Nicole Hendrick Donovan, a mother of four, couldn’t have prepared for the events that led to her son’s removal from the public-school system. Behavioral spikes, depression, and anxiety were only symptoms of an underlying diagnosis, which had gone untreated for years. On a sunny afternoon, Jack eloped from first grade, creating chaos and leaving a trail of injured staff in his wake. Within the pages of her memoir, Donovan describes the path to her son’s autism diagnosis and her journey to acceptance and unconditional love, not only for Jack, but also for herself. In the family’s dedication to get to the bottom of their son’s issues, they enlist a group of professionals to help understand Jack’s educational rights, his academic needs and to aid in the creation of therapeutic supports. After becoming completely enmeshed in Jack’s well-being, Nicole loses herself in the process. She soon realizes her resentments at a failed system and the continuous fear around Jack’s future are sparking a series of panic attacks, which prompts her to look deeper within herself for answers. As Nicole surrenders to the ebb and flow of life, she opens her heart and sees what truly matters. "A Life Suspended is a guide that will help mothers of children with autism, or a severedisability, navigate their complex emotions." ~ Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures "While this book is about motherhood, education and navigating many of life's challenges and inequities, it's actually a deep reflection on our interconnectedness and humanity. Nicole courageously walks us through her journey of advocacy with humor, love and grace. She brings a vulnerability and strength that is more than just inspiration and education - though there's plenty of both - it's a story of becoming." ~ Janell Burley Hofmann, Author of iRules, International Speaker, Facilitator and Consultant, Mother of 5 "Just as Temple Grandin provided us insight into living in a world as a person with autism, Nicole Donovan is now lending voice to families that have children with autism. In A Life Suspended , Ms. Donovan has given a gracious and generous invitation to experience the joys and heartache captured in this brilliant snapshot of her family album. As educators, as well as clinicians, we would be remiss not to accept her invitation and use it as an opportunity to gain insight from a family perspective. This should be required reading for all those entering the field. Jack's story is a reminder to all who work with children in schools that we have a responsibility to be honest and forthcoming in our observations. Our words and actions devoid of empathy and compassion leave long lasting imprints. As Ms. Donovan so poignantly captures in her story, whatever we do and whatever we say, every student is someone's child and deserve to be treated as such. Thank you for sharing your journey as a parent and Jack's journey as your son." ~ Debra Edgren, M. Ed., C.A.G.S., School Psychologist "Stories such as the one told in A Life Suspended are what good movies are made of. It has heart and soul while keeping you on the edge of your seat." ~ Sherianna Boyle, author of Emotional Detox When you have a child who is behavioral, people assume the parent is the problem. Judgements are made and rulings are given, but too often the ruling comes with a deafening silence. Friends my child previously played with became busy. Other mothers, with whom I was friendly, were visibly uncomfortable around me. Some mothers from his class would eyeball us, gesture to one another and whisper. It felt like I was teleported back into my high school cafeteria where I was socially weighed and measured. Shame cycled from the past and into the future and felt increasingly isolated and wounded. How could I combat their ignorance? And more importantly, how could I believe, once and for all, that I was enough? As a special education parent I kept stacks and piles of IEP's (even outdated ones), evaluations, testing results, report cards, progress reports and notebooks filled with notes either taken on numerous phone calls or at team meetings. I had to buy a file case to house all of Jack's paperwork (by the age of 5). I collected documentation and tried to follow a paper trail to understand. One of the most challenging parts of being a special needs parent, is going from mother to case worker. I became the hub of all things, while not being an expert on any of it. In the background of my mind there was a constant audible hum that told me wasn't qualified to execute this job. Clearly, there was someone else who could do this, right?  As a mother, I knew. Jack wasn't a typically developing child. To some he appeared like other kids, slightly bossy and always in the thick of the action. He had no filter and spoke freely, much like my Nana did, who embarrassed my mother on countless social outings. We had a laundry list of diagnoses and a file filled with evaluations, but something w