THREE TIMES THE LOVE
THREE TIMES THE LOVE
Lynn Gaston and Randy Gaston
Parenting / Memoir
ISBN: 1583333509
Avery / Penguin USA
March 19, 2009
THREE TIMES THE LOVE is the inspiring true story of an ordinary American family who face an extraordinary challenge. Lynn and Randy Gaston were overjoyed to discover they were having triplets after many arduous years of trying to conceive. Their three sons were born after a closely monitored pregnancy, and the family returned home together, believing that their biggest challenges were behind them. But eighteen months after their births, Lynn and Randy’s sons began exhibiting odd, new behaviors –among them, toe walking, arm flapping, and in one of the boys, Nicholas, a sudden muteness. Home with the triplets each day, Lynn watched the boys change before her eyes. Terrified and dumbfounded, she began researching their behaviors on the internet. The same glaring diagnosis kept popping up—each boy was exhibiting symptoms of autism, though at different points on the spectrum.
With little support from their own pediatrician, Randy and Lynn continued to research autism and alternative treatments exhaustively, convinced that Zachary, Hunter, and Nicholas needed immediate help. With nowhere to turn, they hired their own therapists and began intensive behavioral treatment, uncovered by their health insurance. Stymied by misdiagnosis at their own public school, they eventually decided to sell their house and move to a school district that offered therapy programs for their boys.
Along this challenging and confusing journey, Randy and Lynn have become fierce advocates for their sons as they race against time to find answers. And they’ve made it their mission to arm other parents with the information, guidance, and support they were looking for so desperately since their boys began regressing. With invaluable advice ranging from educational programs to legal issues to a comprehensive assessment of the therapies and interventions that have worked for their three unique children, the Gastons provide a roadmap for all families who will need to follow them through the trenches.
THREE TIMES THE LOVE is an extension of Lynn and Randy’s personal mission. It is the beautifully-told story of a journey toward healing, and of the unstoppable devotion of two loving parents to their children. Filled with practical advice and an extensive resource guide, it is an essential guide for any family touched by autism.
Lynn and Randy Gaston are noted advocates for autism awareness. Their now seven-year-old triplet sons, Nicholas, Hunter, and Zachary, were diagnosed several years ago with varying degrees of autism. The Gastons’ story has been featured on Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, and in The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. In 2007, they organized and founded Autism Expo in Columbia, Maryland, which featured more than twenty autism experts. They live in Suburban, Maryland.