Editor's Note: Today we welcome a guest article from Becky Cash, author of Healing Autism Naturally. Becky has kindly offered to sponsor a contest here at CatholicMom.com - two lucky readers will win a copy of Becky's book. Check entry details below following Becky's article. LMH

I often say that autism is a journey.  In my book, Healing Autism Naturally, I loudly proclaim that autism is a journey that no family should have to walk alone.  Truth be told, motherhood is a journey and we do not, thankfully, have to do this alone.  I am quite conscious of the fact that I would not have arrived at this point in my life had Jesus not grabbed me out of despair, as a teenager, and presented Himself to me.  As a mother, that is my deepest desire, that the day will come when my children can proclaim that Jesus did the same for them.  In the meantime, I seek to lessen the burden of autism and chronic illness on other families that are facing the same issues.

I wrote Healing Autism Naturally out of a sense of frustration.  I vividly remember the day we received Faustina's autism diagnosis.  I knew that it was coming.  She had already been receiving sensory integration therapy for almost a year and we had now reached the point where we needed the actual diagnosis to continue to get services.  However, actually hearing the words, "your daughter has PDDnos- that is the middle of the autism spectrum," hurt my heart.  Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, I had hoped we were wrong.  Shortly after buckling Faustina back into the car and driving down the road, I began to feel physically ill.  I pulled the car over and truly thought I was going to throw-up.  It took everything in me to call my husband and have him come and drive Faustina home.  The diagnosis changed nothing that I had not already known; however, reality set in that day.

It did not take long for me to recover; however, what I learned over the next few years was that I was going to have to uncover the steps to healing my child without any guidance.  Well, without any guidance except that of the same Jesus who had pulled me out of despair and empowered me so many times.  I truly believe that the Holy Spirit has guided us thus far and pray that this book and my nutrition and autism consulting will bless many.  Most importantly, I pray that we always remember that Motherhood is a journey we do not have to travel alone.

Becky Cash
Nutrition and Autism Consultant
www.healingautismnaturally.com
www.asdperspectives.com

Becky Cash has kindly donated one paperback and one Kindle version of Healing Autism Naturally for our readers. you must leave a comment on this post with a valid email address (which won’t be published or shared) before Midnight PST on Friday, June 24, 2011. A winner will be drawn randomly and notified by email. Update: Congratulations to Kristen (#3) and Celeste (#8), our winners for this contest.

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