SHAWN LAPIN

“Shawn’s changed a lot of people’s lives including ours, and he’s changed my perception of disability. He’s my hero because he’s been very brave over the years when there were no services… he has a sense of humor and I love it because we all need a sense of humor when we go through tremendous challenges.”
-Connie Lapin 

Born in 1968, Shawn appeared to be a healthy happy child. “He had words, he crawled early, and walked early. And then one day at 13 months he dropped out,” says his mother Connie. Shawn was diagnosed with autism.

“He cried, he screamed, I couldn’t hold him.  There was no sleeping, no information, no support, and no help. We had locks on the refrigerator because in the middle of the night Shawn would get into everything,” recalls Connie.

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<< PHOTO: Shawn with actress Jean Peters. This photo was used in a campaign to create more awareness about autism. ca. 1970's.