A Personal Perspective

The following chapter is a hybrid autobiography and an opportunity for me to enlighten individuals about the challenges that an autistic person through their life span. You will find embedded lesions throughout my story due to the fact that I am an educator and an advocate for autistic individuals. My goal is to humanize those with autism and to demystify the condition. Often people fear what they do not comprehend. Thus, by allowing the reader to view my journey through a very personal lens, I seek to educate and help eliminate the ignorance and societal stigma that surrounds autism. Each autistic person’s story is different, but there is a common thread. Autistic people have dreams, desires, and aspirations like everyone else. As an educator, I endeavor to create solid educational and social foundation for my students to prepare to learn the skills necessary to be independent and to thrive in the adult world. As an advocate, you will see as you read my story that I want to create a new reality where I am not the exception to the rule, but the rule. It is to see a world where autistic people are treated with dignity and equity, shedding long-held stigmas. For another important exploration of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) you can look at my book: Decoding Dating, which was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2014.