‘Ben X’ is a too-familiar story

Thank you for the piece about “Ben X” [“ ‘Ben X,’ Surrounded by Bullies” by Susan King, Nov. 23]. I couldn’t help but identify with the bullying that takes place when a child/teen/adult is incapable of defending himself in the social arena.

My youngest son is 35 years old. He has Asperger’s syndrome, untreatable epilepsy, as well as severe learning disorders. Over the years, he was terribly abused and bullied to the point of deep depression and became afraid to leave the house. While he was growing up, I almost lost my mind while trying to keep him safe and out of harm’s way.

Fortunately for us, our story has a happier ending than Ben’s. Due to years of hard work, consisting of several different therapies, he has been able to live successfully on his own for the past 11 years. Although he still experiences bullying, he has learned how to handle it much better -- most of the time.

I have written a book titled “Raising Brandon,” which tells our story from my son’s early childhood into his adult years. I hope that it will help others to be more open and aware of this terrible problem of bullying and how it still exists.

The “Ben X” story is more common than most people realize or want to admit.

Amalia Starr

Sierra Madre