Lawrence Howard Markin is a successful Chicago businessman with a son at the far end of the autism-severity spectrum. As president of Sherman Plastics Corporation in Naperville, Illinois, he leads a recycling business that has received multiple grants from the state. As father of Eric Markin, he helped blaze new trails for other parents of children with autism, particularly those with the highest levels of severity. Eric, almost totally non-verbal and unable to conform to social norms, would have been institutionalized for life not long ago. Mr. Markin forged a better solution, becoming an advocate for community placement over institutionalization and helping create what is now considered a best-practice model in Illinois. He tells his heartfelt story in Words Not Spoken. Mr. Markin is active in the autism community, serving on the board of directors of Anixter Center, one of the largest non-profit organizations in the Chicago area serving people with special needs. Each year, Anixter serves close to 10,000 people with physical, cognitive, developmental, sensory, psychiatric and/or medical-related disabilities. Many of these people have more than one disability and most have incomes below the poverty level. Through residential, employment, leisure and therapy programs, Anixter helps its clients live as fully and independently as possible. Before joining the Anixter board, Mr. Markin ran his own charity, the Progressive Services Network (PSN). Driven to help fill the void in programs and supports for people with special needs, PSN's mission was to raise funds for a range of programs for the special needs community. After 10 years, Mr. Markin decided to discontinue PSN at the end of 2014 to focus on Anixter's cutting-edge programs. Mr. Markin has been a voice for other parents of children with autism, helping convey their challenges to legislators, educators and policymakers to effect positive change for people with special needs - particularly when they become adults. His purpose in writing Word Not Spoken is "to convey my experiences to others that have loved ones with autism so they may learn from my mistakes, and maybe benefit from some things I did do right. For the rest of you, I hope you'll gain some insight into this disorder and what parents of children with autism are living with each day - and how it doesn't end when the child reaches adulthood."
