Our stranger's, friend's, cousin's, aunt's, uncle's, son's, daughter's, brother's, father's, mother's keeper

The parents of autistic and as a result mute thirteen-year-old Carly Fleischman rejected a recommendation that they give up.

They rejected a recommendation that they institutionalize her, and triumphed.

A CTV.ca News report on Sunday and an ABC News report on Tuesday detail how loving persistence was instrumental in a Carly's escape from the prison of mute autism.

With intensive therapy, using Applied Behavior Analysis [1, 2,3 ], and a computer, thirteen-year-old Carly Fleischman was able to break out of her autistic prison, revealing an articulate young woman with hope, joy and rich insight to share with all of us.

Her autism still does not permit her to speak aloud, but she told ABC news via her computer keyboard:

Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but you can't always do that. It's sad that sometimes people don't know that sometimes I can't stop myself and they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thing about autism it would be that I don't want to be this way. But I am, so don't be mad. Be understanding.

Carly Fleischman has a great deal more to say to you and you can ask her questions.

In a society where institutions and family members do still turn their backs on kinfolk whose behavior is distressingly difficult to understand, but not an imminent danger, there is an unignorable lesson in Carly Fleischman's story:

Don't neglect them, allowing them to suffer alone, even become homeless.

You are your brother's (stranger's, friend's, cousin's, aunt's, uncle's, son's, daughter's, father's, mother's) keeper. Do not be afraid to turn around (repent) and rejoice in whatever wholeness you can create together.