When Snow Turns to Rain: One Family's Struggle to Solve the Riddle of Autism

After years of reading book after book, article after article, website after website--combing the earth for remedies for our son's autism, I came across this book. In contrast to all the others, this one offered no imperatives, no miracle cures. It merely said, "you are not alone" as it described my very own feelings about the emotional roller coaster that is autism. If I had the incredible insight and writing talent that Craig Schulze pours into this book, I would have written it myself. I don't, so I'm glad that he did.

This book is an absolutely heart rending description of a comparatively rare form of autism involving degeneration. Craig Schulze captures one of the most painful experiences that a parent can go through, and encourages parents to remember that a parent's love and understanding are the most important parts of any therapy. Also, the book provides a useful foil to the raft of miracle cure books that are flooding the market; sometimes kids with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) do not recover, but parents need to be prepared for this. However, I would caution parents who, like me, decide to pick up the book after learning that their child has problems that fit under the PDD category. I initially worried that, like Jordan, my child would slowly slide away from me since so many of his symptoms sounded familiar. After further reading, I learned that the type of degenerative disorder described here is not typical of PDD, and that many parents do find some success with the methods described in the book. It does prevent a moving account of a worst case scenario, but approach with caution and remember that there is often hope.

Shortly after reading "When Snow Turns to Rain", I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Craig Schulze and his autistic son Jordan, and my respect and admiration for Craig grew even further. I am the mother of an autistic 12-year old, and have experienced many of the same wild hopes and crushing disappointments that Craig describes so well in his book. I found this book extremely well written, informative, and inspiring. It certainly describes the bizarre and sometimes frightening behaviors of some children with autism in vivid detail. What I want to know is, how did Craig find the time to keep a journal and write down all this as it was happening? I have trouble keeping track of my son's current-year IEP (individualized education plan)! I do have to caution, however, that some people may be saddened and depressed (my mother, for one). There is no "happy ending"; Jordan's autism is not cured, and he doesn't develop a fantastic savant skill that somehow balance things out. But Jordan is a real person, who is loved fiercely and well. His story deserves to be told, and is told well, in "When Snow Turns to Rain."

A painfully honest, witty and intelligent account of the author's son Jordan, who developed symptoms of autism after several years of apparently normal development (a rare pattern somtimes known as Childhood Disintegrative Disorder). The book chronicles Jordan's development, regression and diagnosis, and his parents' desperate search for a cure as they struggle to come to terms with their son's condition. In contrast to some other popular accounts of autism, the book tells the story of a child for whom no treatment produces a "miracle cure" or "amazing recovery" (in other words, a child typical of the overwhelming majority of those with autism). Some treatments or methods of education seem to help; others are ineffective; none produce a "cure". At the book's end, life goes on, though radically altered. A further account of Jordan's life features in "When Autism Strikes: Families Cope with Childhood Disintegrative Disorder" edited by Robert A. Catalano.