself and asks nothing in return. He is constantly out in the community advocating for not only his child but all children and adults with Autism. I'm proud to say I know him and I throughly enjoyed his book. If your child has been diagnosed you really should read this. Some parts will make you cry but many will make you laugh and say "Oh my god I'm not the only one!" It's an excellent book told from a point of view many never get to see. -Tracy Gipe, mother of a ten year old with ASD and his two younger siblings without.

A Fathers Story of Love and Commitment

When starting this book I felt it would be a technical rendition of an Autistics child's life. Boy was I surprised to read the heart felt story about a father, a mother and two children caught up in the baffling world of Autism. From the diagnosis, through the stress of daily life the commitment between these family members was so touching and compelling forcing me to reexamine my own life's priorities. The Davis' obstacle ridden devotion to further education and community awareness of this disease is nothing less than admirable, and hopes that through Mr. Davis' advocacy work he can compel others to open their eyes.

Life-Changing Book

You can't miss the hard-headed commitment, the dogged won't-take-no-for-an-answer determination of this father in his loving and relentless pursuit of appropriate services for his son with autism. Bill Davis "tells it like it is" -- no wishy-washiness, no pie-in-the sky, no empty promises or fairy tale endings. His book makes clear the unfathomable depth of his love -- his passion -- for his beautiful son Chris, and the unyielding belief that no work is too hard, no frustration too crippling, no sacrifice too great if the goals are to provide for his son avenues by which this child with autism can make sense of our complex, swirling, overstimulating world, and find ways to express his own rich perceptions, ideas, and wit.Read this book if you have a child with autism. Buy it and give it as a gift (as I have twice already) to someone you know who has a child with autism. Read this book, too, if you have or know a child with ANY disability, for in Bill and Jae Davis' story of working with educational authorities, "working the system", "fighting the system" , improving the system, and not "settling" for halfway measures is a model for all parents of ALL kids with so-called special needs.But read this book if what you're looking for is just a good love story. The love that springs out of every page is real and unsentimental. The whole story is here -- the love of Bill and Jae for each other despite fatigue and frustrations and fights, the love for their daughter Jessica and Jessica's love for Chris, and the loving personality of Chris himself, the true hero of the book.

SuperDad

Bill Davis is the most loving, giving father and certainly deserves the title of superdad. Breaking Autism's Barriers is a realistic glimpse into the everyday life of a family dealing with autism. The book is a balanced combination of useful educational advice, family coping strategies, and heartwarming stories. Professionals in the fields of education, psychology, and medicine who deal with the social and scientific aspects of utism will benefit by learning a father's perspective on the human side of autism. Families of special needs kids will take comfort in the progress the Davis family has made and can learn what steps to take to ensure their own progress. Bill Davis's attitude of absolute acceptance and his efforts to educate others are an inspiration to anyone who will take the time to read this book. Davis has become a voice for so many who can't speak.