Raindrops on Roman by Elizabeth Scott

A Mother and Son’s Remarkable Journey through Autism

Statistics reveal that one out of every 150 children is diagnosed with autism each year. Elizabeth Scott became aware of warning signs that something was wrong. Roman was exhibiting unusual behavioral patterns. He didn’t want anyone but his parents to hold him. His head was extremely sensitive to the touch. He choked while nursing and could not swallow baby food. At fifteen months he was constantly running in circles around their living room.

Roman’s pediatrician assured Elizabeth, “all is well.” She gave simple explanations for each observation. After more red flags appeared, Elizabeth out of desperation sought another opinion. At seventeen months Roman was diagnosed with Sensory Process Disorder, a condition of the central nervous system, which left Roman with the inability to interpret sensory information correctly. By age two he had exhibited 45 symptoms of autism.

“Raindrops on Roman” is the account of Elizabeth Scott’s dedication and persistence. It is the story of Roman’s response to her consistent love and patient endurance. Elizabeth, an elementary school teacher put her career on hold, to devote herself completely to Roman’s recovery and healing. She has written this account to give a message of hope to others as she relates the steps of Roman’s recovery from autism. Theirs is an amazing journey of courage and fortitude.

I personally appreciated the fact that Elizabeth writes in easy to read understandable layman’s language as she describes in detail the complex goals of tactile and speech therapies. She tells of confronting the challenge of adapting the skills learned from Roman’s therapists into drills, and play times designed to change the negative brain patterns to create positive responses. These exercises resulted in cognitive development processes to enable remembering, reasoning, understanding, and the use of good judgment.

Roman’s behavioral patterns also challenged Elizabeth. He was often obstinate and belligerent. He was frequently confrontational. These sudden outbursts repeatedly caused “mini meltdowns.” The potential of these occasions created a sense of apprehension and embarrassment for Elizabeth in stores, at the park, the library, or in family gatherings.

Through her work with therapists, doctors, and program directors Elizabeth quickly gained knowledge and insights into sensory and autistic behavior. She clearly articulates and communicates this information to the reader. The skills, supplies, lessons, interventions, and new pediatric guidelines referred to in the book are included in a very useful series of appendices.

Elizabeth credits Roman’s restoration and healing to her availability and willingness to devote her full time to working with Roman consistently while she created a plan of drills and skills as therapy. She also attributes the support of her husband, her personal faith, and the prayers of her family and friends as key factors in the healing process.

“Raindrops on Roman” is a remarkable story of a mother’s love and complete dedication to her son. It is a tribute to Roman’s response to her love. I highly recommend this book to any family touched with special needs children and to those who have chosen a career in meeting the challenge of working with these families.

Robert D. Reed Publishers, 978-1934759240

As reviewed for Midwest Book Review

Raindrops on Roman by Elizabeth Scott