Daniel was born twenty years ago.
As a child he behaved just like all normal children.
He would cry, eat, sleep etc.

During his early childhood he was a quiet boy, shut up within himself and habitually reluctant to talk.

At the age of three we noticed that Daniel has development problems, but we didn't know what they were.

Daniel was physically healthy, but his behavior was different from that of other children.

We began paying visits to doctors, psychologists, the Institute for Child Development in the Tel HaShomer Hospital, etc.

Daniel underwent many tests and diagnoses but the professionals couldn't detect his problem.

His development was delayed. When he was eight years old, we still needed to wash him.

For years he studied in the special framework of Ohel Sarah (Center for Education and Rehabilitation of the Special Child), and was under psychiatric follow-up and treatment.

When Daniel was ten years old, we were told that he is autistic with PDD (Pervasive Disorder Development) disturbances.

Life for us was not at all easy, but we continued on. Bringing up Daniel necessitated much attention, much time, and much money, and if I haven't pointed this out as yet, much tears.

Although we were accustomed to, once a year, take a vacation at a hotel or holiday resort to rest and enjoy some peace and quiet without the children, either we did not go to those places at all or we traveled there together with him . . .

Despite all of the difficulties that we encountered we did not buckle under and continued on. Not for a moment did we think of placing him in an institution.

About a half a year ago handling Daniel became difficult. We, the parents, are not young anymore. We are in our fifties and have to take care of another two small children. We happened to hear about a foster family in Jerusalem that takes care of autistic boys.

Daniel stayed there for two weeks, but then he had to be taken back home.

We visited that foster home a number of times and at one occasion they told me about the facilitated communication they conduct with autistic children, and about the facilitated communication they have made with Daniel and what he revealed to them.

We did not pay to this the attention it deserved.

A half a year passed and Daniel's condition deteriorated. He became prone to sudden attacks that I find impossible to explain. He would run from one place to the other, growl/roar uttering incomprehensible noises. His face exhibited indescribable pain and suffering.

After Daniel would calm down, he would say, "I am suffering. You do not understand me."

On the day that I hospitalized him he was already in awful shape. It is impossible to describe the pain that he went through-and the physical abuse to which he subjected me-and with your kind permission I shall not go into details about them.

Daniel was hospitalized in the isolated wing of the Tel HaShomer Hospital Psychiatric Department.

I visited him almost every day-I had a feeling of helplessness-I did not know how to help him.

I did not see any light at the end of the tunnel, and then I remembered about the facilitated communication meetings with autistic children in Jerusalem.

I called up the foster family and asked how to "arrange" a facilitated communication meeting for me. What could we do? Can we find any way to help Daniel?

In that way I set up my first facilitated communication meeting.