Brian Blaisch, a pediatrician and the parent of an autistic 6-year-old, writes about the challenges he has faced advocating for his child in the Oakland public schools. — Katy

photo of Dr. Brian Blaisch and his son, Jackson, courtesy of Blaisch

I’m used to writing as a physician, not as a parent. I’m a pediatrician in Oakland who has devoted my career to working with the underserved children of our community. But as I come to realize that I’ve done a better job of helping and advocating for my patients and families than my own child, I find myself at a crossroad.

Although I specialize in caring for children with developmental, learning, and behavior issues, I was caught completely off guard when my now 6½ year-old son, Jackson, started developing classic symptoms of autism at around 1 ½ years of age.  What was surprising and disappointing was that when we finally got past our denial and asked for help with diagnosis and treatment, help was and continues to be difficult to find. Read the rest of this entry »