(via The Evening Sun)
Steve Brown left the room and came back with a stack of papers too thick to be bound by a normal staple. His wife, Angela, playfully rolled her eyes and begged Steve to put the book away.
Nobody wants to read that thing, she teased.
But Steve remained persistent as he read the title aloud - Understanding the Office of Developmental Programs in Pennsylvania Mental Retardation and Autism Services. He let out an exasperated sigh and furrowed his brow as he flipped through its pages. From the look on his face, it was clear that "understanding" was a bit too hopeful.
The parents of three autistic children, the Browns have been fully immersed in the world of autism for more than a decade. It was about 10 years ago when their twin sons, Josh and Chris, were first diagnosed with the disorder. Their younger son, Andrew, has also since been diagnosed.
"Acceptance isn't something ever received," Angela said. As their kids get older and older, she added, they will have to come to terms with their diagnoses over and over again.
But by any standards, the Browns have adapted well. Flipping through the pages of a bright red scrapbook, Angela shared photos from Easter egg hunts, Halloween parades, and softball tournament fundraisers, all done to help children with autism, all organized with the Browns' help.
Steve is the president of Friends of Amazing Kids Club, a local nonprofit organization started six years ago to raise money to assist autistic children and their families. Anywhere that there is a fundraiser, Steve and Angela seem to be there, holding up posters, selling raffle tickets, and running around with their kids.
Despite their community-activist exteriors, Steve and Angela Brown are still struggling to navigate their way through the struggles that go along with raising children with autism. Starting with the 172-page Pennsylvania autism services guide, the one that Steve couldn't help but drag all around the house, finding any of the necessary services for their children is daunting.
The guide is supposed to help parents of autistic children apply for a range of services offered by the state government and was actually designed to make the process of applying for them easier and simpler. But despite its original intentions, the packet in its final form stretches to what could more fittingly be called a book and is filled with an alphabet soup of organizations and page after page of complicated instructions.