On Wednesday, August 3, Toni Braxton made a startling announcement to the media. After a decade of going through autism, she said her son, Diezel, is no longer autistic.
Braxton, 48, said on Wednesday, August 3 that her 13-year-old son, Diezel is not longer autistic. During an interview with Access Hollywood’s hostess Kit Hoover and Nina Parker, Braxton said his youngest son has no more signs of autism.
“My youngest son, as everyone knows, my son Diezel suffers from – or I should say suffered from autism. He [has] no signs of autism. Early diagnosis changes everything. I will tell you this. I will shout it from the rooftops,” said Braxton during a sit-down interview withAccess Hollywood.
The announcement comes to be a big deal for those who have witnessed Braxton advocating for autism awareness over the past decade. Braxton’s son was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Since then, Braxton has conducted meaningful efforts to raise awareness about the condition and she has also worked with organizations and foundations to learn others of how facing autism.
Braxton also stated that early diagnosis and proper guidance are crucial to go through the condition.
In 2012 Braxton was named Global Autism Ambassador for Autism Speaks. A large institution lauded as the greatest autism advocacy group in the United States.
In her memories, Braxton formerly spoke about her son’s autism describing it as a punishment from God for having an abortion. Braxton wrote when her son was diagnosed with the condition her initial reaction was rage, which was quickly followed by guilt. According to her, an autistic child was God’s payback for having taken a life.
‘A lucky mother’
During the interview, Braxton referred herself as one of the lucky parents because her son is not longer under the dark shadow of the spectrum.
As per the NIH, the spectrum is a medical term to refer to a wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability for those with autism or any other disease.
The seven-time Grammy winner acknowledged that it was Suzanne Wright’s guidance what helped her son to overcome the condition. The co-founder of Autism Speaks, Suzanne Wright, provided Braxton with suggestions and possible programs where her son could be enrolled in to defeat the diagnosis. Braxton revealed that soon after her son was diagnosed with the condition, she was called up by Suzanne Wright to help her through the challenge of raising her son.
Autism Speaks co-founder died last week at the age of 79.
Now, Braxton describes her son, Diezel, as a social butterfly. The 48-year-old singer added that the life of her family has dramatically changed since her son triumphed over the autism condition.
Autism is a mental condition diagnosed from early childhood. It is characterized by a great difficulty to communicate and perform relationships with other people and to use language and abstract concepts.
Source: The Grio