to the person who said the way people are talking about Autistic people makes them mad, and in particular the parents way of saying their son began to disappear, was upsetting... I don't know if the poster has an autistic child or not but I think their feelings of anger which I know comes from loyalty, love and good heartfelt reasonings. I think they are assuming it is a negative comment about the son, but it must be remembered that they love their son deeply but they are human and have their own hurt ; this is just how they attempt to describe how hard Autism hits THEM. I wish I could articulate it better. For example my husband recently passed away with Alzheimers' and I never stopped loving him even though I watched him disappear , over & over again. It is truly heart wrenching to love someone who loses their ability to connect with you , normally. The heartbreak and our effort to describe it, does not at all mean any disrespect to the person who actually has the disease. I wish you peace and understanding , and bless you for being a great friend. It is only human to feel how you are feeling. Protective and defensive, but it's from your heart, I know this.

I remember when my son was a baby and the first signs of communicating when I would stick out my tongue and he would reciprocate. To me, this is a teeny portion of what Owen's parents and brother must have felt when they figured out where and why he kept saying 'Juicervose' and subsequent puppeteering. I cried tears of joy for them.

"Started to Disappear", that quote that his parents used really hit me hard. How could you ever say that your child disappeared, they're also there. Maybe they won't act like the same person, but they're still your child and they're still "there". Not every child who has Autism is the same. Each person has their own challenges and strong sides to them. The way that the people are talking about the kids with Autism really makes me mad. They're acting as if they aren't even people, that they're not human, just like they are some kind of animals. Even though their kid had difficulties, the parents could have done more things to help them. My best friend has Autism and her parents have done a tremendous amount of work with her and she is doing amazing. Nothing like the parents are describing how they're helping their child. Nothing is going to happen if they just sit there.

I grew up with a autistic brother who was 2 years older than me. He died three years ago when I was 20 and he was 22. This story really touched my heart. I connected with it on every way because I know what it is like to grow up with a brother who has Autism. Thank you Radio Lab

This podcast was very touching. I'm glad to here Owen's condition improved. It's interesting to me how much Disney movies helped him

New scientific study (great method many here should look into it ;) shows autism spectrum disorder is linked to 60 human genes, SIXTY GENES! That's INCREDIBLE complexity and diversity. Given 60 involved loci you should expect very very little chance for common treatments, let alone cures. Its more like cancer than sickle cell anemia, sadly, so a cure will be exceedingly difficult. Not that we've cured sickle cell but its infinitely more tractable.

if he only relates to cartoons, in the age of computers, why don't the parents make their own cartons relevant to their child and their lives. just a thought. hope it helps

Great episode, very touching and enlightening.
On a side note, does anybody know the title of the song played at the end of this episode? It's so beautiful and soothing...

Please, wake up and smell the vaccinations. It's alway been obvious to thinkers; for the followers, the head of the CDC finally admitted the connection.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/22/head-of-cdc-admits-on-cnn-that-vaccines-can-trigger-autism.aspx

http://parentsagainstmandatoryvaccines.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Pocket+Card+Notice+-+vaccines.pdf

This episode helped me understand a complete other side of autism than what I had already known. I was not aware of how a person diagnosed with autism felt, and how they comprehend situations. I also had not heard of any "success" stories, opening a new view of what parents, siblings, and the actual patient go through. This story was very emotional, not only because of Owens condition, but how Disney movies were able to help him sort out incoming thoughts and information from daily life. It amazes me how Owen was once completely oblivious to the world, but can now tell about his thoughts and how he felt when he was this way. It also inspires me to know how his brother considers himself to be Owens protector, and Owen his.

This episode was extremely eye opening, and I am amazed. The concept of echolalia is mind-blowing to me. The brain is truly fascinating. I was not aware that a person could develop Autism and not be born with it. It's almost frightening that a child could be healthy for 3 years of their life and suddenly have to Autism. It also got emotional when I learned that Owen was bullied, and how he found a loop hole in the kids' threat to burn his house if he told his parents that they were tormenting Owen. The title of this episode is very fitting, and I got goosebumps when I realized that "juicervose" was Owen saying "just your voice." I enjoyed Owen's story, and it has changed my outlook on this disorder.

