(Editor’s note: BINJE is featuring the work of Stacie Sherman, a longtime editor at Bloomberg and a mom of two on the autism spectrum, from her blog: StacieSherman.com.)
When Mary gave birth to identical twin sons on Christmas Eve in 1988, she felt like she had won the lottery. But, within two years, she knew her boys were not developing like others their age.
Robert and James didn’t seem to notice if Mary was upset, nor did they miss her when she wasn’t home. They didn’t interact with each other and behaved as if they were deaf. Their speech was delayed. They flapped their hands, walked on their toes, and had little if any eye contact. They lined up their toys instead of playing with them.
“This was not the family I had planned on,” Mary said.
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