Expecting a baby can generate equal measures of anxiety and joy. The months before the child is born are spent learning what to expect and planning for the much-anticipated son or daughter’s arrival. Sometimes plans and expectations can give way to grief, however. Watching Sarah Rise, by Jennifer Celeste Briggs, is the story of one family’s heartbreak when their daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with autism before she was a year old. Briggs says of the sudden realization that Sarah would be different from other children, “As I see it, your life as planned gets turned on its head, and you must function upside down, pretending that you are right side up. You are grieving and trying to pretend that you are not.”
After Sarah’s diagnosis, Briggs and her husband Carl quickly went to work researching resources that could help their daughter reach her full potential. For Jennifer and Carl, hope came in the form of the Son-Rise Program. Jennifer attended training with the program’s founders, which provided a blueprint for the design of their own program to assist in Sarah’s development. They named it Sarah-Rise. Jennifer organized games and activities, recruited volunteers, and set up a special room in their home where all those who cared about Sarah could spend dedicated one-on-one time with her, working on speaking, reading, and connecting skills. Jennifer and Carl devoted the next several years to helping Sarah succeed in reaching ordinary childhood milestones.
Watching Sarah Rise chronicles the first thirteen years of Sarah’s life, including very specific details about the efforts taken to prepare her for integration into the public school system, where she is now happily established. Much of the book focuses on detailed strategies like games, visual tools, reading programs, and nutritional regimens.
While in some ways this book can appear to be an instruction manual, it is not intended to be. Briggs presents the specifics of their program to inspire parents in attempting techniques that might help their own children. Each child and each family is unique; every child’s potential is different. Briggs says, “I have learned that the best thing for me has been to share openly and honestly about basically everything. Every story, every detail. Every win, every loss. Every step forward and every step back. Not only do I gain support and ideas, but I also hear from other people that what I share is inspiring, helpful, and relatable.”
Watching Sarah Rise is a deeply honest portrayal of the emotional journey parents of special needs children face, especially when their child’s future is uncertain. The book was well-written and enjoyable to read, though at times I was unclear about timeline. Nevertheless, Sarah’s forward progress was easy to follow. This book will appeal to parents of special needs children, whether they are autistic or not. It makes clear that although their families may look different from other families, with love and patience, they and their children can thrive.