Abstract
As a mother of a young man with autism and teacher, professor and autism consultant for 20 years, I have met many individuals who have autism but who now have the ability to speak about their experience. Unlike the doctors who looked at autism from the outside and made often erroneous guesses at what the disability was, these individuals tell us about sensory differences, the desire to relate others but the lack of understanding of our social rules and expectations, and the need to be accepted for who they are. These individuals want to be included and they have a great deal to teach us if we can give them the help and support they need to share in our world. In this session, I will share in slides, tapes, videos and by reading aloud the words of those who are rarely heard.
I present all over the US with my son and with panels of individuals with autism. If possible, I will bring my son along to speak for himself. I have keynoted the national conference of the Autism Society of America and many other conferences around the Canada and Asia.
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