Autism: Recovery Against All Odds by Kristi Chrysler

Autism: Recovery Against All Odds by Kristi Chrysler

Book By N. Texas Mom Details Son's Autism Recovery

NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21)It was a diagnosis that a Burleson mother just wouldn't accept. Doctors said her five-year-old son was so severely Autistic, that she should send him to an institution. Today that son is 12-years-old and, according to his doctors, shows no signs of the disorder.

Kristi Chrysler is a single mother who has had her share of challenges raising a family. Her son, Richie, began to regress in his abilities at 12 months. It took nearly four years for doctors to diagnose Richie with Autism. By then, the signs were unmistakable. "He was very aggressive, he had major breakdowns, 10 times a day," explained Chrysler. "Each one could last from 10 minutes to 60 minutes where I would have to hold him to prevent him from banging his head, hurting himself or running after and hurting someone else."

Doctors told Chrysler there was no hope for Richie. "Every night, I'd put him to bed and sit there and he'd have to rub my arm to fall asleep and I'd sit there with tears streaming down my face just thinking, 'Who in an institution is going to do this for him?'"

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