By the time Feffs was 10yo, the Corliss Family had reached peak exhaustion.

My mom had been working night shifts so she could be home with us during the day/would pass the baton to my dad when he got home from work, stealing a couple hours of sleep in the overlap. Feff's behaviors were increasingly difficult to manage.

My sister & I learned at a young age how to loosen a strong grasp on our hair without losing too many follicles. (Press down on the knuckles/pull up on the thumb.) If Feffs bit his wrist/reached out w his other hand, it was a sign he needed more space. It was in your best interest to give it to him. My dad has lost many a shirt to outbursts/aggressions. None of it has ever been intentional. Immediately following any of these incidents, Feffs would look so deeply apologetic. His system was just completely overwhelmed. I would feel so guilty when fear crept in – I knew my brother would never, ever want to hurt me, but I couldn't always quell the nerves. Another thing to be aware of with Feffs was/is his Pica – “the persistent craving/compulsive eating of nonfood substances”, something commonly associated with autism. Poisonous plants & cigarette butts were/are particularly concerning. Daycare was impossible to come by – one place called Lollipop Farm swore they could handle him, but he got kicked out for biting other kids (oops).

Father’s Day weekend, my dad tried to get Feffs out in our local Fun Run. Feffs couldn’t handle the crowds. One lovely man decided this was an excellent time to tell my dad what a bad father he was for forcing Feffs to participate. An attempt at a drive-in movie was thwarted by Feff’s screams. Breakfast at Grisanti’s turned into the whole restaurant staring at us with disdain when Feffs had trouble waiting. When Jeff was acting up during church/my mom tried to hustle us out the door, she was stopped by a priest who excoriated her for leaving before the service was over. My pregnant mom’s hormones threw her into a crying jag.

Feff’s new doctor took one look at this [beautiful] mess/said we all needed some rest. She suggested a 5 week program at Bryan Hospital's psych ward. Feffs would stay there for observation/evaluation. We visited every day except for that first weekend. That first weekend we went to Kansas City & had the most fun/relaxing few days at Worlds of Fun, etc. My mom said it was the first time she and my dad could fully devote their attention to my sister & me. We stayed at a Red Roof Inn. Kitties & I, being the idiots we were/are, would refer to every RRI we saw in the future as "Kansas City".

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A little public awareness would have gone a long way in lessening the emotional strain on my parents. Autism Speaks has made remarkable strides in that field. To help them keep doing what they do, please consider donating to this year’s walk!

You can donate here: http://bit.ly/FFCstacieannabelle