Elizabeth Mary Mitchell

Beth standing in front of her home.

Elizabeth was born in Washington, DC, on June 3, 1972. Her development seemed to be normal for several months, but as time went on, it became apparent that she had developmental difficulties. The doctors were unable to figure out what was wrong, and dismissed most of her delays as within the range of normal. Finally, at the age of 2 1/2, Beth lost virtually her entire spoken vocabulary almost overnight. Now there was no denying that something was wrong, and her family's search for a diagnosis began in earnest.

Beth was enrolled at the School for Contemporary Education in Alexandria, Virginia, at the age of 3; this was a pilot program funded by the (then) U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and was one of the first preschools in the country to try to educate children with developmental delays. The summer Beth turned four, her family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, in large part because Fairfax was well known in the area for their excellent special education program. There she attended a non-categorical preschool for children with various disabilities, while her family continued to search for a diagnosis. Finally, when Beth was 4 1/2, she was diagnosed with autism.

Beth's story was a prominent part of a cover story on autism in the July 8, 1979 Rolling Stone (yes, you read that right) magazine. Here is a link to a story about our adventure with "Rolling Stone"!

Autism (think Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man") is a poorly understood neurological disorder, characterized by severe social and communication deficiencies.

The Newsweek magazine issue of July 31, 2000 has a cover story on autism.

The Cable News Network had a story on autism on March 2, 2003. Here is the link.

Here is a link to the Autism Society of Washington.

At the age of 5, Beth entered the Autistic Program in the Fairfax County Public Schools, which she attended until she was nine. Then our family moved to Port Angeles, where she attended special education classes until she was 21.

Here's a picture of Beth on her First Communion day, June 19, 1987, at Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Port Angeles, when she was 15.

Just a couple of weeks before Beth turned 20, she moved into the Hazel Street group home in Port Angeles run by Clallam County Hostelries.

She has lived there ever since, coming home to visit with her family each weekend.

Here's Beth in May 2001.

Beth is happy, and is a wonderful person. She celebrated her 30th birthday in June, 2002.

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Last revised 2007-01-12