I really enjoyed this story, it gave interesting insight into what actually goes on in the mind of someone with autism. I liked the "falling from a plane" analogy, it helped me understand the sensory overload that people with autism experience. I wish the science behind it was discussed in more detail,however.I was glad that the fact that the information in the story is mostly ancedotal was clarified because, as discussed in the episode, families can sometimes be harmed when something that worked for one child doesn't have the same effect for theirs.Overall, I found this episode gripping and heartwarming.

wow what a great episode. I'm actually an autism researcher, so it was really interesting to see an episode on my field. This was a really touching episode, and reminded me why I do it.

While it is a touching story, there were huge holes left out untouched.
If one is born with autism, how come Owen clearly did not have it for the first 2.5 years? There are thousands of kids that "develop" autism, (or the asd symptoms) after 18-48 months of being completely symptom free. Why isnt anyone studying this? Why arent the questions being asked?

This brought tears to my eyes! I have had the opportunity to work with children with autism and I have loved every minute of it. They are all so unique and all respond differently. Thank you so much for sharing your story with those of us who try so hard to make a difference with these children because we see something in them that others don't.

As an animation teacher (in a community college style school) I see more students with spectrum disorder entering the teaching program each year. They are all individual stories but one thing in common, as you can imagine, we have the tribal bond of animation. Animation is a craft, an entertainment and a way to communicate. Fantastic pod cast. I've listened to them all.

Terrific episode. Very touching for me personally, as I have a younger brother with Aspergers. I really empathized with Walt, especially his reaction to Owen being bullied in school - so heartbreaking. I'm glad things have mostly worked out well for this family and wish them and Owen all the best.

Thanks for the tears, RadioLab. This episode brought back a lot of memories for me. My younger brother was also diagnosed around 1993-94, exhibited many of the same characteristics, and at some point also started watching the Disney movies in the same way as Owen. My brother never developed language before his diagnosis, and didn't speak until he was about seven - while putting together a puzzle of a Disney character. At 23, he still rarely speaks full sentences. There was no "ah-ha" moment for us. We're not holding out for any kind of "recovery," but rather these little moments when we get a glimpse of his real character.

It's a touching story, and I think our understanding would benefit from hearing the voices of people on the Autism spectrum more often. But these stories, including my own family's, are all anecdotal. And when we hear one, it's as if they all get equal weight. To this day I watch my mom spend time, energy, and money on "treatments" (fads) that might have worked for one person, and might offer my mom a little hope of improving some aspect of my brother's life, but ultimately change little. My brother's symptoms were in many ways identical to Ron's son, not to mention many other children when they are diagnosed, yet they ended up with vastly different outcomes. Was there something we could have done differently? We don't know. There just isn't an answer right now.

Anyway, I enjoyed hearing their stories in the episode, and I'm looking forward to reading Ron Suskind's book, too.

I am a mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome whose story is similar to Temple Grandin's. We knew something was wrong from the beginning, but it worsened after age 1. He began to speak at about 4, learned to read by 3rd grade, and functions at a higher level than those with severe autism, though still has many issues.
The interesting thing is that I also have a son with Down's Syndrome. He came out of his shell and began to talk around age 7 and we attribute this to Disney movies as well. At age 15 he still watches them excessively, sings the songs, repeats lines, associates with characters, and has learned to communicate so much more due to them. I appreciate the information in this podcast.

Pretty much every single time, Radiolab makes me cry. I love the way the team is able to convey emotions. Excellent editing, great stories. I shuddered when I heard Owen speak for the first time. :)

I consider myself one of the luckiest people. I know. I have the opportunity to do respite with an amazing young man with Autism. He has taught me so much and keeps me laughing. He came into my life through another job and I am thankful for that. He has taught me patients, understanding and love. I cant wait to watch this 16 year old grow into the great man I know he will. I thank you and your mom for allowing me to be in your life. Autism doesn't stop the person from living a productive and meaningful life. They just might have to get there in a different way that you or I would.

