A FRIEND LIKE HENRY PB – NUALA GARDNER

This is the inspiring account of a family s struggle to break into their son s autistic world – and how a beautiful retreiver dog made the real difference. Dale was still a baby when his parents realised that something wasn t right. Worried, his mother Nuala took him to see several doctors, before finally hearing the word autism for the first time. Scared but determined that Dale should live a fulfilling life, Nuala describes her despair at her son s condition, her struggle to prevent Dale being excluded from a normal education and her sense of hopeless isolation. Dale s autism was severe and violent and family life was a daily battleground. But the Gardner s lives were transformed when they welcomed a gorgeous Golden Retriever into the family. The special bond between Dale and his dog Henry helped them to produce the breakthrough in Dale they had long sought. From taking a bath to saying I love you , Henry helped introduce Dale to all the normal activities most parents take for granted, and set him on the road to being the charming and well-adjusted young man he is today. This is a heartrending and fascinating account of how one devoted and talented dog helped a little boy conquer his autism.