I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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I am going to start my review with raw honesty, I received this book, read it and couldn't bring myself to review it. I have a child who is also on the spectrum and it took us years to get a proper diagnosis and I still struggle with making people understand. My son has ADHD, PANDAS and is above average IQ levels. Unfortunately, people who don't understand all of this do not get that he is "special" he doesn't look different, he makes eye contact, carries on conversations and is less than shy. From the day my son came home, he held his head up and rolled over the day we brought him home. Yes, these are not milestones for a child days old. So any what to expect in the first year book did not cover what to expect with a child like this. I taught my son to sign and him and I would sign back and forth while I was home during my 15 week maternity leave. He never signed to his father. Why would you speak French to someone if they didn't speak French to you? The very first day I went back to work, I received a call from my husband...I was nervous, why are you calling me? What is wrong? He proceeded to get excited and tell me that my son signed to him. I was confused, he had been signing, but I was his primary caregiver, as I breastfed and I would ask him if he was hungry and wanted milk. My husband went in and my son told him exactly this in sign language and also that he needed his diaper changed. These are all things my son and I would say to each other, but again my husband had gone in there and talked English to him, but my son only knew sign at 15 weeks old, so he talked the way he knew how. My son was talking full sentences at 18 months complete with the question WHY? Yes, this is something we all dread, but thanks to google, my husband's Anatomy & Physiology books we managed to survive the WHY phase. At 10, my son is now showing off all that he has learned at programs at Zoos and pointing out that yes, birds do produce milk and there are exceptions to every rule. I am so thankful for resources that we have these days, but really wish some were more available back then. I have walked a mile in this woman's shoes and have experienced people telling you things that probably aren't the best thing to say to a mom in these shoes, the struggle with elimination diets, diagnosis of exclusion and trying to find the best care for your child. The best thing I can tell someone going through this is that you are not alone, socialization is key, if not for them, but for you to realize that you are not in your boat alone, others have been through it before and can help you navigate. If you think something is right, speak up, it might not be. Question EVERYTHING! You do not learn anything if you just accept what they say. We are a generation raise on "BECAUSE I SAID SO". My children only hear that when I have been questioned to the point where I just do not have an answer, but I give them a reason for everything. We clean up our dishes after we eat, because we do not want to co-habitate with bugs. With that said, here is my review of the book.

Roxanne and her husband are told that their 5 year old son has Autism. The setting is London. Their life was normal and then suddenly they now have to deal with therapy, how to deal with this, etc. We are taken through their journey of getting him classified and how they deal with it. She deals with the pity comments, lack of empathy and losing herself. She talks about how difficult it is to find someone who is in the same situation as you, yes there are all sorts of meetups and groups, but because it is called SPECTRUM, it is extremely difficult to navigate. Roxanne talks about how she becomes so dependent on support groups to help her. This book was so well written and just raw!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this memoir. Written with honesty and openness this book addresses frustrations and limitations within the education system for their Autistic child. I applaud this family for their resilience and determination.