y the result of his being either the second child, male, or merely a different personality type than his sister. By the time Ryan had learned to walk, the Hughes family had started to realize that Ryan was not simply more active than his sister, but they had not yet begun to suspect that he might have a diagnosable disability.
Well past his third birthday, Hughes writes, Ryan "was beginning to show a frightening disregard for the safety and feelings of others, not only strangers, but his family as well" (p. 14). His parents began to suspect that he might be hyperactive. Hughes observes, "We were becoming very much aware that other three year old boys were not quite the same as ours" (p. 21).
They finally decided to ask for a consultation with their pediatrician, a decision that was difficult because it implied that they might be failing as parents. Waiting for the doctor, Hughes remembers, "Pangs of doubt jabbed at my mind and I wondered if he would smirk or laugh when we told him that we were unable to control our small three year old son . . . Surely two reasonably intelligent, mature adults, such as Jim and I could control a child of only thirty pounds" (p. 25). She was reassured by the doctor's concern and by the time he took in evaluating Ryan's case.
However, she became alarmed at his diagnosis: minimal brain dysfunction, a neur
...