Living with Jonathan

Sheila Barton’s memoir of autism is inspiring. Finding herself, at thirty years old, with a son with autism and severe learning disabilities, she set about learning how to live a different kind of life and be a different kind of mother. This is the story, told with passion, intelligence and humour, of their journey from darkness into light. It is written out of anguish and anger, but also out of hope and love.

The book opens and closes with a real-life snapshot: the first from when Jonathan was nine, the second from when he was twenty-three. The first is told from the edge of despair. The second is upbeat – the day is one of happiness for Jonny and for his mother. Autism has been integrated into their world – they have survived it.

The chapters in between tell the amazing story of their life together and how they dealt with diagnosis, birth, school, brothers and sisters, travel, therapies, obsessions, grief and sex. Sheila writes movingly of the heartbreak and the joy, the terror and the liberation. Her son is now in his late twenties and she and Jonny began their journey into this strange and difficult world when understanding of autism was very poor. Today, autism is diagnosed more often and attracts more media attention than ever before.

This is the story of the triumph of hope and love over pain and sadness. It is a compelling manifesto for greater understanding of those who are born ‘different’. Its ending is one of empowerment and joy.

Sheila Barton has worked as a teacher and lecturer as well as a senior manager in various national charities. She has been on the executive council of the National Autistic Society and is an experienced public speaker. Sheila has taken part in TV and live radio interviews on autism. Her many articles have appeared in the Guardian, the Observer and the Times Educational Supplement and elsewhere. She and her son have been featured in Take a Break, the Bath Chronicle and Communication (the magazine of the National Autistic Society).

"This is a book we should all read. A remarkable human story, a remarkable piece of writing." Jon Snow, journalist and broadcaster

"Compelling, moving, honest, Living with Jonathan tells a mother's story of bringing up a son with autism. Communicating the parental experience with style, passion and intelligence, its narrative of transcendence moves from the quest to `beat autism' to a state of acceptance of autism and the autistic person and their contribution to both family and the wider society." --Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, author of Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion

"Sheila Barton's vivid and lively writing draws a picture of the ups and downs of family life with a child with autism. The overwhelming love she feels for her children and her spirited responses to setbacks are a joy." --Clare Coombe-Tennant, trustee of Ambitious about Autism

"We all wonder how we would cope if our child were disabled, looking on in admiration as others do, seeing only a tiny part of the story. Sheila Barton tells it all, with honesty, humour and selfknowledge, making this an outstanding and ultimately uplifting memoir. Autism is a word many of us use often but understand little. Living with Jonathan offers much-needed enlightenment." --Peter Stanford, broadcaster and writer

"Parents whose children have just received a diagnosis of autism experience a whole range of emotions - and often come to terms with them by hearing about other parents who have shared the same experience. Sheila Barton's book gives an insight into life with an autistic son - importantly it highlights the joy that her son has brought to her life. It makes an important contribution to our understanding of living with autism." --Mark Lever, CEO National Autistic Society

"A moving, enthralling, personal account of life with an autistic son. Sheila Barton is unflinching in her portrayal of the power autism exerts - the beauty and the terror, the joy and the pain. Highly recommended." --Charlotte Moore, author of George and Sam