ONE DAD COOKS UP A BOOK FILLED WITH LOVE FOR HIS AUTISTIC SON

Rock Star Kenny Wilkerson Talks About His New Cookbook, “Rockin’ Recipes for Autism” To Raise Awareness about Autism

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — On Father’s Day, we celebrate Dad’s role as provider, mentor, and protector. This year, one son is celebrating his dad who has a new name: Author. Rock star Kenny Wilkerson is father to Gunnar, his son who was born with autism. The cookbook, “Rockin’ Recipes for Autism” is filled with recipes from his rock star friends, (which include Phil Soussan from Ozzy, Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister, and Frank Banali from Quiet Riot). The mission: To raise awareness about autism and raise dollars for music therapy programs that benefit autistic children. www.rockinrecipesforautism.com

“Food and music are the two things that bring people together,” says Wilkerson. “This book brings people together in the kitchen and unites us in a cause to bring music to autistic children. Every book that is sold brings music to a child with autism and studies have proven that music can give children on the spectrum a voice.”

Wilkerson has been playing with heavy metal bands since 1985, most notably the heavy metal hair band, NovaRex. His clothes are considered so classic that they are now on display at the Hard Rock Cafe, Smithsonian, and Indiana State Museum. But his greatest passion remains raising awareness for autism, which began 23 years ago when Gunnar was born.

“The numbers of autistic children are rising at such an alarming rate,” says Wilkerson. “In the United States, 1 in 36 kids has autism according to the CDC. And for boys, like my Gunnar, the numbers are even more crazy. Boys are 4x more likely to be diagnosed as girls. But why?”

The “why” is the question that is being heavily researched every day. According to the CDC, there are some answers including genetic factors, possible environmental factors, and a growing awareness with a focus on getting more children into treatment. Besides raising awareness, Wilkerson is also speaking out about the discrimination that autistic kids often face, how to support research, and especially how music therapy can help children.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | Autism | NCBDDD | CDC

As June is Father’s Day, Gunnar says he is especially thankful for his dad and proud that he’s helping others. But the elder Wilkerson disagrees. He says his son is his hero.

“My son is my hero. He struggles every day yet he’s also the smartest person I have ever met,” says Wilkerson. “I wish I could take every autistic child and build a university where they could use their amazing minds to find a cure for autism or cancer or whatever.”

Adds Wilkerson, “I encourage all parents to learn about the power of music therapy in their autism journey and to rock out with some new recipes from the cookbook. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to music therapy programs.”

Contact: Cecilia Toschi [email protected] 203-524-2422

Cecilia Toschi
MVT Media
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