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Article: Autism rate soaring; Award-winning Southboro program's reach is global.(LOCAL NEWS)
- Article from:
- Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)
- Article date:
- July 19, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Elaine Thompson
As a nurse practitioner at a Boston hospital, Melrose Lahood of Leicester said she was very familiar with autism disorders, but that did not prepare her for the shock and devastation she and her husband felt two years ago when their son, Meltin, was diagnosed with autism at age 2-1/2.
"I wasn't expecting it at my doorstep. I don't have anything like that in my family. I was very shocked," said Mrs. Lahood, who emigrated from Sierra Leone 21 years ago. Afraid that their firstborn would be mistreated by a baby sitter, Mrs. Lahood's husband, Martin, who is from the same West African country, gave up his job as a mechanic to stay ...