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Ron and Cornelia Suskind had two healthy young sons, promising careers, and a brand new home when their youngest son Owen started to disappear.  3 months later a specialist sat Ron and Cornelia down and said the word that changed everything for them: Autism.  In this episode, the Suskind family finds an unlikely way to access their silent son's world. We set off to figure out what their story can tell us about Autism, a disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity. Along the way, we speak to specialists, therapists, and advocates including Simon Baron-Cohen, Barry and Raun Kaufmann, Dave Royko, Geraldine Dawson, Temple Grandin, and Gil Tippy. Produced by Kelsey Padgett.
Duration
44m
Broadcast on
18 Sep 2014
Audio Format
other

Ron and Cornelia Suskind had two healthy young sons, promising careers, and a brand new home when their youngest son Owen started to disappear. 

3 months later a specialist sat Ron and Cornelia down and said the word that changed everything for them: Autism. 

In this episode, the Suskind family finds an unlikely way to access their silent son's world. We set off to figure out what their story can tell us about Autism, a disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity. Along the way, we speak to specialists, therapists, and advocates including Simon Baron-Cohen, Barry and Raun Kaufmann, Dave Royko, Geraldine Dawson, Temple Grandin, and Gil Tippy.

Produced by Kelsey Padgett.


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WNYC Studios is supported by WYSE. WYSE, the smart way to manage the currencies you need around the world. With a WYSE account, you can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies, with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get WYSE. Download the WYSE app today. Terms and conditions apply. Listener supported. WNYC Studios. Wait, you're... Okay. Okay. Okay. Alright. You're listening to Radio Lab. Radio Lab. From... WNYC. See? See? Yes. And NPR. The word hit us... like you're hit with a... with a bullet. That cannot be or that cannot be our son. I'm Chad Abumrod. I'm Robert Krollich. This is Radio Lab, and our story today begins with a boy. And that boy is going to vanish. Not in the thin air, but to a place that we know very, very little about. And if you're the parent of that boy, what do you do if your child is falling away from everything you know? How do you find him? How do you get him back? Part of this tale we got from Ron Susskind's new, wonderful book, Life Animated. And some of you may have heard it, some not. Let's start where Ron started. For him, it began around 1993. And it was an exciting time. Well, we're going into Owen's room. For what is his last night in the crib? I still can't... I still can't watch. You still can't watch it? Can you tell us about your crib, Owen? Do you like your crib? Yeah. You know where you're sleeping tomorrow? What kind of bed are you in Walter going to sleep in? In 1993, the Susskind family decided to make a big move.

Transcription truncated.

Ron and Cornelia Suskind had two healthy young sons, promising careers, and a brand new home when their youngest son Owen started to disappear.  3 months later a specialist sat Ron and Cornelia down and said the word that changed everything for them: Autism.  In this episode, the Suskind family finds an unlikely way to access their silent son's world. We set off to figure out what their story can tell us about Autism, a disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity. Along the way, we speak to specialists, therapists, and advocates including Simon Baron-Cohen, Barry and Raun Kaufmann, Dave Royko, Geraldine Dawson, Temple Grandin, and Gil Tippy. Produced by Kelsey Padgett.