Tag Archives: early intervention

We see a lot of special and inspiring families at Kennedy Krieger. Shannon and Kurt Berman, along with their son Cooper, are perfect examples.

Throughout the pregnancy with Cooper, and from the time he was born, his parents were determined to give him a multicultural upbringing. Having lived and worked all over the world themselves, they strongly believed in the importance of raising him in different countries, submerged in different cultures and adventure. But when Cooper was diagnosed with autism, they worried that their plans would have to be laid aside and that their goal of raising their son internationally might be impossible.

By the time Cooper had turned 1 year old, his parents had already become worried about odd behaviors, which only seemed to be getting worse. Like so many of the children I see with autism, he seemed disconnected, didn’t make eye contact, screamed and cried unexplainably, and demonstrated repetitive behaviors, such as opening and closing doors over and over and over again. At the time when these unusual behaviors began to emerge, Cooper and his parents were living on a small island of Thailand, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. People there don’t even believe in developmental disabilities, let alone offer treatment for them. Continue reading →