I heard this story on my way back from the Budda mountain. Although I don't know anyone suffered from autism. But I decided to share this story with more autism family in China by translating this story. I will find some public platform/website to share this story, not sure where yet, I will send you a link later. If my translation will affect any copyright issue, please let me know.
As a big fan of Radiolab, thanks for your great work !

How is this story not a Disney movie already?

I agree that it was a touching episode. If this was This American Life, I would have enjoyed the story for what it was and left it at that. But Radiolab is about science, or so I thought. There was no science in this episode. I'd really like to hear more about what science says about autism and different treatments in addition to stories such as this. I miss the science :(

Had to post on this, this episode totally made me cry. It's amazing how those unbelievably difficult challenges in life can bring out the best in people and humanity. Great reminder, I always want to be like Walt and never leave someone on the path, even if there's a chance they may never make it.

This was a typically fantastic Radiolab episode. I felt an additional wave of emotion when the bullying BD (behaviorally disordered) students were mentioned. I taught in BD programs and had many BD students. While this was certainly not the focus of the episode and the students in question were not the victims, it is still important to recognize that BD is a disorder in many of the same ways that autism is. The difficulty for many of us is that BD kids are a lot more difficult to like at times. While some of the people with autism profiled in the story are very sweet or sympathetic, many people with BD might come across quite differently. And that is what is most heart-breaking. I have known a number of very strong, smart, and loving people with behavioral difficulties. And this is a much less discussed problem that (and I'm just guessing) has a higher incidence than severe autism. Possibly worth discussing or investigating?

Thank you

Although this story was compelling, I can't help but be a bit upset that there was no mention of any evidence-based practices in autism treatment. No, personal stories are not evidence. There are intervention practices available (applied behavior analysis, for example), with ample supporting scientific research, that help children with autism every day. A single case story - compelling though it may be - does a great disservice to parents seeking intervention strategies. The reason we rely on evidence rather than anecdote (the only thing presented in this story) is because anecdote is so often wrong. There are people who testify that bleach enemas can treat autism (Google it if you don't believe me) - but saying it doesn't make it so. Autism has enough fads floating about - I wish Radiolab presented a bit more evidence.

I just read the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and am interested in how successful the protocol is for helping/healing autism.

http://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Syndrome-D-D-D-H-D-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852028/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412108622&sr=1-1&keywords=gut+and+psychology+syndrome

Everyone should know about Carly Fleishmann - she is an autistic teen who figured out by accident that she could communicate by typing out on a laptop. She is super inspiring if you're dealing with an autistic child of any age. The 20/20 profile is a must see.

Families with autism need to contact Brain Balance. We can help!

While it was quite touching to hear of an (extremely rare) remission from autism, it is very important to realize that the condition is extremely complex and that there is little or no common features that can be gleaned from these rare events. A real danger, in my mind, is the failure felt by parents with a vastly more common therapeutic arc, or the tacit implication that they lacked the the work ethic or conviction of the randomly successful parents. Should every parent of a child with autism skip work to spend 900 hours rocking with them in the bathroom? Should they all send their children to incredibly expensive schools in perpetuity? Perhaps in a perfect world everyone would have these options, but uncontrolled studies are often worth than worthless, for the guilt and false hope they engender. Anyone want to document/reproduce how Jenny Mccarthy "cured" her son of autism?

Great episode! I'm new to Radiolab however this topic hits home being an uncle of an autistic nephew. I can relate with so many topics and actions by the kids, including the music and Disney movies. Like rewinding to a specific spot or moment. The moment where Owen had a breakthrough with the movie Aladdin blew my mind. Our nephew also likes us to talk to him in several cartoon characters. Makes our family very hopeful for our special guy. Would definitely like to hear more of this material. You guys are awesome, thank you!!

