Majors Mark and Noelle Nelson admit that when
they learned that two of their four sons were
diagnosed wit autism, it was "terrifying." In this
interview with the
War Cry, these Salvation
Army officers detail the extreme difficulties they
have had to face, the sources of support they found,
and the ways the experience have stretched and
challenged them.
.......................
WC:
What was it like when you discovered your
children were developmentally different?
Major Noelle:
Terrifying. At the time there was a huge
amount of ignorance. You see, all the stereotypical movies
showed people rocking back and forth, sitting against the
A C o n v e r s a t i o n
......H......
E
M B R A C I N
G
A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIFE
wall pulling out their hair, banging their head on
things and you think, "Is this what we are headed for?"
Major Mark:
For me it was devastating because I had
those impressions about what the outcome of autism
would be. It was like losing a child because you don't
have the child you thought you had.
.......................
WC:
What steps did you take when you found out?
Major Mark:
I researched what we could do for them.
We decided that behavioral intervention was the
most effective treatment. That was my major way of
coping with this.
Major Noelle:
I was of no help whatsoever in that
process. I was frightened into immobility. I did not
know what to do.
K
L
Majors Mark and
Noelle Nelson
with their four
sons. (Clockwise:
Colin, 16; Philip,
15; William, 7;
and Evan, 8.
Major Mark is the
Adult Rehabilita-
tion Center Com-
mand Secretary
for Business
in the West.
Major Noelle is
the Assistant
Secretary for
Business. Their
offices are in
Long Beach, CA.
9
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