Finding Robert: What the Doctors Never Told Us about Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Hard Lessons We Learned

Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiance disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder in the early 1990s, Robert Stevens was anexceptionally intelligent child who could not function in a mainstream environment.Being the problem child of every play group, sports league, and extracurricular activityhe joined, Robert had no friends, no internal means of self-control, no off switch, and as his parents, Robert and Catherine Stevens, were warned perhaps no realfuture. Thinking it for the best, Robert s parents did what the experts told them to do.Despite having a remarkably high IQ, Robert was placed in a special education program, under a psychiatrist s care, and on several powerful medications, including Ritalin andProzac. Unfortunately, nothing worked quite as intended, and Robert suffered from nearlyevery side effect these drugs had to offer.Robert s parents saw they were losing him. Witnesses to Robert s drastic mood swingsand anxious displays, they did not know whether they were seeing their son or theresults of the medications he was taking. While initially helpful, the special educationclass began to create its own world of problems, with Robert taking a step backwards foreach step forward. Desperate, the Stevens family turned to holistic therapies. Amazingly, Robert began to show improvement. Wondering why their son s doctors had discouragedsuch strategies, Robert and Catherine started researching new approaches on their own.Using nontraditional approaches, Robert was found. By third grade, he was off allmedications, attending a mainstream school, making friends, and simply being himself.Finding Robert chronicles one family s journey through the world of developmentaldisorders. It depicts the struggles faced, examines the decisions made, and offers athorough analysis of the therapies utilized. Amid sadness and confusion, with strengthand resolve, Robert and Catherine regained their son and undertook a mission to changethe way we look at these conditions."