When I heard Owen speak, my heart expanded.

3 quick comments...
First, this was a beautiful story about the Suskind family and their struggles and triumphs. It was inspiring.
Second, the negative comments regarding autism as destroying lives and avoiding false hope are unnecessary and harmful. Pretty sure we wouldn't say that about a person with mental retardation, Down syndrome, etc.
Third, although I'm sure the program does wonderful things for some people with Autism, the Sonrise program and it's philosophy are not backed by any thorough scientific research.

This is a beautiful episode. My favorite thing Radiolab has done. As someone who grew up on Disney movies, this really hit me.

I wanted others to know I had a very similar experience with my son when he was very young. He was diagnosed with autism at age 3 (he's 18 now) and used to re-watch Disney movies often. He once repeated "I am not a prize to be won!" at me in a moment of anger, and I had no idea where that came from. I knew about the echolalia at that point, but had no frame of reference.

Until we later re-watched Aladdin together.

Princess Jasmine uses that line to show her frustration at other people trying to control her destiny, and that was very much the feeling my son was trying to get across at a young age (maybe 4 or 5?). I had the "light bulb" moment when I heard the Disney dialogue in context, and was able to place what my son wanted to say.

He's a an amazing man, going to college and dealing with us frustrating neurotypicals in the best ways, most of the time. :)

As a parent of a 21-year old nonverbal son with autism, this program was done SO WELL. Thank you to these experts, Owen, Raun, and phenomenal other family members - and to RadioLab's expertise in sharing many people's experiences with autism.

Another book that helped us in Robby's Teenage years... 'The Reason I Jump.'

Thank you, Radiolab. I am eager to share with my family what I learned from this episode because my 8-year-old nephew has autism and it is good to know that we are not alone in trying to make sense of the condition.

Yet in terms of production, I'm not sure I would use the same recording of Ron and Owen's conversation in 41m10s when, as I hear it, Ron almost "feeds" to Owen the idea of reciprocity. Also, I feel quite uncomfortable when, in 38m58s, Owen is asked on recording to recall the words of bullies whereas this part can be told by the interviewer or hosts just as alright.

True. Live recording, dramatic opening， etc. --they may be intergal to Radiolab's way of story-telling. And how I love the smart and light touch as I listened to all your past episodes on topics like DNA, laughter, and dolphins. Just when the content borders on more humane areas, I believe a slightly more sensitive approach to production won't hurt.

Thanks.

Fascinating. The depths of the working of the human brain never cease to amaze.

Megan-
You are very upset about people "speaking for autistic people." I'm not sure who you are referring to. I don't believe that any family member, interviewee, or host ever claimed to speak "for autistic people." Everyone shared THEIR view based on THEIR experience. The story was told from the parents' perspective- not the child's. No one on the show pretends otherwise. I would love to hear a Radiolab episode that features more interviews with autistic children and focuses exclusively on their perspective. This wasn't that episode though. I enjoyed it anyway.

Quite an interesting show. I suggest a book about this subject from a parent's very compelling point of view - Autism-A Dad's Journey by a man named Luis Bayardo. I never had any knowledge of autism until this show and this book. Pretty eye-opening and important thing to know about.

I have an autism friend. She is a young teenager. We have raised her glutathione levels and what a huge difference we have seen in her. Her seizures have gone from 3 to 4 a week to 2 in one year. She is now more alert, making eye contact with people and excatly having better conversations!!

Hello, I generally love RadioLab and I really enjoyed hearing from Owen and Mr. Suskind. I initially ignored Mr. Royko's portions of the show until I read Shannon Des Roches Rosa's response which captured the error made in the show much better than I can. http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2014/09/an-open-letter-to-radiolab-stop-your.html

I have worked with the community for some time. I disagree with their desire to bring "balance" to the piece by allowing someone very bitter to spew what amounts to hate speech on air. Yes, everyone has a right to their experience, but I thought that considering the person actually experiencing the non-verbal autism with no assisted communication can't respond and advocate for himself, there was no way that perspective was or could be balanced.

