The Cherry family knows autism. In 1996, Cathy and Michael Cherry traveled to Russia to meet Matthew for the first time. They quickly found themselves interacting with a 3-year-old whose actions could only be described as chaotic. Once in the states and old enough for a diagnosis around age 3, Matthew was shown to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and fetal alcohol syndrome. Later, with two other children in the household, Jason, the middle child, and Samantha, the youngest, the Cherry family began a lifelong journey to understand autism and to raise a family with compassion, patience, and, most importantly, humor.
