Silent Losses: The Trauma of Institutionalizing Children

In her heartfelt memoir, Dr. Avery-Sterud tells the story of her sister, Pamela, born in 1960 with cerebral palsy. At the time, there were no educational services available in any public school setting, and professionals encouraged families to institutionalize children like Pamela as early as possible. For Pam, this was at the age of six when she was taken from her home and family and placed at Custer State Hospital in South Dakota. Losing her in this way was devastating, resulting in anger...