The most clear example is when Royko says, "Autism destroys lives" which essentially dehumanizes a very large neurodiverse community.

The only valuable thing Mr. Royko discussed is that parents should only expect their child to be their child, like any other parent, because whoever they turn into is a valuable wonderful human being. Any parent should be given the advice that all they can do love and support their child, and as long as they are doing that they should never be ashamed.

Dear Radiolab,
My hubby came home from work today and said "babe, you gotta listen to this, it sounds like Sydney." Our daughter, Sydney is 9 and has Down Syndrome and Autistic Tendencies (don't have the official ASD diagnosis yet). I have been telling my hubby for the last year and a half that she has autism, but every time I try to discuss it with him, I hear that I am not a doctor and that she does not have autism. This episode somehow opened his eyes that in fact she does have autistic tendencies. Thank you for sharing this topic, and opening his eyes. Maybe now I won't feel so like I am carrying the burden all alone, although I am nervous that he will start trying to fix her, but I guess I can't have it both ways. Again, just a thank you from someone who doesn't usually listen, but am reaping the benefits of your program.

Lynn-- Don't assume that the families of autistic people are always on the "inside" of criticism. The only person truly always on the inside is the autistic person. Would Owen describe himself as "a shell of his former self," do you think? Many families of autistic people are supportive, and I am sure Owen's is one, but not nearly all. Assuming that the families of autistic people have the same right to speak for an autistic person is dangerous, because it can result in the family's word being taken over the autistic person's-- and autistic people are vulnerable to abuse by their caretakers. Owen's brother is not here for me to criticize, so I won't, but the brothers of neurotypical children are not given license to speak for their siblings and neither should the brothers of autistic/ID/neurodivergent children. They can get it wrong. They can be hurtful and spread hurtful ideas.

And Nick-- on the contrary, we get the point, and we're not sure it was pointed in the right direction.

I also have my reservations about this episode and would love to see RadioLab do an episode that includes the voices and perspectives of autistic and neurodivergent people. Many do speak and others can communicate through audible AAC. Just a thought.

I hope to see the day when individuals with disabilities, and their parents and advocates, can use their words of choice to describe their experiences without so much outside criticism based in political correctness. By "outside," I don't mean outside the field of work or thought, but outside of the person and their family. Others often seek to be offended, it seems. If Owen's brother chooses to say "He was a shell of himself," - then let him say it! This was his experience.

I think Bev and some of the other commenters are missing the point of the episode. I didn't get the idea that Radiolab was "spreading hate" about autism. They chose two cases that were on opposite ends of the spectrum (no pun intended) in order to showcase the unique and difficult crossroads the parents of autistic children find themselves at: how hopeful should they be? What, if any, expectations should they realistically have? It's not easy.

Thank you for this podcast. I work for a non-profit organization in Central Florida called OCA. We are a special place for special needs and provide affordable programs & services for individuals with Autism and other disabilities. In 1995 the odds of having an child with Autism was 1 in 10,000. Today, in 2014, it is 1 in 68. We appreciate programs such as yours that bring awareness of Autism because with ratios increasing at this incredible rate, we need to be prepared and to have developed programs for these individuals so they can have a place to grow, play, learn, work, and live. Your podcast episode helps plant the seed for people who do not deal with Autism on a daily basis to begin learning about it. For more information on OCA, visit: www.GoOCA.org. Thank you RadioLab for always keeping your programming relevant and current!!!

Autism destroys lives? He started to disappear? "Just a shell of himself?" These are some very harmful ideas you are spreading. The lives of autistic people are further endangered by this story's endorsement of outdated stereotypes. The attempted murder of Issy Stapleton is once again used to garner sympathy for parents who kill. How can anyone not see how wrong this is? With good editing, this could have been a somewhat useful story about communication across different neurotypes. Instead, we get more hatred toward autism and autistic people. More of the same.

