Waging War on the Autistic Child: The Arizona 5 and the Legacy of Baron Von Munchausen (Hardback)

Families affected by the autism epidemic have suffered great hardship and prejudice, particularly as they have navigated the uncertain waters of diagnosis, treatment, and education. Now they face a new and insidious threat in the form of allegations of child abuse. Some in social services, medicine, and the courts have parents in their sights, especially those who treat their children's condition as a medical disorder rather than a psychological aberration. This is the shocking story of one Arizona family with five children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It is a story of two parents accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy - a very rare form of child abuse - that turns the roles of abused and abusers on its head. In the midst of the autism epidemic, a nightmare for many American families, it is a story that the System does not want told.