[Source:  Spark for Autism]

At 21, Jonny is a loving son, strong and handsome, says his proud mother, Jill Escher. He also has severe autism, which affects almost every aspect of his life. When he’s frustrated, anxious, or experiencing an emotion that he cannot control, he may bite, scratch, or hit his family or caregivers. Once he pushed his mother’s thumb back so far it touched her forearm. “When you have a child who’s aggressive, it’s absolutely life changing,” she says.

But his mother wants people to understand: none of this is Jonny’s fault. “I don’t think for one second he intends to hurt anybody. He is so sweet. I think that his brain simply lacks an off switch that would restore control,” she says of these rare episodes. The Eschers participate in SPARK, the largest study of autism, to help advance our understanding of the condition.

Read the Rest of this Article on Spark for Autism