(Excerpt Below)
If you are reading this book, you are probably asking yourself,
why is this man writing this book and what can I possibly gain
from reading it? Well, that is a very good question, so let me try
my best to answer it.I am a Dad of a special needs child who has advanced cerebral
palsy, severe mental retardation and autism, who is an “adult” but
functions at a 1-year old level. As I write this forward on my
relationship with my son, Taylor (who turned 18 years old this
year), I feel nervous and anxious, and maybe scared. Ok, I am
really scared for him (18 chronologically, not in mental capacity)
and the hundreds of thousands of children who exist in our
society today. Yes, there are many, wonderful organizations, state
and local governmental bodies, companies and individuals who
are doing everything they can to help…but, unfortunately, they
cannot keep pace with growing needs from this underserved
population. Truthfully, it seems overwhelming, but not without
hope.What I want you to take away from this book is that many
things have impacted my views on our lives, how to build a family,
how to engage the special needs community, understanding how
my relationship with Taylor was formed and how it continues to
grow and those external groups and others that have shaped my
past and on-going views. It is a nice chronology by month of
some of the special events and activities that have formulated
Taylor. Those same events also show how I have grown as a Dad,
or at least I hope you see that. Finally, I believe TAYLOR’S WAY
is also about where, if you are a special needs parent, that you
might go for on-going support and resources. The book reads like
a casual conversation, but I inject a lot of my personal feelings and
emotions about all these subjects. Perhaps unlike any other book
that you read, it is written directly from my son’s personal journals
and from my heart.My sincere wish is that this book will be an inspiration to all
that read it.Happy reading.
Christopher L. Myers
2009
