I have fond memories of laying on the living room floor watching MASH with my Dad when I was little. My husband spent 23 years in the military so he’s a big MASH fan. My kids surprisingly love it too. But what does MASH have to do with Autism?
My husband found a book written by the actor who plays Father Mulcahey in the MASH series. It turns out, he and his wife raised a son with Autism. The book details their struggles to find answers and help for him.
If you follow me on Goodreads- or even here for that matter, you’ll know I read a lot. Last year’s number of books read was 108. But there is one narrow genre of books I almost never read any more.
Books about Autism.
When our son first received his diagnoses I over indulged, and then the life that was being described within the pages of the books became all too real. I just couldn’t.
My husband encouraged me to read the book Mixed Blessings by William (Father Mulchey) and Barbara Christopher. So I read it.
Their journey started 50 years ago. I found the book both fascinating and horrifying as I read what they tried, what was recommended by professionals at the time, and how much dedication they put into trying to help their son.
But overwhelmingly? I found it unbelievably depressing to find that things haven’t changed all that much. That many of the things they struggled with- IEP’s, doctors, therapies, shear exhaustion- we are still dealing with these exact same issues 40 and 50 years later. I can’t tell you how heartbreaking this is to realize.
This is why I don’t read books on living with Autism.
