Published on July 18, 2014
Daniel Forseys life has changed because of a change in medications. His parents say he is happier and verbal. Submitted photo
Published on July 18, 2014
Dr. Hugh Mirolo, the provinces only neuropsychiatrist, stands in his office at the Waterford Hospital. He says brain injuries are common and often misdiagnosed. In the case of severely austistic man Daniel Forsey, a change of medication has allowed him to overcome aggressive behaviour and gain some verbal skills. Photo by Keith Gosse/The Telegram
Carolyn Forsey has a stack of diaries that fills a table. All sizes and all kinds of covers, from kittens to flowers to plain old exercise books, each one filled to the end.
In one entry, written Sept. 15, 1998 her son Daniels first day of school Carolyn almost foreshadowed what life had in store for her and her husband, Fred.
The road ahead may be a hard one, Carolyn wrote in the entry, addressed to Daniels kindergarten teachers. There may be days when we are not all that strong.
At the time, Daniel had been diagnosed with autism. Though he only received the diagnosis about a year earlier, Carolyn can pinpoint, by going back through her diaries, when things started going wrong. At age two years and seven months, Daniel had only about a dozen words. His parents were beginning to realize he wasnt developing as he should, and that, Carolyn says, was when things began falling apart.
Upon receiving the official diagnosis, Daniel was put on an anti-psychotic medication. The Forseys trained in applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy at Torontos Geneva Centre for Autism, and started using it with Daniel at home. Fred resigned from his position as a teacher because, Carolyn says, things were getting really, really bad. Among the issues was that they couldnt get Daniel to sleep.
Hed be down for a half an hour and up for an hour. Down for 15 minutes and up for another half an hour. Whoever was up with him in the night couldnt function the next day, Fred explains.
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Bound by clinical shackles