This episode was extremely touching and eye opening. Thank you for doing the research regarding autism and putting together such an engaging episode.

Thank you for this show. As someone who falls into three dysfunctional spectrum (bipolar, dyslexia, and autism), I believe labeling these conditions can be harmful due the way humans stereotype and attempt to develop one size fits all treatment. I still struggle with bipolar and autism, but I have been able to build a family and remain employed for over 30 years. I can see how moving into the autistic person's world can be very helpful.

I've heard about the story only recently before, I believe on studio360, am grateful for this treatment here. Paige from Southern CA, with appreciation of your concerns, but there will always be something missing when talking about autism, this is but one story, and for that it was very complex already. As it is when there's something *wrong or different*, it also tells a lot about what Mind is in general, the means it grasps to work out the world, to survive. The role the Disney characters take on for Owen, their purpose and the family's use of them to connect with him and improve his life, you could fill a couple hours with this alone. As for Dave Royko's reaction - I haven't yet read the book, so I mean his reaction as heard on this pod - I understand his view, and I'm as disgusted as he is by the 'autism is awesome'-movement, yet his own take of 'don't awake false hopes' is a generalization in itself: you have to begin first, and you'll most probably have to keep at it for a long time, before you can talk about an ending. It might be due to editing that his views came across as this limited, but resigning to 'autism destroys lives' won't be of help to anyone, as understandable the position is. It does - so what to do?
Finally, one of the most rewarding aspects of this pod, the not often heard fact that autism has many faces.
One of your best pods.

As a single mom of a child with moderate autism, nearly every aspect of this episode resonated with me. You beautifully captured some of the sorrows, triumphs, worry and wonderment involved in raising a child with autism. Thank you for this and all that you do.

This episode opened a deeper interest and understanding into autism for me. Upon further reading about it, I was surprised, though that the story left out the idea of the intense world theory that seems to hold out hope for ways to treat/manage/support autistic children. Why did you not include information on it, or interview Henry Markram who also has a son with autism and who is a leading neuro scientist to boot? (found the information in the newspaper, Die Zeit: http://www.zeit.de/zeit-wissen/2014/05/hirnforschung-autismus-henry-markram-neurowissenschaften)

I enjoy every episode of Radiolab but this one held me in a way that made me greatly appreciate the skilled craftsmanship and creativeness that it takes to create a podcast like this. The best Radiolab I've heard by far.

I was largely disappointed in this episode as it ignored the very vibrant community of Autistic adults and the thoughts of Actually Autistic people. As an Autistic adult, I sometimes need help, less than some, more than others, but I am not a tragedy. Too many people spread fear and false information, and expect Autistic people to behave in neurotypical ways for their own comfort, rather than the actual good of the Autistic people involved. Attitudes like Dave Ryoko's endanger Autistic lives, by making excuses for parents and others who abuse and murder Autistic people.

A few sound bytes from Temple Grandin and a passing reference to the neurodiversity movement does not excuse the overall condescending tone of this episode.

As a mom with a child who is flourishing in his Son-rise program (that the Kaufmans spoke about), I don't recall that the story mentioned that son-rise is all about following a child's interests/motivations as a pathway to social development. My husband and I listened to this with both tears in our eyes (been there) but with a profound sense of gratitude for our journey and where our son is today. Thank you so much for doing a topic on autism!

I've been a RadioLab listener for years, and have enjoyed to every single episode that you've produced. With that being said, I connected with this episode more than any other, by far. As a mother of a child with Autism, I can relate so much with what these parents faced, and gained much insight throughout the entire episode. Thank you so much for another brilliant podcast! #mynewfavorite

immensely beautiful story. felt them all. lots of love.

I am a big fan of RadioLab (I was at your BAM RadioLoveFest performance!) - and I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you are finally doing a show about #autism. Thanks for highlighting Ron's book - it's one of my favorites.