| Biography & Autobiography |
| Family & Relationships |
| Children With Special Needs |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| Personal Memoirs |
| People With Disabilities |
Summary
Summary
The true story of an autistic boy with a body under siege by mysterious illness, and the chicken who saved his life.
"Heartbreakingly beautiful - the gift of the human animal bond." - Temple Grandin, Author, researcher, consultant and world-renowned autism spokesperson
Eight-year-old Andrew was autistic and bilingual. He spoke English - and Chicken. But the day he told his pet chicken Frightful that his body was trying to kill him, Andrew's family and an entire medical community were launched into a decade-long quest for answers. This honest memoir of fierce and faithful parenting takes readers on a heartfelt journey through chronic illness and Asperger's syndrome to discover the healing bond between a boy and his chicken. Navigating the complex landscape of modern medicine and genetics, through a rare diagnosis of Trisomy 8 Mosaicism and an experimental bone marrow transplant, readers venture to places where chickens talk, superheroes come alive, and a boy on the brink of death finds the courage to survive.
Author Notes
Kristin Adams is a public speaker and advocate for children with special needs, helping to bridge the gap between the outside world and the inner world of autism. Her speaking engagements have included: Seattle Festival of Trees Gala, a benefit for Seattle Children's Hospital and The Autism Clinic, Rotary, Community Bible Study and local school boards. She also works individually with children who have special needs. She serves on the Board of the Lake Washington School District Transition Academy (lwsd.org), one of the nation's leading transition programs for adult students with special needs. In the fall of 2015, she will be joining the Autism Guild at Seattle Children's Hospital, a medical fundraising and awareness group supporting children with ASD in Washington, Montana, Oregon and Idaho.
Her son's incredible story and extensive experience working with special needs children was featured at a recent Lake Washington School Board meeting. Subsequent media attention led to local news broadcasts and newspaper features citing the overwhelming success of the LWSD Transition Academy.
Her blog, Andrew's Journey, was crafted during the wee hours of the night on an iPhone, from her 'little cot in the corner' of a very small hospital room. Andrew's Journey chronicles the two years pre and post-transplant, and can be found at jonoffice.wordpress.com.
Formerly known as the Delta Society, her work with Pet Partners (petpartners.org), as part of a Therapy Dog Team with her Goldendoodle Finn, has opened doors for her to work with people of all disabilities in classrooms, clinics, retirement homes and community centers. Pet Partners requires extensive training to become a certified therapy team. The program utilizes positive human-animal interactions to improve the physical, emotional and psychological lives of those they work with.
She also was the founder of The Breakfast Club, a support group for mother's of special needs children. The bi-weekly discussion group covered topics such as navigating IEP's in the public school system, emotional and physical health, establishing friendship opportunities, and working with staff and teachers to facilitate learning.
Kristin lives near Seattle with her husband and their two children.
