United in Autism ― Finding Strength Inside the Spectrum

A diagnosis of autism can rock a family's world. The toll it takes on everyone involved can be one of isolation; a child who doesn't respond to the world around them, a parent who gives dedication, patience and love - most likely with no expressible love given back. It's a messy equation with huge emotional and financial costs.As a mother of a daughter with autism, Julie Hornok has experienced her fair share of these parenting challenges, and now brings together thirty inspiring and heartfelt stories from parents raising children from all places on the spectrum and from all corners of the world. These mothers and fathers have experienced some of the worst of what this disorder can do, but in seeking help, they found it…and more. Now they pay it forward by sharing their accounts and giving back to the autism community. United in Autism: Finding Strength Inside the Spectrum offers understanding, comfort and hope as well as global allies and strength to those who feel alone.

When her daughter, Lizzie, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, Julie Hornok jumped into researching and implementing a thirty-hours-a-week home-therapy program. This program treated Lizzie's behavior and speech, along with diet and medical interventions to heal her body. A few years later, as her daughter made good progress, Julie went through her videos and began a video blog (LizzieHornok.Blogspot.com) showing Lizzie's progress to encourage others. As a result of the video blog, Julie became the go-to mom for helping parents with a new autism diagnosis and was honored to accept a position on the board of the National Autism Association of North Texas. She was also asked to blog for AutismSpot. Blogging regularly enabled her to encourage and help thousands across the globe through humorous, heartfelt stories about Lizzie and videos showing the therapies she was using to help her daughter progress.Through AutismSpot, Julie discovered her love for writing. She has published short stories in multiple Chicken Soup for the Soul books and received an honorable mention in the memoirs / personal essay category of the eighty-sixth Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition in 2017. Her work has also appeared in Parenting Special Needs Magazine, Autism Parenting Magazine, AutismSpot, Thrive magazine, Literary Mama, and many more.Julie is passionate about supporting families with autism and lives in Texas with her husband and three children.