They Have No Idea: Love and Desperation in Mothering a Child with Severe Autism and Epilepsy, is a powerful account of a mother's struggle to understand what it means to be a good mother to her child who struggles with both issues. In this book, Barbara Morrisey bravely pulls back the curtain so others might catch a glimpse of what some families with special needs children experience.

The author reveals the distress of learning her son's diagnosis, the determined efforts she and her husband undertake on his behalf, and the impact this has on their family. She describes the devastation of realizing that their efforts are futile, and the heart wrenching process of deciding to seek an alternative care setting for their son. The guilt of being unable to provide the level of care her son needs, and the pain of watching his suffering intensify and his care needs increase over time, drives her to wrestle deeply with her faith and perception of God.

It is Barbara's hope that families with special needs children will draw comfort from this book in discovering that their feelings of fear, desperation, and inadequacy at times, are not unusual. Those wanting to support these families through meaningful relationships, church ministries, civic programs, or government policies, are apt to find this book helpful as well.