David Winstrom

I Choose Adam David Winstrom

I Choose Adam is about the magic of inclusion and creating a community where everyone is welcomed equally and without apology for their differences. It is about making choices for Adam that defied the advice of "professionals." It is about a boy with a tested IQ of 40 who, against all odds, learned to communicate, went to a regular school and on to college, bought his own house and lived an extraordinary life that was nothing special.

David and his wife, Jetta, had a deep desire that their only child, born with the neurological anomalies of Down Syndrome and Autism, be valued for the gifts he brought rather than be thrust into an institutional setting as the "helpful professionals" encouraged. They did not want anything special for Adam. They were both challenged and altered through Adam's early years and by kindergarten began searching for and trying different schools until they found one where Adam was included and welcomed as an honored member of the community. Throughout his young life, Adam made thousands of friends, learned from them, and taught them the true meaning of relationships. Many of their stories are included in this book.

I Choose Adam is about how raising Adam transformed his family, his church, his school and an entire community of friends. This story will make you laugh and cry, and in the end, you will be changed for having read it.