Danson is a collection of 50 poems written by a non-verbal autistic boy, Danson Wambua, with commentary by his mother Michele. For the families of over a million autistic children, Danson’s poems offer hope and illumination.
Danson Mandela Wambua is an incredible 9-year-old with the heart and mind of poet. Until Danson was eighteen months old, he appeared to be a healthy, attentive, affectionate and highly-focused baby. But after struggling with a severe respiratory condition that placed him in ICU for several days, his demeanor changed dramatically and he became listless and withdrawn. He no longer responded to his name or made any attempt to speak. We don’t know if the illness was related to his autism, but Danson was eventually diagnosed as “non-verbal autistic.”
At 7, Danson began therapy at the HALO Clinic in Austin, Texas, where at last he discovered a way to communicate, by pointing to letters on an alphabet board. Almost immediately, he began sharing not only his feelings (love for his family) and desires (an Ipod and jeans), but also his spiritual and intellectual yearnings (to understand faith, and to be challenged by complex ideas and concepts). One day in August, after a brief lesson about poetry, Danson wrote his own first poem, and he has not stopped since.
Message from Meth Lab Homes
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. My three-and-a-half year old grandson was diagnosed with autism within the last year. Like Danson, the author of this book, my grandson can not speak. My grandson also lived in a contaminated meth lab home for the first 3 years of his life. While the cause and cure for autism are yet to be discovered, scientists speculate that autism may be triggered by toxins in a child’s environment.
My son was diagnosed autistic very early in his life and now that I read about Danson, I believe my ex-husband’s addiction to crystal meth had a lot to do with my son’s condition.