Disney Characters Help Boy With Autism Find His Voice
Ron and Cornelia Suskind had just moved to Washington, D.C., with their two young children when their 2-year-old son, Owen, suddenly stopped speaking.He went from saying “I love you,” “Let’s get ice cream,” or, “Where are my ninja turtles?” to one word: “juice.”The Suskinds searched for answers as their once fun-loving and chatty son continued drifting farther away — no longer speaking or making eye contact.His father, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Wall Street Journal reporter, and his mother, also a journalist, searched relentlessly for answers.
After dozens of doctors’ appointments and meetings with specialists, the Suskinds finally had a diagnosis: autism.Like many children with regressive autism, Owen appeared to be developing like any child his age until he suddenly displayed symptoms. Prior to his third birthday he lost his motor abilities, language skills, and the ability to sleep or eat.Devastated by the diagnosis, but determined to reconnect with their son, the Suskinds began the long and painful process of trying to communicate with Owen. His only comfort was watching Disney movies, so the family became “scholars of Disney.”