Dr. Cheri Florance, a speech-language pathologist, recognized from the start that her third child, Whitney, was unresponsive. Colleagues told Cheri that her son was autistic and would never learn--that she should give up hope. But she saw a spark of ability in her son: his excellence at solving problems indicated a highly developed visual sense. Going against the experts, Cheri was determined to help Whitney speak, interact, and learn. So she marshaled her scientific and medical training, enlisted the aid of her two older children, and embarked on a campaign to bring Whitney out of his shell-and into the world.